Buckle up kids. Ocarina of Time isn’t just the best N64 game, or the best 3D game, or even the best video game ever made. It’s the best piece of media, and therefore art to exist. Not an exaggeration. It comfortably clears The Beatles, The Godfather, and The Mona Lisa. While some may argue it’s overrated, or that they prefer other Zelda games, I’m here to tell you it’s better than Mozart. Better than Citizen Kane. Better than Picasso. Great songs, films, stories, paintings, and other works are great because they guide you to a special feeling. Maybe a familiar feeling, or maybe a new feeling altogether. But even more so when you’re deeply immersed in the piece. Like listening to a whole album in headphones, or when you can’t put that one book down. Video games have a distinct advantage in this regard. By making you an active participant, you’re inherently immersed. You don’t have to get lost in it. You’re in it. You’re not listening to the background music. They’re playing YOUR theme. Your favorite character didn’t succeed. YOU did. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time takes advantage of that intense immersion more boldly and to greater effect than any other game by far. You might even just call it a “vibe”. It’s all the little things that amount to something indescribable. It’s the one game I can confidently say is more than the sum of its odds. One can write a million songs, or a million books, or make a million video games and never strike oil like that. When it happens, it just happens. And it’s not about nostalgia, or vintage-loving hipster nonsense. You don’t need to have played it as a child, or even play video games to have this experience. Just play it. Get stuck? Look it up. Drown out the drama and other people’s opinions. There’s something truly magical about it, and that’s why the remake is so deserving of all this hype. I say that as someone who completely rejects the reboot/remake slop we’ve been getting for over a decade. This is the exception. Without an ounce of sarcasm, preserving Ocarina of Time should be Nintendo’s number one priority. It should be released on every console they sell, day one. Their controllers should be designed specifically to play it. The story should be taught in english class, and the dungeons should be used to teach problem solving skills. It’s nice for the fanbase to enjoy different entries in the series. That’s great, but Ocarina of Time will be culturally and historically relevant long after the concept of a “video game console” has been forgotten. It will continue to fascinate and inspire awe for generations.