The anticipated remake of the seminal Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time dropped this week. Lifelong fans are returning to a familiar but altered Hyrule. The world originally rendered in 1998 has greater fidelity, hunkier non-playable characters, wiser chickens and, most notably, a jump button. For the regular player it’s a marvel and an adjustment. For speedrunners, it’s a tantalizing playground of tech to be discovered. As the weekend rolls out, and runners dredge the kingdom for secret exploits, they’re establishing a potential blueprint for record times. As well as uncovering some bizarre horrors along the way.
To say The Legend of Zelda series has some abnormal tech is an understatement. Ever since Link stepped out of his treehouse into a 3D, polygonal world, it was clear the code that binds his reality had a soft underbelly. Ocarina’s boomerang can rewrite item placement. Wind Waker’s camera can launch little Toon Link into hyperspeed across the ocean. Skyward Sword’s opening menu seems to exist in some kind of temporal pocket dimension. Nintendo’s fine tuned games have always operated on peculiar physics, but for speedrunners, a return to Ocarina presents an opportunity to rewrite the playbook.
The most obvious source for potential run-aiding glitches is Link’s newfound ability to jump. Like in Breath of the Wild , Link no longer needs to run off a cliff to remember how to use his knees.
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