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Zelda Gaiden features new worlds to explore and new characters to interact with.
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Game Info
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Publisher
Nintendo
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Developer
Nintendo
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Genre
RPG
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Origin
Japan
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Number of Players
1
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Rumble Pak
YES
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Release
November 23, 2000
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By donning a mask, Link can change into different characters.
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The game now uses the 4MB Expansion Pak for a smoother framerate and more poly characters on-screen.
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Shigeru Miyamoto is not directly involved with Zelda: Gaiden.
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Legend of Zelda: Gaiden
Have some hard-earned Japanese flavored screens and a bit of new info on the next Zelda game.
December
23,
1999
Only a few months after Link returned from his time travel escapades as laid forth in Ocarina of Time, the Hylian youngster in Kokiri clothing already stumbles into an all-new adventure...
The Legend of Zelda: The Continuing Saga
Prologue
One day, deep in the forest, Link encountered a stranger wearing a mysterious mask. Without as much as an explanation, the unusual fellow stole the pony young Link was riding - his beloved Epona - and escaped through a doorway into a warped dimension. Link of course quickly followed and soon found himself trapped in a strange, yet oddly familiar world full of familiar faces. But while the landscape may have looked familiar, one thing was clearly different: In the sky above loomed a gigantic moon, slowly falling down onto this world...
"In a few more days, this world will end." So spoke those living there. Even as they waited, time passed mercilessly. "If you can find the masked one, you may find a clue to saving this realm."
And so Link embarks on a new adventure to halt the setting of the moon on this strange world and to find his way back to his own land.
The Legend Continues
Zelda: Gaiden is the direct follow-up to Ocarina of Time. Even though the story does not really continue the events that happened in the first N64 Zelda, the two games are inevitably intertwined as Link gets stuck in a sort of parallel world to Hyrule. As he makes his way through the strange wonderland he accidentally tumbled into, Link comes face to face with many familiar faces, including Malon, a dark version of Navi, Ingo, and of course Zelda. However, things just don't seem right - as Link quickly finds out when he puts on a mask for the first time since he entered the mirror world...
Masks
Whereas gameplay progression in Ocarina of Time was largely driven by items and weapons, Gaiden takes a slightly different route. Instead of providing Link with power glove upgrades for heavy lifting or a blue tunic for underwater breathing, Link now wears masks that not only give him special powers, but also turn him into the corresponding creatures. The 50% complete Gaiden demo at Spaceworld featured three different masks for players to try out. Note that the mask item screen actually had a whopping 20 different slots - presumably for other masks.
- Goron Mask: After a humorous (and somewhat frightening) transformation scene, Link turns into one of the rock-eating creatures from Ocarina of Time. The only thing that reminds the player that the creature on screen is still Link is his trademark green hood. As soon as he turns into a Goron, Link gains new powers that allow him to access new areas and overcome certain obstacles. For example, it is sometimes necessary for Link to turn into a Goron in order to move a heavy stone block out of the way. But Goron's have yet another "gift" - namely, the ability to roll themselves into a ball and traverse the land at high speeds. In the Spaceworld demo, players were able to experience this Goron special move during a lightning fast race against other Gorons that reminded us a lot of the Tatooine scenes from Episode I Racer.
- Deku Scrub Mask: Link has the chance to turn himself into what's perhaps the most annoying creature from Ocarina of Time. Just like the Deku guys from the predecessor, Link can now hop through the dungeons and shoot seeds out his snout to defend himself. But that's not all. Not only can the Deku walk on water, they can also grab a hold of certain flowers and use them to glide through the air, enabling Link to reach high up areas that he previously couldn't get to (not even with the help of a chicken).
- Zora Mask: By turning into a Zora, Link gains access to what we think is the coolest power yet: Underwater flight. To call the Zoras' way of getting through the water "swimming" just doesn't do it justice. As soon as you hit the A button, Zora-Link cuts through the water like an eel, twirling and spinning through the underwater landscapes at Dolphin speed. Ecco, eat your heart out. At Spaceworld, the Zora power was demonstrated during an interesting race of sorts where Link tries to keep up with two beavers and help them gather drift wood for their dam.
As if these special powers weren't enough, each one of Link's forms is also able to whip out musical instruments and play magical tunes - similar to the use of the Ocarina of Time in the last adventure. The Deku Scrub guy plays horns, the Goron produces a sizable set of bongo drums and Zora-Link pulls out a guitar made from fish bones.
As far as weapons go, we weren't able to spot anything new - but then again, the game's only about half done.
A Graphical Upgrade
Zelda: Gaiden requires the 4MB Expansion to run - and it really shows. There are far more trees out in the fields and some of the rooms we entered during Spaceworld's "Dungeon Tour" featured as many as six Stalfos skeletons at the same time. Speaking of which, there are plenty of new and old creatures in Gaiden. Ocarina of Time players will recognize the frost statues from the ice caves and the bouncing Tektites, but Link also faces mean-eating swamp plants, slime blobs and the slug-like shadow creatures from A Link to the Past that Link can only see when he is facing them.
The environments are even more varied than in Ocarina of Time. In addition to dark dungeons and ancient temples, Link finds himself in a smelly swamp, a snowy village in the mountains, an enchanted forest and an amazing looking town with a giant clock tower, complete with rotating gears that slowly count down towards the impending catastrophe.
To sum it all up: From what I have played of Gaiden so far, the game is definitely set to give N64 owners exactly what they've been asking for the moment they finished Ocarina of Time. Since the controls and battle system are virtually identical, playing Gaiden is like returning to a world that you just left a few hours ago. It speaks for Gaiden's designers that despite the similarities, the game manages to surprise even Zelda veterans with interesting new twists and gameplay elements. Hopefully, the quest is just as long and involving as Ocarina of Time's - just with less "hey!" from Navi and a slightly higher challenge level.
Gaiden hits Nintendo 64 in the US just in time for the holiday season 2000.
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