Nobody Said The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Was This Funny

Though I’ve never played The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time until now, I’ve heard people sing its praises for years. Mostly, this revolved around its impossibly high score of 99 on Metacritic, its influential open world and combat design, and its memorable dungeons. But none of those ardent fans bothered to tell me that this classic game has some genuinely hilarious moments. Because the game was originally released 28 years ago, a spoiler-free experience is pretty much off the table for me. But the goofs and gags? Those are all 100% fresh.

I love a zingy insult or quip as much as anybody else, but some of the best video game humor leans into the unique qualities of the medium. These gags go beyond writing to incorporate at least some element of interaction — or a conspicuous lack thereof. An early example of this in Ocarina of Time comes when you show a message in a bottle to King Zora, which reveals his daughter is currently stranded inside the massive fish Jabu-Jabu. The grateful king moves aside to allow you access to the entrance of the fish’s belly — very, very slowly. No button-mashing through this one. Just like you would for a real-life monarch (or older person), you must patiently wait for the scooting to be done. With each incremental booty-shuffle, he makes a little noise that sounds like “moo–ee.”

Once you venture inside the giant fish, Princess Ruto must be carried everywhere by Link, making it impossible for you to use your sword or shield while holding her on your shoulders and moving from room to room. Thankfully, you can use Ruto as a literal dead weight to press down switches to open doors. Better still, you can toss her at enemies like a rock, and she won’t take any damage. (She will complain about it, though.)

Later in the game, you‘re tasked with rescuing nine Gorons from the Fire Temple. Some of them will give you a small morsel of information about how to proceed through the dungeon. Others will simply wish you well. Either way, one freed from their cells, a lilting, cheerful flute ditty plays as they prance away home — leaving a stone-faced Link to continue grinding his way through the dungeon. This happens nine times. Ocarina repeats the bit as you’re freeing the four construction workers in the Gerudo Fortress, and it’s somehow even funnier the 13th time you see it.

I’m not the only one discovering the humor of this classic game for the first time. Folks on social media are gleefully posting about Moblin butts, the sphincter-like doors inside Jabu-Jabu’s dungeon, and discovering a cow in Link’s treehouse. Others are making their own fun, by sequence breaking the game and discovering horrible tween Link or playing "We Are Charlie Kirk" to the frogs near Zora’s Domain. Come for the generational video game experience, stay for the sweet, sweet memes.