The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Timeenjoys a reputation few games can claim, not only pioneering 3D adventure games, but still regularly being considered one of thegreatest games of all time. I’ve played through it at least a dozen times, and I still find it both charming and enrapturing. Despite my wealth of experience (and obsession) withOcarina, I still stumble upon new bits of information about it, usually from game producer and legendary Nintendo developer Shigeru Miyamoto.
Despite its rather straightforward fantasy stylings,Ocarina of Timeis a subtly tragic game. It follows theHyrulean Civil War, the infamous Shadow Temple hints at the royal family’s dark past, andmy favorite moment in the gamehighlights the unceasing passage of time and Link’s lost years. It shows the dark reality ofGanon’s true powerthrough a desolate kingdom following his coup, but evenOcarina’s most idyllic sections are underpinned by melancholy.
Not-So-Eternal Youth
In November 1997, a year beforeOcarina of Timewas released for the Nintendo 64, Shigeru Miyamoto answered 100 questions about the game posed by the Japanese magazineFamimaga 64(translated byIGN). Asked about whether Link’s family appears in the game, Miyamoto expounds on the Kokiri.
Link’s uncle had appeared briefly inA Link to the Past, but the only family mentioned inOcarinais Link’s mother, who fled the Hyrulean Civil War and found refuge in Kokiri Forest, where she left Link to be raised under the Great Deku Tree’s protection before succumbing to her wounds.
A year before players were introduced to the Kokiri in-game, Miyamoto had the following to say about them:
“Link is a child of a race of elves called “Kokiri.” For some reason or another, there are no parents in this race, only many children of the same age. All of a sudden,they grow up until they reach a certain age, when they disappear. The next generation is born just as abruptly. So at some point, Link will disappear.”
Calling them “elves” doesn’t really track with the canonical understanding of them –The Legend of Zelda Encyclopediaclaims they are Hylians transformed by the Deku Tree’s magic – but Miyamoto’s words reveal the Kokiri’s tragic fate. I never really considered whether a Kokiri could pass away from “old” age, butthere’s something incredibly sad about them simply disappearing.
It’s also interesting to hear that they age to some degree. The Kokiri’s eternal youth is their defining characteristic, but this explains how an infant Link could be brought to Kokiri Forest and grow into a child without the others suspecting he’s not actually a Kokiri (Miyamoto was clearly trying to avoid divulging this plot point).
The Kokiri Are Some Of Zelda’s Most Tragic Figures
Children Trapped In A Forest
While an extended childhood protected by a guardian spirit appears idyllic on the surface, the Kokiri suffer just as much, if not more so, than the other races in Hyrule. Kokiri Forest is forbidden territory for outsiders, and according to theOcarina of Timeinstruction manual, the Kokiri cannot leave: “These childlike people live in Kokiri Forest. Each Kokiri has a guardian fairy.They cannot leave the forest or their lives will come to an end.”
The forest folk live a sequestered life with no contact with the outside world. They’re surrounded by the Lost Woods, whichturn children into Skull Kidsand adults into Stalfos. Only three outsiders are confirmed to have entered Kokiri Forest: Link’s mother, who dies shortly thereafter; Link, whose destiny affords him the Deku Tree’s protection; and Ganondorf, the one who curses the Deku Tree after being refused the Spiritual Stone.
Throughout the course ofOcarina of Time, the Kokiri see their guardian deity succumb to Ganondorf’s curse, followed by their village becoming infested with monsters after the Gerudo King of Thieves usurps the Hyrulean throne. Sometime afterOcarina, they’re turned into Koroks by the Great Deku Tree (grown from the sapling inOcarina’s adult era) to survive the Sinking of Hyrule, which results in the Great Sea seen inThe Wind Waker.
Despite the Kokiri frequently showing signs of maturity (and clearly living longer than a normal childhood), it’s significantly more tragic to see such events befall the innocent forest dwellers. Digging into their specifics is saddening, especially Miyamoto’s claim that they, at some point, just disappear.The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Timeis a tragic game, and not even the Kokiri are spared.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Heralded as one of the greatest games of all time, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is an action-adventure game and is the first in the franchise to transition into 3D. Players take on the role of Link, a young boy sent on a quest to save the world from the evil Ganondorf. Players will switch between young and adult Link as they head to the past and the future to save Hyrule from its dark fate. A Nintendo 3DS version of the game was released in June of 2011, including improved visuals, frame rate, and motion controls.
