Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life

In case you haven't noticed, another chance to play The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is on the horizon. The coming 5th November release date for the Switch 2 remake has got us diving into our OoT memory banks and feeling all nostalgic about where our love for the game began — after all, you can replay it as many times as you like, but you only get a 'first playthrough' once.

For most of us here at Nintendo Life Towers, those early memories take us back to the N64, though some people will have first encountered the game through the GameCube, its 3DS remake or the NSO library. Heck, you might not have even heard of this little-known curio until Nintendo announced it for Switch 2 (we doubt that will be many of you reading this, but hey, there's a chance).

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So, join us on a trip down memory lane as we all share our first interactions with Ocarina of Time. Make sure to head down to the comments afterwards and share yours, too!

Jim Norman, Features Editor

Zelda OoT - N64
Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life

Earlier this year, I recounted my first encounter with the N64 and Ocarina of Time as I wrote about my parents' desperate search for new-baby respite in the 3D fields of Hyrule. The TL;DR of it is this: once I was finally old enough to be trusted on the system myself, I fell head-over-Iron-Boot-heels for Ocarina.

My first brushes with the game were with Dad at my side, instructing me how to defeat Skulltullas and navigate the Deku Tree's spider webs, but I soon knew enough about its controls and systems that I could go it alone.

An overriding memory from that first encounter? First stepping into future Hyrule and hearing the scream of the Re-Deads. Some say I have never emotionally recovered from that moment.

Ollie Reynolds, Staff Writer

Zelda OoT - GameCube
Image: Damien McFerran / Nintendo Life

I never owned an N64, instead spending the late '90s and early '00s playing the likes of Metal Gear Solid, Spyro: Year of the Dragon, and Medievil on my PS1.

It wasn't until The Wind Waker launched on GameCube that I first experienced Ocarina of Time, with the UK release containing a bonus disc housing the original game and its Master Quest iteration. I played WW and OoT in tandem, jumping between the two every couple of days or so.

Hyrule Field understandably felt somewhat quaint in comparison to The Great Sea, but I could still recognise why OoT had gained its strong reputation. In fact, I recall enjoying its opening hours more than WW's, largely thanks to the latter's horrible Forsaken Fortress dungeon. After sneaking around in that sodding barrel, Dodongo's Cavern felt like a welcome change of pace.

Gavin Lane, Editor

Zelda OoT - N64
Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life

I want to say I first played Ocarina like many people - Christmas 1998 after unwrapping it. However, I'm pretty sure I actually got it for my birthday the following February.

The memory of my grandfather saying "Violent little chap, isn't he?" while watching me leap around Kokiri Forest, swinging my new sword with multiple 'hyup!', 'hup!', and 'hyah!'s doesn't include the Christmas tree next to the telly. So I played my first ever Zelda game a couple of months after release, in early 1999.

There's nothing to add about my first impressions that hasn't been said a thousand times before, but let's mention the title screen once again. After all the bombast of other games' Press Start screens — even other Zelda games, as I would later discover — OoT's plaintive intro signalled a very different type of adventure to anything I'd played before. Just wonderful.

Mai Ladyman, Video Producer

New 2DS XL
Image: Damien McFerran / Nintendo Life

My experience with OOT is a bit of a funny one. Back when I worked at GAME, I had acquired a 3DS XL, so I decided to pick up some games, and one of them was the 3DS remake of Ocarina of Time. At that time, my only experience with Zelda was playing my friend's copy of Link's Awakening in bursts at lunchtime on my trusty GBC. I didn't get very far. I think I got into the Deku Tree and couldn't figure out what to do next, so I gave up and traded it in (along with the 3DS XL) a couple of years later when I needed the dosh.

Fast forward a few years later, when my Switch obsession was in full swing alongside my love for Breath of the Wild. I found the Master Quest GameCube version in a charity shop for super cheap and thought it was time to give it another try... Shortly after, we were hit with the COVID-19 lockdowns here in the UK, and I bought a 2DS XL for £20 and OOT on 3DS. I decided then and there that I wanted to play the games side by side for comparison's sake, and I've never looked back. Some say I was just torturing myself; I say it was research and something that came in handy for the job I have today!

Matthew Reynolds, Acting Deputy Editor

Zelda OoT - N64
Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life

My first exposure to Ocarina of Time was the same as pretty much every other game in the 90s: through CVG magazine, where - as a PlayStation owner - I read its 5/5 review with a considerable level of jealousy.

It wasn’t until I had an N64 (and enough credit at my local second-hand games shop to pay for it) that I could finally ask for Ocarina of Time’s gleaming gold cartridge behind a counter. And it was better than I expected! As someone on a diet of mostly pre-rendered RPGs like Final Fantasy, experiencing an adventure as dynamic and filled with this many clever details and secrets as this was mind-blowing.

After that, I had to play future Legend of Zelda games on day one. Unfortunately, I had to skip Majora’s Mask at the time - I couldn’t quite afford an Expansion Pak - but I absolutely made sure to get a GameCube well in time for Wind Waker, which also remains an all-time fave.

That's all of our firsts, but what about you? You can let us know where you first encountered Ocarina of Time in the following poll, but then take to the comments to share the full story.

Where did you first play Zelda: Ocarina of Time?