If you've gotten this far in life without having played The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, I think you're out of your deku tree. On second thoughts, though, and with a full Lens of Truth on that statement, I may have unrealistic expectations of any modern gamer on this. After all, you've been utterly spoiled by not one (Breath of the Wild) but two (Tears of the Kingdom) Zeldas that eclipse "OOT" in many ways.
However, I still think there's a strong case to be made for tooting out The Song of Time and travelling back to this important evolutionary Link from our past. We all owe it to ourselves to play and appreciate this landmark outing when every song was an inescapable earworm, Hyrule's horizon was pushed back to an incredible distance, and Nintendo really got its eye (Z-)locked onto great 3D action-adventuring.
If you're new to this title or, like me, you adore it to the point where no sensible Top Ten Games list can hold water without its inclusion, today's your day. Join with me now as we go look for the finest ways to celebrate this phenomenally influential, absolute masterpiece of an experience.
1. Build the LEGO Deku Tree
When I noticed that Ocarina of Time's birthday was coming up. I threw caution (and a lot of bank notes) to the wind to secure this LEGO Store exclusive. My plan: hook up the old N64, slap that luscious gold OOT cartridge in, and do a build-n-play session with my two sons. Bag for bag, turn for turns, swap the controller stuff that I'd highly recommend.
How is the build experience? Slightly confusing if I'm being perfectly honest. Those of you unfamiliar with this set should know that it's a bit of a Choose Your Own Adventure proposition where you can either cobble together the classic Deku Tree or a modern (and admittedly prettier in pink) variation from Breath of the Wild.
If you take the OOT route, as I did, you'll be in for a circuitous journey of opening bags out of numbered order. My advice: minimise confusion by using the much more idiot-proof and interactive Lego Builder app as opposed to the printed manual.
When all was said and done, however, my crew and I had a Bombchu-level blast building this. If you're pressed for shelf space, the entrée of this set—Link's childhood fort—is an adorable standalone that can fit just about anywhere. If you can carve out a larger display area, the Great Deku Tree is a striking setpiece, a worthy homage to this tragic Kokiri patriarch.
Personally, I love the fact that it can easily double as a fun and interactive playset as well as a static conversation piece (or... pieces). Better yet, old mate is brimming with fan service details, like a hidden archery stash and a Deku mouth mechanism that, when activated, reveals a cleverly descending Skulltula.
With Child Link's fort, I also delighted in getting a little box of goodies to store an inventory screen's worth of supplies, including a hookshot, a bomb, red and blue potions, and a compass. It also comes with Navi the Fairy, who I can't seem to look at without automatically hearing, "Hey, LISTEN!"
Basically, while The Greak Deku Tree purchase required access to a Giant's Wallet on my behalf, I'm quite happy that I spent the rupees. My house overfloweth with some of the most fantastic plastic LEGO has ever produced; regardless, this Castle Grayskull-esque rendition of gaming's greatest Ent earned itself a primo position.
2. Replay the Game on Switch
Here's a no-brainer—just literally re-experience this masterpiece and see how timeless (the overwhelming majority of) it is. How exactly? Well, while I'd love to be able to tell you that 2024-era Nintendo has shown the reverence this game deserves by providing a suitable remastering, sadly that just isn't the case. The last time Ocarina of Time was shown that amount of care and attention was in 2011 with the Nintendo 3DS redux developed by Grezzo.
These days, your best and most legal avenue to have an OG OOT experience is via a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership. This service will let you gain access to a bunch of N64 greats, OOT included, and then there's one more step you can take to really make this an authentic playthrough...
As the owner of four of these bad boys, I can attest to how well-made and nostalgia-inducing these peripherals are. This is a full-sized replica of the N64 controllers I more or less ruined with repeated bouts of control stick punishing Mario Partying.
Also, while it may look like there's no Rumble Pak jutting out of the non-existent expansion bay, these modern renditions do indeed vibrate for games that originally supported it (think: Lylat Wars, GoldenEye, etc.). So yeah, expect that Stone of Agony of Link's to pulse whenever you run over a secret grotto!
So there you have it, folks, the very best ways to reconnect with an absolute classic are now in your objectives list. Physical or digital? Actual experience or plastic homage? You decide. All I really care about, honestly, is the outside chance that I may have coaxed a curious newcomer into Hyrule Field for their very first time. If I have, and that's you, please enjoy the magic that is!
Adam Mathew is our Aussie deals wrangler. He plays practically everything, often on YouTube.
