Childish Ambitions
The journey to maturity — and back.
By L. B. Jeffries
Out of all the Zelda games, Ocarina of Time comes closest to making Link a dynamic character. He goes from youth to adulthood and then, at the very end, is sent back to his childhood form. Our guide Shiek comments about Link's development, "A childish mind will turn to noble ambition, young love will become deep affection, the clear water's surface reflects growth." The player is drawn into that transformation through clever game design and narrative that not only creates a tangible sense of growing up and becoming an adult.
When Ocarina of Time starts, Link is having a nightmare. A drawbridge opens and a horse races past him carrying a frightened girl. An enormous dark horse closely follows, carrying a much larger man with a frightening grin on his face. Link, jaw open, is helpless to do anything. From the start the game plays on Link's small size and his inability to stop the larger forces at work.
