Prerelease:The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time/Sword on A (Part 4)

This is a sub-page of Prerelease:The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

May, 1998 - E3

A new demo was created for E3 1998, held from May 28-30. Players could pick areas to explore from three "files": Hyrule Tour, Dungeon Tour and Battle Tour. The action icon and area name textures have been translated into English but the rest of the game is still in Japanese.

The demo was seemingly used again at the 1998 Toy Test held by CBS from July 23rd to August 16th, a gameplay report from a "David C." matching what is known about the E3 demo.

Demo Title Screen

Nintendo Spaceworld 1997	E3 1998

Instead of Spaceworld '97's fancy Japanese logo, E3 '98 demo's logo was plain text.

Tour Menu

All the areas that could be picked from the Tours were documented by 64Dream in their August, 1998 magazine.

Hyrule Tour

• Kokiri Village - The player could explore Kokiri Forest as child Link and seemingly venture everywhere without obstruction.
• Town of Hyrule - Child Link starts starts in Market.
• Ride the horse - Adult Link starts in Hyrule Field while on Epona. Lon Lon Ranch could be entered.
• Kakariko Village - Child Link starts in Kakariko Village and could enter the Graveyard, Death Mountain Trail and Goron City.

Dungeon Tour

• Inside the Deku Tree - Child Link starts inside the Deku Tree.
• Dodongo's Lair - Child Link starts in Dodongo's Cavern.
• The Castle Courtyard - Child Link starts in the Castle Garden minigame. Getting caught would kick him outside the castle like in the final game.
• Temple of the Woods - Adult Link starts in Forest Temple but could also leave to Sacred Forest Meadow and enter the Lost Woods.
• Battle of Gerudo - Adult Link starts in the Gerudo Training Ground.

Battle Tour

• Vs. Gohma - Child Link fights Gohma.
• Vs. King Dodongo - Child Link fights King Dodongo.
• Vs. Phantom Ganon - Adult Link fights Phantom Ganon.
• Vs. Valvagia - Adult Link fights Volvagia.

Actions

Stab

Link's stab attack worked without Z-targeting.

Recoil

October 1997	May 1998

Link still recoiled off every wall.

Unrestricted Z-Target movement

May 1997	May 1998

An alternate Z-Target action existed which allowed Link to run freely instead of strafing around an enemy/NPC.

Text from the Late 1997 Overdump suggests it would've depended on how the Z-button was pressed.
Press Z and Link will target that enemy. Hold down the Z Button to center Link's movement on the foe.

Spin Attack charge without a slash

This became possible in future Zelda games, such as Twilight Princess.

Hylian Shield

Prototype	Final

Link acted as if he was holding a Deku Shield on his right hand when wearing the Hylian Shield. They likely had no animations for him to hold it properly in this point in development.

C-Up while carrying an item

It was possible to use the C-Up camera mode when carrying an item.

Diving

According to a gameplay report, Link could dive for a few seconds, matching the final game.

Navi

Navi didn't go inside Link's hat and pressing the B button when the action button read "Navi" made her swirl around Link's hat identically to the final game.

Level of Detail models for world objects

When the game was being developed, various objects once had a second "LOD" model with less detail that would be used when far away from the camera to save processing power. They are not used anywhere in the final game, and most of them were deleted close to release.

• En_kusa (the bush usually seen in dungeon environments in the final game)

May 1998	September 1998

This was removed from the final game files.

• En_ishi (rocks)

This was removed from the final game files.

• Object_wood02 (the file that holds the game's trees, bushes and plant life)

These exist unused in the final game.

Effects

April 1998	May 1998

Link now blinked red as he does in the final game.

Pause Menu

For demo purposes, the save function is replaced with a quit function to return to the file select screen.

Equipment

Spaceworld 1997	E3 1998	Final

The equipment screen now looks closer to final. Link has his in-game model render instead of a still image. Some aspects weren't fully finalized yet and they're listed below:

• The item name box still featured a more metallic finish like Spaceworld.

• The page text texture was transparent but in final it's black.

• ZR buttons were added but they didn't have letters.

• Upgrade slots couldn't be read.

Cursor color changes ↓

ZR buttons: E3 98 (red) -> Final (white) Equipment items: SW97 (red) -> E3 98 & Final (blue)

Select Item

Prototype	Final

Medallions were still planned to be used. Later on magic usage was split for arrows and magic spells.

