Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask Beta Content Reportedly Leaked Online

It’s Christmas in July if you’re interested in the development of a game from its beta phase to the finished product. Tons of data showcasing prototypes of retro Nintendo games have leaked online, reportedly originating from a breach of BoardOn’s servers back in May, yielding an estimated two terabytes of data. We previously reported on the unearthing of 16-bit side-scrolling Link sprites, which was by far the highlight for Zelda news to come out of the wave of leaks involving Super Nintendo Entertainment System games. Since then, Nintendo 64 leaks have made their way online, and they feature some pretty cool beta content for Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask!

Some of the leaks are merely higher resolution renders of Ocarina of Time‘s game assets, locations, and artwork. But some of the coolest finds were a high-quality panoramic view of the Temple of Time’s exterior, an early design of the Temple’s interior, an unknown courtyard area thought to be an area within the Hyrule Castle courtyard, and a Milk Bar that may have been planned to be part of Lon Lon Ranch.

Additionally, a layout of a 3D town was discovered among files dedicated to Mario Kart 64; it’s speculated that it might be the remnants of Ocarina of Time‘s original Castle Town. Rounding things off, some smaller versions of the game’s dungeons, containing only a few rooms, were dug up, which might suggest there was going to be some sort of “Boss Rush” mode in the game. It’s more likely that they were developed this way while the game was planned to be more like Super Mario 64, when Ganon’s Castle was going to serve as a sort of hub to other “levels”.

Found by data divers amongst Mario Kart 64's files of all places is this sprawling 3D town speculated to be remnants of Ocarina of Time's original Castle Town! pic.twitter.com/ea7jXCQBAY

— MrTalida (@MrTalida) July 26, 2020

For the last 24 hours, we've made massive progress.
Yesterday, I found what I interpret as boss rush dungeon scenes in OoT's source. These scenes are micro-dungeons that have between 2-4 rooms, each ending with the boss chamber. Files have DD in their names, perhaps 64DD tests? pic.twitter.com/ecRPDw1qvi

— Dianya 🏳️‍🌈 ⟦ Catgirl Magician ⟧ (@Psi_Hate) July 27, 2020

As for the beta content, an early design of the Stalfos enemy can be seen in the video above. Additionally, folks have also discovered the beta version of Kokiri Forest that we’ve only seen in grainy VHS footage until now, a beta version of an Octorok, a golden knight enemy that might be an early design of an Iron Knuckle, and an early model of Epona.

A couple beta enemies from Ocarina of time were discovered in the recent source code leak by Dr. Disco AKA z64me, and he has made them function in-game, Introducing the beta Octorock, appearing in OoT for the first time in 20+ years https://t.co/uNoQ6T3Ogb pic.twitter.com/oINJUN8L3O

— Viz (@Ganondork123) July 26, 2020

Another incredible long-lost enemy from Ocarina of Time's development is revealed in 7/25's leak! This mysterious knight (iron knuckle?) has been found! pic.twitter.com/vd8yDi6cVY

— MrTalida (@MrTalida) July 26, 2020

https://twitter.com/qwrtAlex/status/1287235719250022400

Early models of the Swamp Spider House and Beneath the Well from Majora’s Mask have also surfaced. These assets were, interestingly, found in a file labeled “DD”; it is possible these locations were meant for the planned enhanced version of Ocarina of Time, codenamed “Ura Zelda“, being developed for an add-on to the Nintendo 64 known as the 64DD, which was only released in Japan. This magnetic disk drive peripheral was a commercial failure, and was quickly abandoned. With Ura Zelda on hold (it would later be realized on the Gamecube as Ocarina of Time: Master Quest, but as a much different game than was envisioned), focus shifted to Majora’s Mask instead, lending credibility to the thought that these locations were re-used for that game.

Early versions of the spider houses and beneath the well/redead rooms from Majoras Mask are present in the DD files found by @SageOfMirrors and @xdanieldzd as well.

Likely meaning they were initially made for MasterQuest/DD URA EXPANSION but then used for MM later on. pic.twitter.com/6eGjtIjv0n

— AeroArtwork✰ (@AeroArtwork) July 26, 2020

And those aren’t the only leaks related to Majora’s Mask. Series director Eiji Aonuma has stated in the past that the game was originally going to take place over the span of one week, rather than just three days. An image of symbols denoting seven days was uncovered, perhaps solidifying that this idea was seriously considered at one point.

https://twitter.com/Zen64_/status/1287582698085777408

Lastly, a beta version of North Clock Town was found, which is actually not too far off from how it looks in the game, and a scrapped Archery area in Great Bay was discovered.

Apparently, MM has beta maps too! pic.twitter.com/yZ3SlwayE4

— MrCheeze (@MrCheeze_) July 27, 2020

https://twitter.com/zel640/status/1287613670495838208

Overall, these are some pretty cool leaks, and it’s possible more content will be shared on the web in the coming days. The source coding that is being analyzed contains data ranging from the Super Nintendo Entertainment System era, all the way up to the Nintendo Wii. As always, we will report on any further leaks here on Zelda Dungeon!

Which leak do you think is the coolest? Personally, I think a week long span of time for Majora’s Mask could have been awesome if it meant that the game was going to be larger, and contain more side quests and masks! Sound off in the comments below!

Source: VideoGamesChronicle, Twitter

Huge thanks to Zelda Dungeon Discord Users @deku#1568 and @sanityormadness#2812 for keeping up with the leaks and resharing the content. That was super helpful in compiling this gallery!

Charles Xavier

Charles is a Senior Editor at Zelda Dungeon. He is a Visual Development artist focused on enviroments and pitch paintings. Check out his Instagram and Twitter to see his latest artworks, a lot of which is Zelda fan art! His favorite candy is Skittles – he feels the world should know this.