LttP and Zelda themes

In anticipation of the Ocarina of Time remake for the Switch 2, I've been showing the kids some old games. Happily my old Wii, with a bunch of downloads from older systems, is still in working order and I figured out how to set it up (using the hard to access) AV ports on my modern TV. Admittedly that took a bit. We've done introductions to several Mario games, the original Super Mario Brothers and Mario 64 for a couple examples. But the kids have gravitated most to Zelda games and I couldn't be more proud.

They've really locked onto the third Zelda game ever made, A Link to the Past. Releasing in 1991 for Super Nintendo, this game really set the formula for what a Zelda game would be, much more than the barebones debut game for the OG Nintendo system, and certainly more than the largely forgotten side-scrolling Zelda 2. I, somewhere in the recesses of my brain, knew how good and how instrumental Link to the Past was in the evolution of adventure games in general and Zelda games in particular, I have indeed beaten it before, but even then I was underrating it. This I'm sure it's a very common thing. At this point it has nothing to do with the game itself and everything to do with what followed it. The very next game in the Zelda series (for console systems, not handhelds) was N64's Ocarina of Time. I still, to this day, consider Ocarina the best video game ever made and I'm far from the only one. There's a reason this new version of the game is going to sell a bazillion copies. So, in a way, Link to the Past has simply been overshadowed.

But I have to say it's still quite enjoyable. I'm also glad I'm playing it with the kids participation, though they aren't handling the controller as yet, before we dive into something they'll probably like even more.

What's been most notable to me, and something either I hadn't noticed the first time or had forgotten about in the many years interim, was just how much actually started with this game. I'm thinking right now, more than anything else (including the lore/story background, two worlds, the Master Sword...) about the music, and the familiar themes that, in my mind, come from Ocarina. But man oh man, so much was already there on Super Nintendo in 1991.

Listen to the 16-bit Kakariko Village theme from LttP, 1991:

And from Ocarina, 1998, with a bit more western feel:

Then the 16-bit Princess Zelda's Rescue, from LttP, 1991:

It was renamed Zelda's Lullaby and became the most memorable song in Ocarina, 1998:

There are a few others too (the Fairy's Fountain, Ganon's theme...), but these two had an outsized impact.

Writing about this is not to say that there wasn't enough originality in Ocarina or to discount it in any way. I don't see myself straying from my decades long opinion about its greatness and place in the Pantheon of video games. I'm just so impressed with the design and development of the series overall, and how far back it goes. The big difference, and why the next game will always be the one most memorable, is that the songs in Link to the Past are something that plays when you are in a particular location, or have accomplished a particular feat. It's background. In Ocarina, so many of the songs (Zelda's Lullaby most of all) are ones your character plays on an instrument, it's a key element of the gameplay, the puzzles. Hence the music involved will always integral and intertwined with that game most of all, even if they didn't all originate there. Hopefully you see my point.

Now, I'm going to continue to have fun revisiting this game. But admittedly I'm getting more and more excited to show the kids Ocarina. The jump in graphics, the improvement in storytelling, and, you know, actually having three dimensions, will all be huge. It'll be a blast.

If you're a big Zelda fan and want an elongated nostalgia trip, here's also the whole OST. My favorite has to be the Dark World theme.