Quest Status

Prototype	Final

The slots for the songs were placed in a zig zag pattern. Only six of the songs existed in this point in time and they were the warp songs.

World Map

Prototype	Final

Prototype	Final

Some of the map pointers are different. Most notably Zora's River appeared to have one for it, Gerudo region only has one for Haunted Wasteland, and Hyrule Field's and Lon Lon Ranch's were missing.

Dungeon Map

Prototype	Final

The dungeon map color to mark your current room used to be red instead of cyan. These unused color values were discovered in the leaks.

Items

All visible items will be listed here but each area seemingly had their own preset inventory.

Swords

The Kokiri Sword, Master Sword and Giant's Knife were available. Apparently the Volvagia fight defaulted the player to the Giant's Knife which could break like in the final game.

Shields

The Deku Shield, Hylian Shield and Mirror Shield were available. In the previous demo (Spaceworld 1997) Mirror Shield wasn't available, so it was new for this demo.

Tunics

It would seem only the Kokiri Tunic was available with the exception of the Phantom Ganon fight where Link for some reason was wearing the Zora Tunic.

Items as Child Link

xxx

Items as Adult Link

xxx

Bombs

Oct 1997 Bombs	Nov 1997 Bomb Flowers

April 1998 Bombs	May 1998 Bombs

Regular bombs now flash red to indicate when they are about to blow up. This indicator already existed for Bomb Flowers in November 1997, but for some reason it wasn't brought over to the bomb actor until May 1998. In May 1998 the Bomb texture and model were also revisited. The texture became more blue in color and the crystal carrying handles were removed.

May 1998 Bombs	Final

Bombs used to bounce twice when hitting ground. In the final they bounce once very briefly. Bombs bounce close to the old way in The Wind Waker.

Hookshot

The Hookshot's icon and model have been updated from that of Spaceworld '97.

Magic Bean

No quantity is present for Magic Beans for some reason.

Medallions

The Fire and Water Medallions could seemingly be picked from the inventory but it's not known what they did.

Restricted Areas

Hyrule Castle Town

Prototype	Final

Kakariko Village

Prototype	Final

Most of the Hyrule Castle Town buildings couldn't be entered (only Shooting Gallery seems to have been open.) and in Kakariko Village none of the houses could be entered in the E3 1998 demo.

These "fake" doors are still present unused in the final game.

Environments

Revisited - Link's House

October 1997	May 1998

Link's bed became soft and comfy.

Revisited - Kokiri Forest

Translation
xxx

E3 1998	Setup 04	Normal Setup

Setup 04 which is an alternate scene setup from the one used in regular gameplay contains leftovers of the old layout from E3.

E3 1998	Final	Final

The title card for Kokiri Forest was Kokiri Village. It's displayed when exiting other houses than just Link's. Forest Training Center doesn't exist for its training purpose and there are two houses instead. One for Know-it-all Brothers' and one which was cut.

Mido's text is indecipherable.

Translation
Oh, you found a fairy?! But... don't go thinking that we're pals, now.

Translation
My friends and I have had fairies since the day we were born.

Translation
A defective lug like you who can't even make his body fade away is no buddy of ours!

(Source: Translations - GlitterBerri)

Kokiri Forest's exit took you directly to Hyrule Field skipping Lost Woods bridge. There was no Kokiri Kid blocking your way to Hyrule Field.

Kokiri Shop

Prototype	Final

A matching version of this Kokiri Shop pre-render can be found from the iQue development leak. The Kokiri Girl by the counter was missing.

Few shop items changed such as Green Potion becoming Deku Nuts and 30 pieces of Arrows were changed to 10 pieces for the top right slot on the left shelf.

Navi wouldn't go inside Link's hat when shopping, making it harder to see what you were about to purchase.

Mido's House

An old pre-render for Mido's House. It has resemblance to old Twins' House pre-render discovered from leaks.

Translation
Do you have a shield? -> Yes No

Translation
In that case, equip the shield on the Item Screen, and try pressing the R Trigger!

Revisited - Know-It-All Brothers' House

This pre-render was partially recovered from the Late 1997 Overdump. In the E3 1998 demo this NPC was moved to stand on top of a tree stump.

Translation
What do you want to hear about?

Translation
Map Screen -> Equipment Screen Collection Screen

Translation
You don't know about that, either?

Translation
Press the Start Button to enter Item Select Mode.

