The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is known as one of the best - if not the best - games in the entire franchise, and with that popularity comes one of the usual pitfalls for video games, piracy. Loads of games have measures they take to combat piracy, but there are a few tricks in Ocarina of Time that make the player of a pirated copy suffer. Some of these methods don't exactly make the game unplayable but do hamper the fun that can be had in this classic game.
Ocarina of Time became an instant classic when it released on the Nintendo 64, even getting inducted into the video game hall of fame, Zelda's second entry to behind the original. With such booming sales, Ocarina of Time drew the attention of pirates worldwide. The cartridge for Ocarina of Time came with a particular chip inside designed to dissuade piracy. Pirated copies wouldn't have the proprietary cartridge chip, the absence of which would activate in-game discrepancies designed to frustrate the player.
The most minor way the game would attempt to deter piracy was to cause a bit of a humorous change to the appearance of Princess Zelda herself, more specifically, her adult form. This change is first seen in a somewhat pivotal moment of the game when the player's mysterious guide and ally in Ocarina of Time, Sheik, reveals themselves to be none other than a disguised Zelda. The mood is quickly deflated in what could likely be seen as one of the most momentous scenes within the Legend of Zelda series when Princess Zelda is unveiled for the first time and her hair is blown out into a ridiculous pentagonal shape. While not necessarily game-breaking, this does ruin the sense of immersion one might find within the game.
Ocarina Of Time Doesn't Let Pirates Finish The Game
The tricks that Ocarina of Time uses to help prevent piracy ensure that those who play pirated copies don't get the most from their playthrough. Within the game, there is a fishing spot that, while not necessary to complete the game, holds a fishing challenge for Link to earn a Pieces of Heart and a couple other prizes. Without those pieces, it becomes impossible to achieve 100% completion in Ocarina of Time and on a pirated copy of the game it is impossible to catch any of the fish as they're programmed to let go of the line after an initial hook.
More egregious than losing the possibility to 100% the game is the fact that the pirated game can never be completed at all. In the penultimate encounter within Ganon's Castle, Link and Zelda must escape the collapsing structure and find their way impeded by bars covering the doorways. In an official copy of the game, Zelda will use her powers to raise the obstructions, allowing their escape, though in a pirated copy she merely goes through the motion and runs through the bars herself to leave Link alone and trapped, unable to proceed.
Ultimately, being unable to witness the ending to Ocarina of Time after being allowed to journey nearly the entire game is the truest sort of suffering a player could encounter. Picking up a legitimate version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is easily worth it just on the basis of avoiding the pitfall of not being able to get the most out of the game. It's even easier now to experience this all-time classic game since a remake was put out on the Nintendo 3DS.
