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Proto:The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time/Late 1997 Overdump/Scenario

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This is a sub-page of Proto:The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time/Late 1997 Overdump.

This cactus is UNDER CONSTRUCTION
This article is a work in progress.
...Well, all the articles here are, in a way. But this one moreso, and the article may contain incomplete information and editor's notes.
Hmmm...
To do:
Summarize the game scenario at this point in development. Try to keep this page focused on merely describing how the player progressed through the story, and source everything for easy verification.
Concept art from late 1997.

One of the biggest finds from this Ocarina of Time build was the text, comprising both that used in the Spaceworld '97 demo and a lot more. Together with other assets that have been recovered, they suggest many major and minor differences in the game's story and event sequences.

Kokiri Forest

At the beginning of the game, Link is told that today is "Fairy Inheritance Day", a ceremony in which the Great Deku Tree bestows a fairy companion to each member of the Kokiri tribe.[1] The path to the Deku Tree is a maze fraught with Moblins, so Link must first obtain the Kokiri Sword and Deku Shield, neither of which are sold at the village's shop.[2]

Upon meeting the Deku Tree, Link is told that he must go inside the Tree to obtain his own fairy. He then discovers that the Tree's fairies, including Navi, have each been trapped by a curse.[3]

After rescuing the fairies, the Deku Tree teaches Link of his "destiny", the history of Hyrule, and a "wicked man of the desert on horseback". The Deku Tree dies after giving Link the Kokiri's Jade, which he is meant to show to the "Princess of Destiny" in Hyrule Castle.[4]

Meeting Zelda

Upon first encountering Zelda, she explains that the Goddess Nayru told her about Link's arrival in a dream and that together they would open the Door of Time and save Hyrule. After he confirms he has the Kokiri's Jade, she tells a story handed down by Hyrule's Royal Family:[5]

Din, Nayru, and Farore, the Goddesses who created Hyrule, hid the Triforce - a golden triangle with all-encompassing powers - somewhere in the world. Because the Triforce grants power to the first person who reaches it but cannot distinguish between good wishes and bad ones, the Temple of Time was built by the ancient Sages to protect the Triforce in the Sacred Realm, the land of the gods. The implements to open the Temple were then divided: the Ocarina of Time was given to the Royal Family, while the Spiritual Stones were held by the leaders of the Kokiri, Gorons, and Zoras. Zelda does not give a location for the final implement, the Master Sword, suggesting that she does not know where it is.[6]

Her story finished, Zelda tasks Link with obtaining the other Spiritual Stones from Death Mountain and Zora's Hidden Domain, giving him a letter authorizing the Hylian guards blocking the paths to give him access. Meanwhile, she will head to the royal library to do research on how to enter the Temple of Time.[7]

Death Mountain/Goron City

(The text indicates that the player can go to either Death Mountain or Zora's River at this point. We've opted to follow the same order as in the final game, which is also how the text is arranged in this build. Further, while this build's version of Death Mountain Trail has what would be the entrance to Goron City carved out, Goron City itself seems to be absent.)

Link visits the Goron City shopkeeper, who tells him that the bombs on display are fakes due to a lack of bomb shipments, and asks Link if he could tell "Big Brother" about it.[8] He agrees and meets Darunia, the chief of the Gorons, who already knows about the lack of bombs and explains why - Dodongo's Cavern is blocked off by a "giant rock", keeping the Gorons from getting to the Bomb Flowers inside. He then gives Link permission to use the last Bomb Flower to open the entrance to the Cavern.[9]

While talking to other Gorons, Link learns that Gorons break apart rocks to eat them and that bombs "are the best way to break 'em apart", with Bomb Bags used to keep bombs plucked from the flowers on-hand without their exploding.[10] They've tried to have bombs delivered "from the village" to get rid of the boulder, only for them to "keep blowing up on the way", and if the boulder isn't moved "soon" there will be trouble for "everyone in this city", not just the shop.[11]

After opening the Cavern and defeating the boss, Darunia congratulates Link before pondering why the Dodongos, which "were supposed to be extinct", were present in the Cavern in such large numbers - not to mention the Cavern's entrance being sealed off. He then mentions that the problems only started after "that Gerudo thief riding on a black horse" came there. Darunia makes Link an honorary member of the Goron Tribe and, in lieu of the customary drink (presumably due to Link's age), gives him the Goron's Ruby.[12]

Zora's Domain

At some point, Link finds a bottle containing a letter written by Ruto, asking for help due to being trapped inside Jabu-Jabu's belly.[13]

King Zora explains that Princess Ruto left to feed Lord Jabu-Jabu but has yet to return. After being told about the letter, he is in disbelief that she could be inside Jabu-Jabu, as he is the guardian of the Zoras and as such "would never eat the princess", though he does note that Jabu-Jabu has been acting "very strange" following a visit by "that Ganondorf man". He gives Link permission to visit Jabu-Jabu as well as stay at the Zora Prince Hotel, which normally only allows Zoras, and asks Link to bring Ruto back.[14]

(While there is some Ruto dialogue for Inside Jabu-Jabu's Belly,[15] the ROM only contains a single (generic and exitless) room.)