Translation
There are 4 mode screens, so use Z and R, or left and right on the joystick to choose the Equipment Screen. equip the shield on the Item Screen,

Translation
Then, you can select equipment with the cursor and confirm with A to switch to it. equip the shield on the Item Screen, and try pressing the R Trigger!

(Source: Translations - GlitterBerri)

Revisited - Inside The Great Deku Tree

Prototype	Final

Deku Tree now looks more or less the same as the final dungeon. As Adult Link this dungeon cannot be entered in the final game and the change to disallow it was made late.

Aug '98

Revisited - Lost Woods

Entering a wrong exit would place Link back to the entrance of the Lost Woods instead of taking him out to Kokiri Forest.

Prototype	Final

Lost Woods used to have a sign at the entrance.

E3 1998	Final	Final

The grotto where you'd find one of the Deku Nut upgrades wasn't created yet.

Revisited - Sacred Forest Meadow

E3 1998 (Adult Setup)	Final (Child Setup)

Sacred Forest Meadow as Adult Link had no Moblins lurking around the corners but instead matched closely to the setup Child Link has in the final game.

E3 1998 (Adult Setup)	Final (Child Setup)

Octoroks were placed in the pools where you'd end up if a Moblin caught you in the finished game.

E3 1998 (Adult Setup)	Final (Child Setup)

Single Deku Baba was hiding in the bushes.

Revisited - Forest Temple

Prototype	Final

Before Wolfos were added to the game. There were Big Babas in their place instead at the entrance of Forest Temple.

Prototype	Final

Doors were given bars now which were missing in April 1998.

Prototype	Final

The east direction of Forest Temple's main room still matched April 1998 design.

Prototype	Final

To enter the room you were meant to use your bow on an eye switch. This is no longer the case in the final design, since you cannot enter this room this way.

Prototype	Final

A Deku Baba which ended up removed.

An early square switch is seen at the balcony area in Forest Temple. It's got the Crest of the Gerudo symbol now. An unused switch similar to this exists unused in the game.

Prototype	Final

During development, the following room within the Forest Temple went through a few changes, most notably the presence of vines along the walls. In the retail game, this was changed to a Scarecrow, as it creates an unintended skip which allows the player to easily climb to the top. A Deku Baba is seen in the spot where the Scarecrow is in retail.

Revisited - Hyrule Field

Late 1997 Overdump	E3 1998	Final

The area near Gerudo Valley was still grassy and the land was flat. Pause screen's world map shows this part of the map colored in green, so these changes took place notably late.

Alternate Scene Setup 0xA

Alternate Scene Setup 0xA for Hyrule Field has some fences leftover from this demo.

Late 1997 Overdump	E3 1998	Final

Lon Lon Ranch was possible to go to from Hyrule Field and it now looks finished from outside.

Late 1997 Overdump	E3 1998	Final

Late 1997 Overdump	E3 1998	Final

Link on a horse chase. In November 1997 screenshots he was seen chasing Zelda's horse. Late 1997 Overdump map had objects listed for a "Generic" horse, Ganondorf's horse and Zelda's horse. It's uncertain if all of them were still present in the E3 1998 demo as only the "Generic" horse type has been seen in pre-release material.

Late 1997 Overdump	E3 1998	Final

The fence by Lon Lon Ranch was shortened noticeably from late 1997's Hyrule Field.

Late 1997 Overdump	E3 1998	Final

A "Generic" horse is seen running around the field. Fence was placed where there was not any in the late 1997 map. Path data from this demo for the Field horses still exist unused in the horse actor's code.

Revisited - Lon Lon Ranch

No door to the Silo building and a timer is present just like in some of the E3 1998 Hyrule Field screenshots.

Revisited - Lake Hylia

Once again a timer is seen. This time in Lake Hylia. It's possible the timer appeared whenever your time playing this demo was almost up, since it brought you back to the file select screen.

Revisited - Hyrule Castle Town

Prototype	Final

Dogs only roam the streets at night in final. Many were around at the entrance in the E3 1998 demo in daytime.

Prototype	Final

The title card for Market used to be Downtown.

Translation
We Hylians are a people chosen by the gods. Our ears are big so we can hear their voices. Got it, kid?

The text for the Kakariko Rooftop Man who was originally planned to be a Market Town NPC isn't any different from the Late 1997 Overdump.

(Source: Translation - GlitterBerri)

Prototype	Final

Another alley may have existed or was planned to exist. Barrels, boxes and a tree were used to cover this place up.

