November twenty first, 2023 marked the twenty fifth anniversary of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time‘s Japanese launch. To rejoice this historic Hyrulean event, we’re working articles all through the week devoted to the sport, our reminiscences, and its legacy. Today, Ollie recollects how Ganondorf’s mysterious introduction is among the absolute best in gaming…
It might sound an virtually preposterous notion in 2023, however there was as soon as a time when Ganondorf was an unknown amount within the Zelda universe. Before The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the snout-faced Ganon was — both straight or not directly — the primary villain of the franchise, however for these first couple of hours exploring the brand new 3D land of Hyrule, we might solely guess at who this “depraved man from the desert” was.
The thriller shrouding Ganondorf’s villainous introduction makes it one of many absolute best in gaming; up there with the likes of Sephiroth, Albert Wesker, and GLaDOS. I’d go as far as to say that subsequent incarnations of Ganondorf have but to match as much as his grand entrance in Ocarina of Time, largely as a result of he’s turn out to be such a widely known character.
Think about it: after we all watched that unimaginable third trailer for Tears of the Kingdom, we gave a hearty cheer when Ganondorf popped up close to the tip. It was nice, however all of us knew how the sport would play out from that time ahead: Big G is again and he’s about to trigger some ruckus. We’ve seen it earlier than and it’s why his first look again in 1998 was so distinctive; we didn’t know this man or what he was able to.
We glimpse him virtually instantly by way of an introductory dream sequence, completely signposting the grand journey on which Link would quickly embark. Standing exterior the gates of Hyrule Castle Town, Link watches as Zelda and Impa experience out into the fields earlier than a darkish, imposing determine makes himself identified, his horse rearing as lightning strikes. Quick, close-up photographs give us a transparent picture of him, however at this level, we don’t know who he’s. And so the sport leaves us with this haunting picture as Link awakens within the security of Kokiri Forest.
The character is later talked about once you full the sport’s first dungeon, with the dying Great Deku Tree referring to him because the “depraved man from the desert.” We see a short sequence of the villain charging throughout the display screen atop his horse towards a backdrop of burning flames and flashing lightning, signifying one factor: this man means enterprise. By this level, we all know that our aim is to gather the Spiritual Stones and stop him from retrieving the Triforce, however with the Great Deku Tree perishing from a curse inflicted by the depraved man himself, we all know we’re going to be in for a tough experience.
It’s not till we meet Zelda for the primary time that we come to be taught his title. After peeking via a window of Hyrule Castle, we see him, clad in his hanging black armour, slowly strolling from left to proper earlier than bowing to the King. Zelda asks, “Can you see the person with the evil eyes? That is Ganondorf, the chief of the Gerudo.”
Hang on a second… Ganondorf… Ganon… Oh. It instantly turns into clear to gamers aware of the video games to that time that Ganondorf is just not solely the latest entry’s ‘massive dangerous,’ however he’s additionally linked not directly to the boar-like overarching villain of the sequence. Oh, biscuits.
Even to gamers not conscious of the hyperlink (ha!), the character’s introduction in Ocarina of Time is so properly crafted that you just can’t assist however really feel trepidation. Up till we be taught his title, Ganondorf’s on-screen time quantities to little greater than about 20 seconds, but he’s already managed to kill off the Great Deku Tree. If that is not sufficient to ship a chill via your bones, then I’m undecided what’s.
Ocarina of Time’s Ganondorf might not rank because the franchise’s absolute best iteration of the dastardly villain (actually, we lately ranked each Ganondorf by design, as determined by you), however there is not any doubt in my thoughts that his introduction continues to be the very best within the sequence and one of many absolute best in gaming. It virtually makes me want Nintendo would take a break from the villain, convey again among the thriller, and make his presence in a future title all of the more practical.
