How The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time’s Master Quest Is Different

The original version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time raked in instant accolades when it released in 1998, but its alternate Master Quest version is often overlooked when analyzing the Zelda lineup. It was released multiple years after Ocarina of Time, and because of this, many Zelda fans missed their opportunity to experience the more challenging version of Ocarina of Time. However, both titles offer a unique take on the classic and beloved video game story.

After finishing development on Ocarina of Time, according to a 2004 interview with IGN, Majora’s Mask director Eiji Aonuma was told to create a new, expanded version of the game for the 64DD – an external, disc-based device that allowed the Nintendo 64 to take advantage of upgraded hardware. But Aonuma wanted to make an entirely new Zelda game, so he moved on to develop Zelda: Majora’s Mask, while a different team took on the reworked Ocarina of Time. This project, dubbed Ura Zelda, never hit stores, likely due to the 64DD’s Japan-only release and general market failure.

Most people believed Ura Zelda lost, but Nintendo ended up releasing the expansion for Ocarina of Time with Majora’s Mask‘s GameCube successor. Players who pre-ordered The Wind Waker received a free bonus disc containing the entirety of Ocarina of Time and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest, which was the end result of Ura Zelda‘s development, according to Aonuma (although some fans believe it may not be the full Ura). Additionally, this Master Quest was included in Ocarina of Time‘s 3DS remake as an unlockable hard mode after beating the original game.

The Differences Between Ocarina of Time & Master Quest

Since Master Quest is simply an expansion to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, both titles feature the exact same narrative and take place in the same version of Hyrule. In fact, both are identical until the player enters a dungeon. Master Quest is only different in these segments of the game, which feature the same rooms and layouts but with dramatically remixed puzzles and enemy placements. These new Zelda dungeons are designed to test the skills of even the most seasoned player. The puzzles and key placements completely change the route players take through each dungeon, and it’s easy to get confused by years of Ocarina of Time instinct when going through this more challenging version.

For those looking to boost the difficulty of Ocarina of Time to its maximum, the 3DS version is the optimal way to play. Its Master Quest is the same as the GameCube version, except it also doubles the damage players take and mirrors the entire map, even outside of dungeons. The original Master Quest certainly has some challenging dungeons and puzzles, but since the game is only different when inside those dungeons, most of the experience blends together with Ocarina of Time itself. The 3DS remake’s small changes to Master Quest make it feel more distinct and certainly as challenging as its title claims. In many ways, it’s comparable to the Hero Mode in games like Twilight Princess HD. While it is ultimately a skippable Zelda title due to its extreme similarity to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Master Quest is a great way to spice up the original for those looking to test their mastery of the N64 classic.

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