Collision Model (Child)	Collision Model (Adult)

The floor collision polygons back there might suggest a possible exit.

Room Mesh (Child)	Room Mesh (Adult)

The room mesh differs between the normal and ruined maps. Both look as if there'd been a warp to an alley.

(Source: ZeeRoX & Xiartic)

Prototype	Final

Every business used to have a sign telling what they are. These would've been removed once the pre-render was updated to make the buildings more distinct from each other.

Prototype	Final

Overall this pre-render from the E3 1998 demo looked the same as 1997 but the lamp posts were deleted.

Prototype	Final

xxx

Prototype	Final

xxx

Prototype	Final

xxx

Shooting Gallery

Prototype	Final

Prototype	Final

The Shooting Gallery proprietor was same as the bearded man who owns the Bazaar, Link could use Slingshot outside the mini-game and in the interface Bow was shown on the A button by mistake.

Revisited - Hyrule Castle

64Dream magazine noticed a pedestal with an Ocarina mark on it at Hyrule Castle. Perhaps you were originally meant to play an Ocarina song to open the gate instead of bribing a soldier? A gameplay report mentions that Link automatically pulls out his Ocarina when stepping on it.

The pedestal can still be found in several cutscene scene setups but not in regular gameplay.

Prototype	Final

Hyrule Castle could now be entered via piling up boxes and jumping to the crawlspace. This wasn't possible in the 1997 map because it was so unfinished.

Prototype	Final

Prototype	Final

The Castle Guards still let Link pass to Hyrule Castle like they did in 1997.

Hyrule Garden Minigame

Prototype	Final

The unused rupee which explodes upon touching was used in the Hyrule Garden Minigame in the E3 1998 demo.

Revisited - Temple of Time Exterior

Prototype	Final

Prototype	Final

xxx

Revisited - Temple of Time

April 1998	May 1998

The texture work for Door of Time was finalized, changing from a green door with weird patterns to the wings of the Royal Crest.

Revisited - Kakariko Village

April 1998	May 1998

May 1998's update to Kakariko got rid of the 2nd dead tree and the clump of grass was moved.

April 1998	May 1998

The Skulltula House got a new texture. In April 1998 every house was textured the same. The fence which existed here in April was removed.

Prototype	Final

The well was moved to its final location and Granny's Potion Shop got its final look.

Revisited - Graveyard

While no footage is available from the event itself, the Graveyard could be visited and the tombstones could be pulled according to a gameplay report.

Revisited - Death Mountain Trail

Prototype	Final

The unused Ocarina Pedestal sat where there's a rock formation and a Song of Storms grotto in final.

Goron City

A gameplay report suggests that Darunia and the shop could be visited as adult.

E3 1998	E3 1998	Final

Goron City's windows used to look more human made.

Revisited - Dodongo's Cavern

Prototype	Final

Link received a Piece of Heart from the chest you'd get the Dungeon Map from. There are no Piece of Hearts in any dungeons in the final game. Fire Temple in June '98 also had one.

Revisited - King Dodongo's Lair

Feb 1998	April 1998

• February 1998 - A treasure chest was added.
• April 1998 - The treasure chest is removed and a spotlight is added on the wall.

E3 1998 Demo	Final

• E3 1998 - A chest is put back, now with its final design.
• Final - The design of the room changed from a bricky look to stony. The chest type was changed to small and the spotlight on the wall was removed.

Revisited - Fire Temple

Prototype	Final

Link is in the room 05 of Fire Temple. All of the Torch Slugs in this room are placed on the platforms in the final game, but it seems like that wasn't always the case. It's possible that when the rolling boulders to this room were added, the Torch Slugs were moved on the platforms.

Revisited - Gerudo Training Ground

Prototype	Final

The platform in the middle of the room was removed. There's only sand in the final game here. Another room however has a platform like this one, so it most likely got moved. Less rocks and no room timer.

Prototype	Final

There's no Blade Trap from where you enter to this room. The door doesn't get barred in retail perhaps because there is a room timer now.

Prototype	Rock collision

The collision for these rocks was different. In the finished game it's not possible for the Stalfos to walk on top of them.

Prototype	Final

Gerudo Training Ground had no unique shutter door texture yet, so it used the regular one.

Prototype	Final

The room in the east was completely remodeled. It used to feature a pool in the middle of it.

Prototype	Final

This room also had two doors to enter. Only one way to go in the finished design, so one can only wonder where the door ahead of Link would've led.

