New Hands-On Details of Ocarina of Time 3D

Earlier this week the folks at GameXplain were fortunate enough to have a chance to play with an early copy of Ocarina of Time 3D. In their brief play through they had a deeper look at all the small details that have been updated for the game and discovered a few new details that are recently added. Here is what they had to say on their experience.

From their report we have learned a great many new details on the various advances found in the game. The improvement in graphics were instantly noticeable with a much greater framerate over the original. However they did discover some slowdown in certain areas but this is still an early pre release which might see these issues fixed before the complete game is released. Several major improvements were listed in their report

• There are now 30 frames per second, much better than the 15-24fps of the original N64 cartridge
• The blurry pre-rendered bitmap Castletown is now a rendered environment. With several new remodeled building exteriors, but still maintains the old camera angle.
• The water effects of Lake Hylia have been improved.
• The fishing pond has been changed with more textures adding a more rocky appearance and a waterfall has been added.
• The tree wall has been replaced by three dimensional trees.
• All 2D backgrounds have been replaced by rendered 3D backdrops with greater detail.
• When viewed from Hyrule Field, Death Mountain is no longer a 2D cardboard cutout but a 3D model.
• Temple of Time interior has been remodeled including a visible ceiling.
• The inventory is now kept on the touchscreen and items may be equipped by the X and Y buttons.
• The ocarina is now permanently placed in an area on the lower left corner of the touchscreen.
• Due to a lack of rumble feature the Stone of Agony now emits a sound instead of the old “rumble” of the N64 controller.
• In game text and music have not changed from the original.
• Master Quest is confirmed as a second quest that requires the player to complete the game first to unlock.

Overall I am impressed with all the improvements over the original, especially with the shift from tree and mountain walls to actual trees. Far too often it felt like I was roaming around in a strangely green colored canyon. Interesting little things like being able to view the same rendered graphics through windows in Castletown show that they have made an immense amount of effort to create a greater experience for both a newer audience and older gamers alike. In all the graphic updates made to bring Ocarina of Time 3D to life no feature was too small.

Source: GameXplain

So what do you think? Are the changes an improvement in your mind? Are you even more excited for Ocarina of Time 3D? Let us know in the comments below. Ocarina of Time 3D is set to release on June 19th here in the United States and here at Zelda Dungeon we will be updating our Ocarina of Time 3D Walkthrough once it releases.