Ocarina Of Time Has A Missing Person Problem

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time should rank pretty high when it comes to games in the series that have more mysteries, especially since several of them remain unsolved even decades after the game’s release. Adding to its mystique is the fact that Ocarina of Time It’s the game that divides the officer Zelda timeline into three new branches based on Link’s success against Ganondorf. Combining these elements with a touch of nostalgia, it’s easy to see why players keep coming back to this game. Zelda classic to discover its secrets.

Unlike many Zelda games, Ocarina of Time occurs during two distinct periods of time. The first period is when Link is a child, and the second is seven years later, when Link is an adult after being sealed in the Holy Realm. Using the Temple of Time, The link can travel between these time periods at will, placing the Master Sword back on its pedestal to go to the past, or removing the sword to go to the future. Due to this time jump, it’s obvious that Castle Town has gone through a lot of changes.

Castle Town Changes as Ganondorf Takes Control

Immediately afterwards and seven years later

When Link first arrives in Castle Town, there are many NPCs spending the day in the area, specifically in the markets that make up the first part that Link visits upon entering the town. Compared to more modern games in the franchise, it may seem like Castle Town isn’t as populated, but it’s a major concern throughout the game’s development. OoT was the amount of storage space available due to technological restrictions of the Nintendo 64. However, Castle Town manages to feel lively at first despite these restrictions, and it’s possible to spot who’s missing.

Fast forward seven years, after Link returns from his stasis in the Holy Realm, and Castle Town has become drastically different. It is clear that Ocarina of Time needed Link as a hero before he was ready to be one, and there was no one else around to fill that role. As a result, Castle Town and Kakariko Village suffered casualties, residents leaving as refugees, and even unexplained disappearances. Although there are some possible explanations for some disappearances, many are left unanswered.

Considering the devastation seen in Castle Town, it is easy to conclude that there were at least a few deaths there. The buildings are destroyed and in ruins, to the point that Link is unable to enter the stores he could previously enter. Instead of citizens running around the market, there are Redeads, who could be former citizens, but their origins are not clear enough to say that some of the missing people became Redeads with certainty. Given the state of things, it’s likely that there was a period of chaos and Link wasn’t present during what happened during that period.

Looking for Hyrule’s missing people

Where did they go

Monster Maze on YouTube we put together an incredible video that takes into account all NPCs in Castle Town and Kakariko Villagegoes over the known fates of those Link sees or hears about as an adult, and then speculates on the fates of those who are missing after the timeskip. For some characters, it’s easy to guess what happened, like the King of Hyrule in OoT probably being killed, but this is far from the case for all NPCs living in Hyrule in this game.

After analyzing each NPC before and after the timeskip, Monster Maze comes to the conclusion that 15 Hyrule citizens are missing during the period when Link is an adult. Like, they disappear and don’t even come back for the celebration at the end of the game, which other NPCs who aren’t present while Link is an adult attend. He begins to speculate about the most likely fate of these citizens. Three of the older citizens could have simply died of old age while Link was in stasis.

With the remaining citizens missing, there appears to be two main explanations for what could have happened to them. The first is that they left Hyrule and simply never came back to be part of the final celebration. Perhaps they didn’t know that Ganondorf’s rule was over, or they could have settled into a new life in a different area, not seeing the need to return to the home they lost. Of course, the second option is that they died during Ganondorf’s takeover, which is likely depending on how long it took him to destroy Castle Town.

The reality of Ganondorf’s takeover of Hyrule

It would have been a terrible time

It wouldn’t have been fun to live in Hyrule when Ganondorf took power, and that’s especially true for anyone who lived in Castle Town. However, Link’s limited perspective on what happened in the seven years he was in stasis means it’s difficult to find out for sure what happened to the NPCs who disappeared. As a result, we are missing important information that could help resolve where these NPCs went, such as how long it was before Ganondorf attacked Castle Townconsidering the city is relatively normal right after he takes care of the king.

Since it doesn’t appear that Ganondorf went straight from caring for the king to destroying Castle Town, it’s possible that some citizens had time to leave before any destruction occurred. However, this would be trust that they have some knowledge about the situation this was happening, which it doesn’t seem like they did. An NPC mentions that it’s strange to see a Gerudo around, but it seems like he’s more curious than worried. Even the castle guards don’t give an explanation, they simply say that no one can enter the castle at that moment.

Even after decades, OoT contains mysteries that may never have conclusive answers, but which add to the game’s charm. Considering the technology available at the time, this game is an incredible feat of development that pushed the Nintendo 64 to its limits and required a lot of creativity to tell its story with limited resources. In the end, the fate of these missing people may never be known, but it is possible that they lived happily in a different region during The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Source: Monster Maze/YouTube