Prototype	Final

After Link walked above the two ramps surrounding the pool. He takes a jump to the pool because the door is locked. In the final version of this room you have to defeat the enemies before the room timer ends. It's possible the pool as an idea was moved to another room in the final Gerudo Training Ground. There is a pool area which comes later where you collect Silver Rupees to spawn a chest containing a Small Key.

Rather weird sight. In the pool a switch was placed on top of a push block. You can't see anything this wacky in the final game anywhere.

Enemies

Torch Slug

Prototype	Final

Torch Slugs got some redesign work done. Their final look do not have fiery spots surrounding them as seen in the E3 demo version.

Deku Baba

Translated text from the overdump.
"Going to the fairy Tree, jara? In that case, be careful, jara. There are huge Deku Babas growing on the way, jara. When that weed attacks, it's invincible. Once it's still, that's your chance to defeat it! Use jump when you want to dodge... jara!"

(Source: Translation - GlitterBerri)

Text in the overdump had a Kokiri Girl explain that the Deku Babas were invincible unless you let them attempt an attack first. It is quite clear why they removed this as it can be very confusing to the player unless they read what the NPC's had to say about them. This difference was still present in the E3 1998 demo.

Revisited - Skulltula

Skulltulas had a visible thread that's only seen in the game's E3 1998 demo.

Using a Deku Nut against Skulltula made it spin around instead of stunning it.

Link takes knockback damage from the Skulltula as usual, but if the Skulltula was doing its dying animation, it was regular damage.

(Source: Xiartic & ZeeRoX)

Story

An updated story summary was posted onto the Japanese website and matches that of the final game.

