Robin Basalla’s Favorite Game of All Time: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

By: Robin Basalla

As a kid, going to the grocery store typically includes wandering aimlessly and rearranging price tags while mommy takes her good ol’ indecisive time to find produce of absolute perfection. However, for little Robin, the local grocery store was a magical place; a place where I would first encounter the video game that would change my life.

I was 8 years old and a trip to the grocery store meant one thing…Eagle’s Nest, the adorably clever name for Giant Eagle Grocery’s daycare. An ingenuous idea really:  parents can drop off their annoying kiddies at the store’s child center and ogle bruise-free tomatoes to their heart’s content.

To me, this place was a haven for all things wonderful in the world. They had Pokemon coloring pages, a computer, and even a beautiful black Nintendo 64.

Usually it was impossible to get a turn with the video games. The Nest was, unsurprisingly, continually crowded with greedy ankle biters. But one lucky, fateful day, I was the only child there and the N64 was all mine. The game of the day:

I still remember the room the game was stuck in when I unpaused it: The slingshot room. You had just obtained the slingshot and you had to shoot the ladder down. Being a younger and more idiotic version of myself, I couldn’t figure out what to do for a good half an hour before my mom came to pry me away.

I refused, “Mom, I just started playing, I can’t leave yet!” But the effort was futile…The controller was ripped from my tiny, worthless fingers as my massive puppy eyes swelled with tears. My mom dragged me out of the store, I was absolutely bawling. To shut me up, she snapped – “Shhh, I’ll buy it for you tomorrow.”

Fortunately my spoiled brat routine worked like a charm and the glory that is The Legend of Zelda was in my possession.

I can’t pinpoint what drew me to the game so greatly, but I feel it had something to do with the sense of adventure the game exuded. From sneaking past the Hyrule castle courtyard guards to leaping Epona over the gates of Lon Lon Ranch; I wasn’t controlling a character, I was creating memories. My first encounter with a Wallmaster was absolutely terrifying, and the second I stepped into the Goron village, my eyes lit up with awe.

All of the characters completely added to the experience, delightfully wandering in their fictional lands with their strange habits and little foibles. Rebellious Princess Ruto, her fishy royalty smitten with my tights. The Goron King Darunia and his unhinged desire to dance at the mere thought of forest music. And who could forget the eccentric cucco lady with her extreme inabilities in animal care?

Even more memorable was the soundtrack. From the welcoming, homey sounds of the Kakariko village theme to the happy, energetic theme of the Kokiri forest – the music of Ocarina of Time includes some of my favorite tunes in gaming history. Every song added to the environment and listening to them always results in the most vivid of nostalgia.

Ocarina of Time was more than just a video game – it was an experience. It was the first time I realized that a video game could go beyond the bounds of a “game”– it could be a story, an exploration.  It was then, I became a gamer.