If you had told me back in the 90s that Ocarina of Time would appear on a Sega console, I would have laughed. It's a Nintendo exclusive; it's not going to appear on any other system (other than the Phillips CD-i offerings, of course).
It felt weird seeing a sample of the game on the PS1, but seeing it running on a Dreamcast at a higher framerate makes my inner 90s-kid feel more shocked than when I found out they weren't making any more episodes of VR Troopers.
The Dreamcast has had a spate of N64 games heading its way of late. Star Fox 64, Mario Kart 64, Super Mario 64 - they've all made their way to Sega's Swansong console with great results and some impressive enhancements. But when you think about the N64 and its crowning jewel, the king cartridge, you think about Ocarina of Time.
I don't know whether devs were leaving it because it felt too sacrilegious to port it over or whether they were just too worried that Wario and Bowser might come knocking on their doors with a cease and desist letter, but progress on a Dreamcast port has finally been posted by an unknown dev, and everyone is losing their minds.
We came across this information from The Sega Guru who has documented the port's progress on their YouTube channel. The gameplay isn't currently in the same format as the original N64 title, i.e you don't have the dream about Zelda and Ganondorf, wake up and go see the Deku Tree, defeat Queen Gohma, and go to Hyrule, etc. Instead, you'll pick spots on the map from a kind of level select screen and play out specific parts of the game.
While it's all very early footage we're seeing, it's looking fantastic. Sure, there are a few glitches here and there, but compared to the build of Ocarina I covered on the PS1, the Dreamcast port is looking superb. We've got the trademark music and visuals that certainly surpass the N64, all playable with a Dreamcast controller. Remember, this is a port that you'll be able to play on your Dreamcast and not just through an emulator!
I've loved Zelda for as long as I can remember (up until Tears of the Kingdom, but that's another story for another time). Ocarina was the very first game that captured my heart and mind in such a visceral way; I get such strong emotions when I think back to playing this game for the first time (and the subsequent times whenever Nintendo releases it and takes my cold, hard cash from me). So to see it running so well on the Dreamcast is such a novelty to me. I'm looking forward to following the port's progress over the coming days and it joining the ranks of N64 bangers finding a home on Sega's legendary machine!