Sept. 1997	May 1998 (Original Japanese)	May 1998 (Translation)
	神々の子孫が住むと言われる地、ハイラル。そこには多くの民族がそれぞれの土地を守りながら独自の文化を築いていた。	Hyrule: A land said to be inhabited by the descendants of the gods. Its myriad denizens have forged unique, individual cultures, while safeguarding their respective domains.
As the story begins, Link is preparing for his coming-of-age ceremony, where he will receive his guardian spirit. In the tradition of his people, children receive a fairy from the Fairy Tree when they reach adulthood. This fairy becomes a person's life-long familiar, and accompanies him or her as they seek their fortune in the maze-like forest which surrounds their village, or in the lands beyond. Link's ceremony, however, is not destined to be a happy one. The Fairy Tree, source of guardian spirits, is captured by a strange creature from the depths of the forest. Link is able to locate his guardian spirit, Navie, and with her help, slay the creature. However, in the process, the Fairy Tree is grievously damaged. As its life force ebbs, the Fairy Tree speaks the words that will shape Link's destiny.	そのハイラルの中にある、コキリの森に住むコキリ族の少年リンク（＝プレイヤー）は、ある朝、ナビィと名乗る妖精に眠りからさまされる。リンクは遂に自分にも妖精がやって来たと喜んだ。コキリ族なら誰でも相棒となる妖精がいるはずなのだが、なぜかリンクにだけはいなかったのだ。だがしかし、ナビィは大変な話をリンクを告げた。コキリ族の守護神『デクの樹』が、怪しげな魔物たちによってひん死の状態にさらされているというのだ。リンクはナビイと協力して魔物を倒すが、『デクの樹』は遺言を残して朽ち果てる。	One morning, Link (the player), a boy of the Kokiri tribe dwelling in Hyrule’s Kokiri Forest, was woken by a fairy named Navi. Link was overjoyed that a fairy had come to him at last. Though it was customary for each member of the Kokiri tribe to have a fairy partner, for some reason, Link alone did not. Navi, however, conveyed a message of disaster. A suspicious influx of demons had brought the guardian deity of the Kokiri tribe, known as the Deku Tree, to the brink of death. Link joined forces with Navi to defeat the monsters, but the Deku Tree withered away, leaving behind one last request.
"Do not allow the thief, Gannondorf, to claim the Triforce..." the Tree mystically communicates. "Oh brave one, you must take this sacred stone to a wise man..."	「ガノンドロフにトライフォースを渡してはならぬ…　勇気ある者よ、この精霊石とともにハイリアの知恵ある者を探せ…。」	“Ganondorf must not be allowed to claim the Triforce… Oh, brave one, take this Spiritual Stone, and seek out the one with the wisdom of the Hylia…”
	当時、ハイラルでは一つの伝説が信じられていた。神々の『トライフォース』についての伝説である。	In those days, the people of Hyrule believed in a legend: The legend of the Triforce of the gods.
	誰も知らない聖地にあると言われる、神の力の宿る聖なる三角『トライフォース』。それに触れし者は、無限の力を手にする事ができると言う。	The Triforce: Holy triangles imbued with the gods’ power, said to rest in a Sacred Realm known to no one. Rumour had it that those who touched the artifact would be granted limitless power.
Gannondorf was infamous throughout the land for his evil practices as the king of thieves. He lusted for the power of the Triforce, and searched throughout Hyrule for its resting place. Since Gannondorf was searching through the forest of Link's people, Link knew he was in great danger. He took the sacred stone from the Fairy Tree and set out for Hyrule Castle, the capital of the Hyrulian people.	その力を我が手にせんと企む者がいた。 その名は魔盗賊ガノンドロフ。ガノンドロフは邪悪な魔物を使い、ハイラル各地を蹂躙しつつ、聖地への入り口を探し続けていた。そしてその魔手は、コキリの森にも伸びていたのである。その事を知ったリンクは、『デクの樹』が残した『森の精霊石』を手に、ハイリア族の都・ハイラル城へと旅立っていった。	Indeed, there existed a man who conspired to obtain this power. He was known as Ganondorf, a malevolent thief. The thief had used his horde of wicked demons to overrun the regions of Hyrule in a continued search for the entrance to the Sacred Realm. Now, his evil influence had spread as far as Kokiri Forest. With this knowledge, Link took the Spiritual Stone of Forest, bequeathed to him by the Deku Tree, and travelled to Hyrule Castle, the capital of the Hylian people.
Upon entering the castle, Link is welcomed by the young Princess Zelda, a woman of the Hyrulian royal family about the same age as he. She is well aware of the crisis facing the land of Hyrule.	ハイラル城に着いたリンクは、同じ年頃の王女・ゼルダ姫と出会う。やはりハイラルの危機を察知していた彼女は、聖地への入り口を知っていると言う。	Upon his arrival at the castle, Link made the acquaintance of Princess Zelda, a girl about his own age. Sure enough, the princess had sensed the peril facing Hyrule, and she confided to the boy that she knew the location of the entrance to the Sacred Realm.
Zelda relates further details about the Triforce's hiding place, telling Link that he needs to find the three sacred stones that fit into a magical Ocarina, which serves as the key to hidden realm. Link's race with the evil Gannondorf to find the sacred stones and the hiding place of the Triforce is on!	しかしそこへ入るには、神殿の石盤に三つの精霊石をはめ込み、王家の秘宝『時のオカリナ』によってあるメロディーを奏でなければならないのだ。リンクは残る二つの精霊石を探しに、さらなる冒険の旅へとその第一歩を踏み出したのである…。	In order to enter, however, Link would have to insert three Spiritual Stones into the stone altar of the temple, then play a certain song on the Ocarina of Time, a sacred treasure belonging to the Royal Family. Thus, Link set out on further adventures, in a quest to obtain the remaining two Spiritual Stones…

Mr. Miyamoto's Press Briefing

In the demonstration, Mr. Tezuka (the director of Zelda 64-- Mr. Miyamoto is the producer) showed some of the key features of the E3 version. The E3 version has over 100 different scenes in it, and Mr. M. Said that even if you played it for one hour, you still wouldn't be able to see everything even in this very incomplete version of the game.

(Source: Mr. Miyamoto's Press Briefing)

Question and Answer Session with Mr. Miyamoto

The following Q&A; session took place at Mr. Miyamoto's press briefing. 

Q: How much of your original design is in the game?

A: I'm the Producer of this game so I can't say that 100% is mine. The core game and main system is about 70% mine. The system engineer developed my ideas. However, the scenario and game modes are only about 50% my idea. There are a lot of excellent artists working on this project. At least 50% of the game is created by these artists, though I take full responsibility for the final game content! 

Q: How long have you been working on this game?

A: Three years have passed since we started working on it. In the beginning, I only spent about 20% of my time on Zelda, but in the last few months I've spent about 50% of my time. Now I spend about 100% of my time on Zelda. So I have to go home (from E3)! (Laughs.)

Q: How much voice is in the game?

A: Navi (Link's fairy companion) won't speak a lot. I don't like Navi's voice in the current version. She'll eventually speak less.

Q: Will there be a 64DD sequel?