After rescuing Ruto and saving Jabu-Jabu, she gives Link the Zora's Sapphire.[16]

The Nightmare Comes True

As Link approaches the entrance to Hyrule Castle Town, having gathered the Spiritual Stones, the nightmare he had plays out in front of him - the drawbridge lowers and a white horse gallops out with Zelda and a Sheikah (likely Impa) on it.[17] Zelda throws the Ocarina of Time in Link's direction as the horse goes off into the distance.

Link turns around to see a much larger black horse with an imposing figure on top. The man, angry about Zelda getting away, demands Link tell him which way the horse went. Regardless of Link's answer, the man declares that the world will soon belong to him, the Gerudo King of Thieves - Ganondorf.[18]

Temple of Time

Presumably after Link obtains all three Spiritual Stones, he encounters a badly-wounded (if not dead) person holding a letter written by Zelda.[19] The letter includes instructions on how to enter the Temple of Time, as well as teaching Link the skill to read "ancient sheet music".[20]

The Prelude of Light, which Link learns from the inscription on the stone altar outside the Temple, is used to enter the Temple.[21] Inside is a place where the Spiritual Stones must be bestowed, which opens the Door of Time. Behind that door is the Master Sword.[22]

Time Skip

Link awakens to a voice who introduces itself as the spirit of the ancient Sage who built the Temple of Time. The voice explains that Link is in the Chamber of Sages, a place connected to all of time where the spirits of all Sages go.[23] As it turned out, Link was too young to fulfill his destiny, resulting in the Master Sword - the key to the Sacred Realm - opting to seal his spirit away until he was "of adequate age to do battle".[24] Over the next seven years, Ganondorf invaded the Sacred Realm and obtained the Triforce, becoming the Demon King and ruler of Hyrule. Link, now grown up, is sent back to Hyrule by the ancient Sage, who tasks him to find the Sage's descendants the Six Sages of Hyrule, as well as the Archsage Zelda.[25]

Upon returning to the Temple of Time, the Spiritual Stones lose their sheen. Their powerlessness closes the Door of Time and prevents the player from accessing the Sword Chamber.[26]

Adult Era

Unfortunately, the text in this build contains very little related to story events following the Sword Chamber's closing.

What is present indicates that Link would learn the Minuet of Wind, Bolero of Fire, Waltz of Water, Gospel of Spirit, and Étude of Shadow[27] and obtain the Fire, Ice, Wind, Spirit, Light, and Shadow Medallions.[28] However, only the Fire, Forest, and Water Temples are actually present in this build, and there is no dialogue from the Sages themselves.

One NPC line, clearly meant for the Child Era, mentions a shop/game "for adults", telling Link to come back when he's older, "then you'll be able to play".[29] No related text directed at Adult Link seems to be present.

While it's not entirely clear where the Fire and Forest Temples would be located, one NPC mentions that the Water Temple is "supposedly" at the bottom of Lake Hylia.[30] The Fire Temple maps have no prison cells, suggesting that the Gorons were not held captive in this version of the story (further supported by there being no dialogue for rescued Gorons).

Textures for the pause menu indicate that the Six Sages were Saria, Darunia, Ruto, Nabooru, Mido, and Rauru, who would give Link the Wind, Fire, Ice, Spirit, Shadow, and Light Medallions respectively.

The last lines of text in the ROM are the strings used for the Spaceworld '97 demo, which are preceded by the string mentioning that the door to the Sword Chamber won't open.

References

  1. Text No. 274-279
  2. Text No. 282-284
  3. Text No. 293-309
  4. Text No. 310-317
  5. Text No. 799-800, 802, 805
  6. Text No. 806
  7. Text No. 811
  8. Text No. 480-482
  9. Text No. 491-492, 494-496
  10. Text No. 484-485
  11. Text No. 506, 509
  12. Text No. 499, 129
  13. Text No. 565
  14. Text No. 587-588, 609
  15. Text No. 589-595
  16. Text No. 597-599
  17. Text No. 829
  18. Text No. 393-397
  19. Text No. 814-815
  20. Text No. 815
  21. Text No. 815, 817
  22. Text No. 818-819
  23. Text No. 830-831
  24. Text No. 831, 833
  25. Text No. 835
  26. Text No. 836-837
  27. Text No. 115-119
  28. Text No. 60-65
  29. Text No. 766
  30. Text No. 786