N64 What if!?... The Legend of Zelda Oracle Series

[Don Patch]

I love pondering "what if?".
On the topic of video games and the history around them, it's that much more fun to wonder, speculate, and dream.
So, here's a prompt for discussion in two images;
What if?:

 

[JustLooking456]

If Nintendo said that this was the next Zelda game, old school N64 graphics and all, I'd buy a Switch 2.

 

[-------]

These two Zeldas are so awesome!

 

[Zerpina]

You know....
It always irked me that they didn't make Oracle of Secrets. I loved Ages and Seasons, but you know... maybe in another timeline. And absolutely, if they announced a Nintendo 64 style Oracle of Secrets game, I ABSOLUTELY... would definitely emulate and pirate it.

 

[Jeff]

I can see it, if the N64's lifespan lasted longer, imagine being on Gaemcube, but requires three disks.

 

[RRR213]

It bothered me that Grezzo didn't go on to remake the Oracle games for the Switch like they did Link's Awakening.

The original Oracle of Secrets was too messy a project, because they wanted players to be able to go from one game to either of the other two, but if they made OoS the mandatorily final game, they could have controlled for inventory/puzzles a lot better.

Grezzo would have had the opportunity to make their own game with OoS.

Contemporary pricing for those games would have been a nightmare, though. If they were budget titles from release ($40ish), you could justify purchasing 2 or 3 of them, especially since they're 90% asset flips.

 

[Sheepy765]

That cover looks really cool! Stinks we never got something like that though..

 

[DinoRexMax DinoRexMax]

It would probably look like the Link's Awakening remake. But it would be pretty awesome if companies would just straight up toss a couple of retro throwback games like this on the cheap instead of repackaging emulators.

Part of the problem is, the people who used to make those games are either not the same people anymore or completely forgot how they did it in the first place.

Melee and Majora's Mask are the best examples, as they were games created in a crunch at a very specific time frame. So when sequel and remakes came around, they no long possessed the knowledge or the mindset to create those same games again and they ended up different. Fuck 3DS Majora's Mask, fuck bad Zora swimming, and fuck locked Deku hops, my homies hate that shit.

Also, like Capcom might have to get involved with this? So who know if everyone's willing to play ball about that again.

 

[Luxfin]

What type of dark magic did you do to pull this out of that timeline?

I am just drooling over this.

 

[WallachiaResident98]

It would have been peak.

 

[Don Patch]

What type of dark magic did you do to pull this out of that timeline?

I am just drooling over this.

I'm a graphic designer .

 

[Ikagura]

While I love the idea of making the third game a home console one it would've been taking a risk from Nintendo as the Gamecube was about to be unveiled and the PS2 is already out, people wouldn't have bought it (or at least not everyone who waited for the next gen). Especially from a non-Nintendo developed entry.

I'm still glad that we got a third Capcom/Flagship game with Minish Cap (it could be unofficially called Oracle of Secrets considering how a minish could overhear them).

 

[-------]

I would like to see a remake of these two Zeldas. I don't understand why Nintendo hasn't done that yet.

 

[Ikagura]

I would like to see a remake of these two Zeldas. I don't understand why Nintendo hasn't done that yet.

I got a small hypothesis: it's not made by them so they don't really care.

See Starfox being based on Lylat Wars rather than Argonauts' SNES Starfox, Rareware's Starfox Adventure or Namco's Assault.

The Oracle games using Link's Awakening Switch's engine would've made so much sense considering the originals used LADX'.

 

[SamanthaSamantha's icon]

I can certainly see it, but I don't think it was on the cards... And what a damn shame, too, because fans would have moved forward N64 emulation by YEARS just to play it, kinda like how other N64 titles already got people working on those in our own timeline, but with the added incentive of it being the final Zelda game on the system.

 

[Ikagura]

This would also have made the N64 the console with the most unique mainline Zelda games with Link on it (not counting ports, remasters nor spin-offs because the Switch would still be the number #1 with BotW, TotK, SSHD, LA Remake, EoW and a bunch of spinoffs like Hyrule Warriors and Cadence of Hyrule among others).

 

[-------]

I got a small hypothesis: it's not made by them so they don't really care.

See Starfox being based on Lylat Wars rather than Argonauts' SNES Starfox, Rareware's Starfox Adventure or Namco's Assault.

The Oracle games using Link's Awakening Switch's engine would've made so much sense considering the originals used LADX'.

Too bad but who knows, maybe something will come along someday.

 

[Ikagura]

Too bad but who knows, maybe something will come along someday.

Let's hope...

I would still prefer an original entry like Echoes of Wisdom (hopefully set in something other than ALTTP's Hyrule yet again) than overly relying on remakes and re-releases.

 

[-------]

Echoes of Wisdom

Until yesterday, I had no idea that this existed. Hmm, I guess I really don't know everything about the Zelda games.

 

[Ikagura]

Until yesterday, I had no idea that this existed. Hmm, I guess I really don't know everything about the Zelda games.

I'm surprised because it was in a Nintendo Direct.

I suppose that top down games are less marketed and less popular.

 

[-------]

I'm surprised because it was in a Nintendo Direct.

I suppose that top down games are less marketed and less popular.

To be honest, I don't really concern myself with such things. But it's always nice to learn something new.

 

[Stingy Perry Stingy Perry]

If Nintendo did the Oracle of Secrets then it might have given the N64 some more sales and prolonged that console's life span a bit enough to give the 64DD a push.