A: We are working on 64DD Zelda. After finishing everything in the cartridge, you can enter the new world. We are working on it.

Q: Have you consiously decided to make things like jumping automatic in Zelda 64?

A: We always try to make a game that simulates reality. However, sometimes it is not good to make things too realistic, or the game will be difficult to play. Golf is a good example. It may be impossible for you to make par in real golf, but in a video game you can usually make par. Many realistic 3D environments are difficult to explore. The more realistic, the more we have to help the player. So, we made the jump in Zelda 64 automatic. In the final version, I think you will find the actions easier to complete.

Q: How linear is the dialog in Zelda 64?

A: Until the game is complete, I can't say for sure. I personally don't like scenes where yo9u just sit and watch or read dialog. It's a game, not a movie! I think the dialog scenes in Zelda 64 will last about 30-40 minutes. Altogether, there are about 800 messages in the game (NOTE: Mr. Miyamoto looked at me as he said this-- cringe!) I try to avoice sequences that repeat.

(Source: Question and Answer Session with Mr. Miyamoto)

June, 1998

Actions

Stab

No Z-Target	Z-Target

Link gained a lot of momentum if he performed the Stab Attack while Z-Targeting. In the final game, it's not possible to perform the Stab Attack without Z-Targeting first and the momentum Link has is the same as in the example where Z isn't pressed.

Link's Mouth Texture Usage

Child Link (Oct '97)	Adult Link (Oct '97)

June '98	Final

Adult Link used the "mouth_half" texture when Child Link would use "mouth_open". This was changed to be consistent, so both of them use "mouth_open" in the same situtations.

Cutscenes

Boss Intros

The player is granted control in the middle of boss cutscenes as they are ending, seemingly by mistake.

Learning Bolero

Prototype	Final

Link's eyes weren't closed when playing Ocarina in cutscenes. This is because cutscene Link is handled differently from regular gameplay Link.

Revisited - Pulling out the Master Sword

Prototype	Final

The Master Sword pedestal was hovering, causing Link's shadow to peek under it.

Prototype	Final

No eye texture for looking down.

Chamber of Sages - Sealing Ganon

Prototype	Final

The Sages aren't as close to the camera in the final cutscene and pose better.

Characters

Revisited - Great Fairy

April 1998	June 1998

The effects were revisited in June 1998, but weren't the same as final. The flames that use different colors depending which Fairy Fountain you're in were missing.

Revisited - Ganondorf

November 1997	June 1998

Ganondorf's model is now looking like it does in the final release.

King's Guards

Prototype	Final

The king's guards have noticeably different models, bearing a prominent triforce symbol, with their posture being less stern. This model is still present in the final game.

Revisited - Child Zelda

Prototype	Final

Child Zelda's model is unchanged from April 1998. This series of screenshots also has earlier dialog. The last text mentioning the Ocarina of Time is said by Impa in revised form in the final.

Pre-release Screenshot	Official Japanese Script
アナタ…だれ？	！ だ、だれ？
Who... are you?	! Wh, who's there?
今はお父様に忠誠を誓っているけど 私はわかる…彼の邪悪な企みが…	今は　お父さまに 忠誠を　誓っているけれど きっと　ウソに　決まっています…
Right now, he's swearing fealty to my father, but I know... the truth of his evil plans...	He's swearing loyalty to my father right now, but I'm sure he is lying...
この国にやってきた目的も、 王家に伝わる聖地へのカギの一つ… 時のオカリナに違いないわ！	夢に　見た、 ハイラルを　おおう　黒い雲… あの男に　ちがいありません！
There is no mistake... he came to this country for one of the keys to the Sacred Realm passed down by the royal family: The Ocarina of Time!	The black clouds covering Hyrule that I saw in my dream... It has to be him!

Revisited - Impa & Zelda's Horse

Nov '97	June 1998

Nov '97	June 1998

Nov '97	June 1998

Impa's model resembles her final counterpart. Zelda's Horse got less colorful hair and tail.

Environments

Revisited - Back Alley

Prototype	Final

A cucco had somehow snuck into the Market Alley, the door to Mamamu Yan's house was missing and the man NPC was changed.

Prototype	Final

The woman in the background appears to be the same woman who is unused in the final game.

Prototype	Final

The NPC who's in the central Market in the final game used to be located here. The door to the house is missing because the interior was still used in Kakariko Village. Internally the name of that map is "Kakariko3".

