Before I begin the end, allow me to share an update as to where I have found myself in life beyond Nintendo Bible. Allow me to preface this by saying that I am well aware that there are no devout fans of this blog waiting with baited breath for me to inform them as to where I have been for the past few years. No one cares. Hell, no one's even listening. That's perfectly fine. Those reading this have more than likely never even visited this blog before, as there aren't really any subscribers last I checked the stats. If that is the case, which it more than likely is, welcome. This is my cesspool of poorly written video game reviews from when I was in middle school. Wipe your feet, come on in.
As to where I've ended up; I am an actor. I was beginning to dabble in it professionally around the time of starting this blog actually, now it is essentially my profession. I am also an up-and-coming playwright (if I may say so). Over the years, I've discovered a deep love for creating characters and telling stories in new and interesting ways. And in a weird way, I have Nintendo Bible to thank for that. This blog was a space for me to nurture my writing skills (which were not good back then mind, you) and set me on a journey to discover my voice as a writer. A journey that I am still on today, and likely will be on for years to come.
As I've been on that journey of trying new things with writing and learning about myself as an actor, writer, and human being, I've constantly come back to this blog. What was this thing that I poured my heart and soul into for a good couple of years? It's always been a strange anomaly among all the creative endeavors that I've embarked on in my life. One that I'd honestly rather forget. So then why do I keep coming back to it? Why am I repulsed at the thought of it, yet thankful that it happened? I don't know. But what I do know, is that for my own sanity there needs to be an end. So that's what this is. If this final post is anything, it's a sort of exorcism of all the thoughts that remain in my head of this... Strange, strange blog.
So, now that that's out of the way,
Back to business as usual.
Here it is. The final post, the last review, the true, definite end of an era.
Nintendo Bible: Endgame.
...That sounds pretty cool.
Why I Love The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
There are three things that I love above all things in this world.
Theater,
Batman,
And The Legend of Zelda.
There is nothing more serene to me in the world than the sound of those clopping horse hooves and the rolling of that first deep, warm piano chord in the start screen of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Now, of course, this game hasn't exactly aged well. A controversial statement, but true. I'm not going to tackle that kind of thing here. If you're looking for that, I suggest Egoraptor's "Sequelitis" video about the jump from Link to the Past to Ocarina of Time. He makes the point infinitely better than I ever could. This isn't a review, critique, anything like that, this is simply an explanation as to why I love this game.
I love Zelda: Ocarina of Time because it is what it is outside of the magic and monsters in the most beautiful way. Imperfections and all. This might be on the melodramatic side, but I am an actor, so...
Ocarina of Time is an epic story that doesn't feel the need to rush itself to get the player to the bits of action. It paces itself as slowly as it needs to in order to set up its story the way that it needs to be set up, an arguably poor choice from the perspective of game design, but a smart one from a storytelling standpoint. There is plenty of action, so many cherished memories lie within the walls of the unique boss rooms, dungeons, and caverns scattered throughout the Kingdom of Hyrule. However, there are just as many, if not more memorable moments where there aren't life or death circumstances.
There are moments in Ocarina of Time that are so human, so relatable, that you can't help but gain an emotional attachment to the characters.
Because in THEM,
You see YOURSELF.
This is, at least in my opinion, why so many people still hold this game so dearly to their hearts, despite how poorly it may have aged. Because we played it when we were children, we made so many memories of traveling through lush fields, battling larger-than-life monsters, and experiencing this story, the fun that we had will always be available at the flip of that dusty "on" switch on our Nintendo 64s.
But think about it,
The characters we met,
The things they said,
How much of it did we really understand then?
And how much of it do we really understand now?
I think that's the key to why our (I'm using the royal "our" and "we" even though I really mean "my") regard for this game grows stronger as we grow older.
As we, like Link, experience the adventures of life, people coming and going, new and exciting things, we gain an understanding of what he and the characters he meets were experiencing in the game.
Not in the literal sense, of course, we don't understand their situations. I've never met someone who had to deal with the problem of how to get a giant lizard out of the cavern that they eat rocks out of.
But, if you find such a person, let me know. I have... So many questions for them.
Obviously, I mean their emotional circumstances.
Losing a close friend,
Feeling like no one takes you seriously,
Feeling misunderstood and that no one listens to you,
Going to great lengths to help someone you love,
The growing pains of trying to change the way you once viewed something or someone.
Any of these sounding familiar?
They should.
You saw the characters go through it in the game
And you've experienced it in real life.
You may even be experiencing it right now.
As we journey on our own personal epic journeys that span even longer than the hours we spent in Hyrule with Link, Zelda, and the rest, we have experiences similar to those found in Ocarina of Time. And when we come back to it and play it again, even if it's years later, when we see them in the game again, we rediscover them completely and gain a deeper appreciation for the characters onscreen. We say to ourselves: "wow, I totally feel that."
I personally recently found a new, deep understanding of Saria, Link's childhood best friend from the Kokiri Forest of children who never grow up. It was a pretty crazy moment, actually.
It was a moment where, as standing there watching a development in my life unfold, I suddenly thought to myself:
"I am Saria."
The next time I played the game, I was so moved by some of her scenes that it just felt otherworldly.
It felt like magic.
(Can you tell that I like writing?)
This has gotten a little long-winded, so I'll wrap it up.
Ocarina of Time is a lot of things. And there are a lot of reasons to love it.
You can love it because it's an epic adventure,
You can love it because it's colorful,
You can love it because it's challenging,
You can love it because it's retro.
I love it because it is human.
Whether it was intentional or not, when you strip it down to its core,
take away the magic and monsters,
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is about a handful of individuals trying to find their place in the world.
God, I love this game...
...
There you go. The final post. A proper end.
Thank you, Nintendo Bible.
You were a cesspool of awkward, poorly written reviews. But you were loved and a lot of love went into you.
You helped me discover a huge part of who I am. And not in the way I would've expected either.
Huh, another circumstance that can be found in Ocarina of Time...
Thank you to everyone who read the stuff on this blog and to those who contributed.
You made a young boy feel special.
Godspeed, Nintendo Bible.
-Elliott
