I specifically remember that feeling when playing Ocarina of Time, after multiple annoyances of accidentally selecting ‘No’ when talking to Kaepora Gaebora (our big owl friend), when you step out into the fields of Hyrule.
At the time there was nothing that could touch the scale and wonderment (Mario 64 came close but this was the World of Zelda we’re talking about, here). There was another element to it all that I didn’t quite get a feel for until well after I had beaten OoT a few times … and that’s the legendary Zelda ocarina instrument.
Without the Ocarina and the amazing music made around the instrument I don’t think the game would have been as nearly memorable. Yes, the entire story centers around it but if the composers had dropped the ball we probably would have been left with a mediocre Zelda game.
Maybe you’re like me – I tend to remember the music more than I remember the dungeons and surprises. Because of this, and this I know you’ve done, I did some sleuthing around to see how much ocarina’s ran for online.
One of the sites I came across was http://www.songbirdocarina.com/legend-of-zelda-inpspired.
I was pretty surprised to see that they took this fanboyism desire to have an ocarina and really run with it versus just picking up some cheap knock-off on Etsy or from one of the Chinese retailer sites.
What’s neat about the ones’ listed:
· Some of them come with slightly different variations in the notes
· There are some that look neat all-around (like the Hylian shield one)
· They’ve got mini versions which would be easier to carry
I like that the site also provides some of the sheet music for the songs you find in the game (and you can listen to samples of the ocarina being played, too).
For someone that avidly collects Zelda items an ocarina has always been on my listen even though I never really have the intention of playing it. It’s kind of like the art books. They’re awesome when you give them a read through but a lot of the joy is when your friends come by to play some games, they notice it, and it starts up that nostalgia talk of the game.
I figure if you’re not going to play it, though, it would probably be a real perfect give for someone that’s a big Zelda fan. I’m sure besides ALttP that OoT is right up on their top list (and if they don’t have it on there than for shame!). This would probably be one of those extra gifts I’d include with a copy of OoT 3D (see the review) if they have a 3DS since they’ll definitely get that nostalgia wave.
Overall, I think going for an ocarina is a bit on the high end of geekiness but that’s what sets the completionists apart from the avid collectors (like me). They go above & beyond and when you see their collection you know they’re legit.
Who knows? Maybe you’ll get it for the collection and actually learn to play it (which isn’t all the difficult from what I can tell). It might just sit on your shelf. Maybe it’ll go to one of your friends that loves the series. Either way I think it’s awesome which is why I wanted to throw this together for those that want that title of Zelda collector completionist.
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