Zelda: Ocarina of Time vs. Link to the Past - DeadLock (ft. NateWantstoBattle)

The Legend of Zelda is a pillar in the gaming community with 25 games across 12 consoles spanning multiple generations.

• Ocarina of Time - launched the series to a whole new dimension • A Link to the Past - distilled the 2D Zelda formula to perfection

Which of the two is the true ruler of the franchise?

A Deadlock debate between two participants arguing which game is superior.

Shigeru Miyamoto's inspiration came from memories of exploring forests, lakes, caves, and villages as a young boy.

• Series meant to be mini gardens to play in and explore at your own pace • Mysterious playground filled with things to do and treasures to find • About the spirit of adventure into the unknown

The original Zelda didn't tell players the right way to go because there isn't just one answer.

Focused on open-ended adventure rather than linear progression.

A Link to the Past represents the final form of the 2D Zelda formula.

• World double the size of the original • More refined puzzles and varied combat • First appearance of the hookshot - the best video game item ever • Plenty of exploration and open-ended adventure with more direction

Maintains Miyamoto's vision of exploration while providing enough guidance so players aren't lost.

Undoubtedly the better Zelda game according to this argument.

• One of the best jumps for any franchise from 2D to 3D • Introduced the Z-targeting system - still an industry standard today • Revolutionary approach to managing 3D combat

• Epic story and challenging dungeons • Incredible bosses and huge overworld • Horse riding with arrow shooting mechanics • Brilliantly connected worlds

Everything A Link to the Past did, but bigger and flashier on the Nintendo 64.

Expanded the series' scope and introduced mechanics like Epona that would define the franchise.

• A Link to the Past - active combat with one sword swing; must keep moving; each enemy requires different tricks, items, techniques, and spells • Ocarina of Time - relies heavily on Z-targeting; holding Z, waiting for enemy to strike, then counterstriking

• A Link to the Past - more varied techniques required • Ocarina of Time - often simplified to use item, stun three times, defeated; except for ping pong-style final bosses

• Before Ocarina - dungeons were generic with only color swaps to differentiate them • Ocarina nailed the formula with iconic themed dungeons like Fire Temple, Water Temple, Spirit Temple, Shadow Temple, Jabu-Jabu's Belly, and Great Deku Tree

• Forest Temple featured iconic moments like a collapsing ceiling and twisty Inception-style hallway • Atmospheric design that was haunting and beautiful with unprecedented soundtrack quality

• Ocarina of Time - rich deep characters with unique personalities and problems including Saria, Sheik, and Ruto • A Link to the Past - uncle who dies in the first minute; minimal character development

• Ocarina of Time had beautiful moving cutscenes • Featured some of the best songs in gaming history • Couldn't have been achieved on the Super Nintendo

Navi constantly nags the player during exploration, interrupting and reminding of important objectives rather than letting players branch off freely.

Ocarina of Time punishes exploration by making players feel like they're wasting time when branching off the approved track.

• Ocarina of Time 3DS remake - virtually unchanged because the original was already perfect • A Link to the Past Game Boy Advance remake - included new stuff to make it feel worth remaking

• A Link Between Worlds - praised for fixing problems in the original and bucking trends Ocarina made untouchable • Removed items being used as glorified keys and linear path restrictions

Ocarina defined dungeon design standards, but A Link Between Worlds had to fix the formula Ocarina created.

It took 15 years for Zelda to return to the exploratory ideals after Ocarina moved away from Miyamoto's original vision.

• Stepped forward for video games in general by evolving with the times • Dictated the future of what a console adventure game could be • Heartbreaking story that gave context to actions and impact on the world • Showed how much more video games could deliver beyond gameplay

• Zelda is about life being a journey, not a destination • Finding cool things without knowing why they're there • Traveling through a world that exists independently of player progression • Engaging in battles and puzzles requiring outside-the-box thinking

Whether games should do what they've always done or evolve with the times - defines which game better represents Zelda's identity.

Which Zelda game is the true ruler of the franchise? The decision is left to the audience.