Incredible Version of Zora’s Domain from Ocarina of Time Created with Unreal Engine 5
Posted on July 25 2022 by David Nystrom
The world of Ocarina of Time is probably one of the most well-known iterations of Hyrule in the entire Zelda franchise. Its locations are ingrained in series history as some of the most memorable and unforgettable places, from the winding road up Death Mountain to Goron City, to Kakariko Village and the connecting graveyard, to the Kokiri Forest and Lost Woods, to the Temple of Time, to Zora’s Domain, just to name a few. Hearing those names of places surely conjures up images of what they look like in our heads and inspires some of the emotions connected with them.
Thanks to some truly inspired work, animator RwanLink recently debuted his recreation of Zora’s River, Domain, and Fountain using Unreal Engine 5. Using a bit of narrative, we follow Link as he’s dropped in by Kaepora Gaebora at the beginning of the river and begins to work his way up to the Sleepless Waterfall. Once inside the Domain, he meets the Zora people and is escorted up to the King before being given passage to Lord Jabu-Jabu.
RwanLink has been producing videos like this for some time now, including one of the most breathtaking versions of Lake Hylia I’ve ever seen. According to RwanLink, over 1,200 hours were spent bringing Zora’s Domain to life in Unreal Engine 5. He admits that this recreation has a few rough edges that need polishing, but he was cut short on time because he was moving. Regardless, the video is a tremendous look at one of the most iconic locations from Ocarina of Time. Personally, his iteration of Zora’s Fountain, where Lord Jabu-Jabu lives is my favorite part. It feels like an otherworldly garden filled with all the life and wonder in the world.
I really like this entire concept of recreating the locations of older games as well. It sort of gives me that comparison of what we had in reality versus what we saw in our imaginations. As somebody who’s been playing the series for a quarter century and had his first exposure to the world through Ocarina of Time, it’s really hard to not feel swept away when seeing these locations built with such thought and beauty.
What did you think of the video? Would you like to explore this area? Does it inspire you to go back and explore the area again? Let us know in the comments below or chat about it over in our Discord!
Source: RwanLink
David is an editor at Zelda Dungeon. He’s the author of the ongoing series, The Era Without A Hero, and his favorite Zelda games are Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, and Skyward Sword. He’s also generally a fan of JRPGs and other major Nintendo titles, such as Smash Bros. and Mario.
