497 Words About: The Fallen Soldier in Ocarina of Time
There’s a soldier propped against the wall in the alley of Hyrule Castle town in Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. He will only be there in one time window, specifically after the player has acquired the three legendary stones that will open the door in the Temple of Time. When the player returns to Hyrule to meet with Princess Zelda a cutscene triggers that shows Zelda and her guard Impa fleeing the castle and then Ganondorf and Link have a brief altercation. Before they disappear, Zelda throws the Ocarina of Time into the Castle-Town moat and Link will pick it up.
From here the player is expected to go to the Temple of Time, place the stones in the pedestal, and then draw the Master Sword from its stone.
Curiosity however compelled me to search the town.
I talked to several of the citizens of Castle Town observing that many of them had heard some commotion coming from the castle. Despite this concern, none of them had ceased their animation sequences which showed them dancing, running about, laughing, or shopping at the marketplace. Not gonna lie, this killed the dramatic tension, but Ocarina of Time does demonstrate the weight of the moment to players who explore.
I decided to walk through the alleys of Castle town, and down one path I spotted a soldier propped up against the wall. I spoke to him and he told me that Ganondorf’s soldiers had betrayed the king, that Princess Zelda had escaped, that she had something for the boy from the woods, he told me that I needed to find it.
And then he died.
Standing besides this soldier’s corpse, reading his broken dialogue sequences, this moment had an emotional weight to it. Without tarnishing the reputation of a game which is consistently rated one of, if not the, best videogames of all time, Ocarina of Time is still a software program that reveals its limitations. The citizen’s of castle town only seem troubled about the events of the day when players talk to them. Had I not taken the initiative and simply run through town it would have appeared on the surface as if everything was fine.
The Nintendo 64 console was limited (not flawed (just be clear)) because Nintendo insisted on using cartridges for games rather than compact discs. Because of this only so much data could be programmed into a game. It makes sense why the developers did not alter the gestures of the sprites occupying the city; it would have required too much data.
The dying soldier provides players with the narrative nuance (alliteration not intended) that Hyrule is under attack, evil forces are making their move, and the adventure to save Hyrule is just beginning.
This soldier is tucked into a corner that the player will almost certainly miss, but that’s the point. Cancer has been growing in Hyrule, and just like cancer it festers under the surface, and is all too easily missed.
Joshua “Jammer” Smith
4.14.2025
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