Revisited - Hyrule Castle

Prototype	Final

Prototype	Final

Both Kaepora Gaebora and the tree which he'd wait on for Link is missing. The rocky wall surface used to be vines. No title card for Hyrule Castle can be seen oddly enough.

Revisited - Lost Woods

Prototype	Final

The sky in Lost Woods which is normally yellow used to be dark.

Revisited - Death Mountain Trail

Prototype	Final

A tektite was placed near the Goron City entrance where there wasn't one before. This Tektite isn't here in final. The dungeon marker for some reason is misplaced, even though it was placed where the dungeon is in earlier pre-release screenshots.

Great Fairy Fountain

Prototype	Final

The lighting in the Great Fairy Fountain was darkened considerably for the final version of the game.

Kakariko Village House

Prototype	Final

An early version of the Kakariko Village House. The top-down view of this pre-render was found in the iQue leak. For some reason Talon is seen sleeping here as Child Link. It could be because the events weren't set up properly yet.

Zora's River

Prototype	Final

The ledge where you'd find a Piece of Heart is not there. This ledge didn't even exist the month the game was getting finished.

Revisited - Temple of Time Exterior

May 1998	June 1998

The triforce on the pre-render wasn't upside down anymore. Only in June 1998 the pre-render used the entire Royal Crest instead of just the Triforce part.

Revisited - Fire Temple

Prototype	Final

Back in June they still had 8 Piece of Hearts to form a Container. In retail there are no Piece of Hearts in dungeons, so it's possible that at this time they had 4 Piece of Hearts in each dungeon to collect. This Piece of Heart was changed to bunch of Recovery Hearts.

Prototype	Final

Prototype	Final

The flame wall in Room 10 of Fire Temple used to be noticeably larger in size. The cutscene for it also got changed to be less dramatic.

Revisited - Gerudo Valley

Gerudo Valley resembles its final look more than the map from 1997. The branching path to the Haunted Wasteland is not here anymore.

Link uses Longshot or Hookshot to cross the bridge.

These two wooden beams do not exist in the final map on the other side of the bridge.

Prototype	Final

The text is missing for explaining the creation of Hyrule. Some minor map geometry changes can be observed.

Horseback Archery Range

Prototype	Final

Camera work's altered a bit and Link wasn't petting Epona.

Prototype	Final

Two boxes are stacked up. Child Link's Gerudo Valley setup has them like this because you cannot destroy the one underneath to cause the top one to float in the air.

Prototype	Final

Instead of pots standing on boxes. Rupees were placed under the targets.

Prototype	Final

Another horse ran ahead of you and the target at the end of the road wasn't there. Link's gauntlets used to be visible in first person, but in final they aren't anymore because of clipping problems. In Ocarina of Time 3D they were able to get it working properly.

Iron Knuckle's Lair

Prototype	Final

Two tiny stone pillars were removed close to the throne. These are still present when the pre-boss room is taken a look at from one of the other rooms.

Unfinished Boss Doors

The boss doors in June 1998 looked broken texture-wise because the door object loaded the texture data of Adult Link's object from address 0x0. This makes the game use Adult Link's eye texture in the wrong RGBA16 format, which should be CI8.

Enemies

Revisited - Wallmaster

April 1997	June 1998

The Wallmaster model was updated June, 18th, 1998 by Umemiya.

Revisited - Skulltula

Skulltulas could be spun by slashing your sword against them. In the final game you have to wait for them to turn around and then you have your chance to defeat them. Link takes a hit when the Skulltula is doing its dying animation which does not occur in the final game.

Music

Enter Ganondorf

Audio Differences

Early	Final

The track when you first meet Ganondorf was cut short for final. At the end in the older version you could hear strings suspend on a single note. This may have been because the older nightmare cutscene lasted longer.

Hyrule Field

Audio Differences

Early	Final

Intro of the Hyrule Field BGM got some small tweaks made before release. The flutes used to play in the same octave.

Revisited - Hyrule Castle Town

Audio Differences

Early	Final

In the 2nd part of the track. It can be heard that the Ocarina instrument was changed to an Oboe for retail.

Temple of Time

Audio Differences

Temple of Time used the music track heard in Deku Tree and grottos.

Horse Race

Audio Differences

This track didn't exist and instead Hyrule Field kept playing.

Seal of Six Sages

Audio Differences

During the Seal of Six Sages cutscene, the music track heard in Deku Tree and grottos played, because that's what Temple of Time in this point in development used.

(Source: source needed)