I recently graduated with my music degree. Throughout my entire experience, I never lost sight of the fact that Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask were the catalysts for my musical journey. The idea of playing an instrument in-game and having the music you play be such a core mechanic hit me differently than anything I had experienced up to that point, and I never looked back. As a music educator, I can't thank you enough for this kind of video, especially because it's designed without music theory in mind. After attending several video game themed orchestral concerts, I know just how much video game music has impacted the people who play those games. So, getting to further understand WHY the music effects them the way it does is why I do what I do. So, thank you! I hope you'll be willing to explore this kind of video more.
@@LiamTriforce That's wonderful news!! Not that I think you need it, especially since there's no music theory involved, but if you would ever like to reach out to me as a consultant of sorts, I'd be happy to help. 👍
Back when I was a kid, I used to go back to lon lon ranch at night in between dungeons as adult link, just standing next to malon and chilling with her, and I used to show my dad epona and how I can summon her using those 6 jingles, to this day when my dad hears those jingles he immediately recognizes it and goes like "hey isn't that the epona's song?" This game is magic
His music really speaks to you, it reminds you of young days, the was it touches everyone’s heart. The quote that I love is when Shiek says: “The flow of time is always cruel... Its speed seems different for each person, but no one can change it... A thing that doesn't change with time is a memory of younger days..” This one really resonates with me, I’m not in the best place in my life and this reminds me to not take the best moments for granted. Can’t wait for more videos on the music for the rest of the series
It's one of the most powerful quotes ever written. The words bring forth deep, painful tears. Just plain, simple truth. Hang in there, stranger. May you find peace and purpose. 🤙
@CLSharpman5000 Dear @CLSharpman5000 and @_Guardian, I think because of its simplistic fashion, as you said @_Guardian, the Shiek quote, so powerful to read, I get goosebumps replaying OoT and seeing that, and reading now, and you @CLSharpman5000, "bring forth deep, painful tears. just plain simple truth", I thought of this: You, @_Guardian, myself and many thousands of others at similar age, once old at 70, will recall back to this very quote, the memory from our first play-through of OoT, the title theme's ocarina melody, and just burst in tears - overwhelmed in feeling of sad and joy, after passing through a lifetime, from the engrossing transcendence of the tune. Just know in that very moment, that there is another gamer that will be doing the VERY SAME at that age, looking back at life in reflection and memory - you wont be alone! In another thought worth imagining with me: How cool will it be when you are 70, brittle and sore back, and you come across someone that also played OoT, you spend 5 minutes trying to remember the song name, until it dawns on you both at the very same time, and say "Gerudo Valley!" You both tap synchronously to the same beats, laughing and smiling in the heartfelt of purest joy, your grandchildren catch to observe the rare deep captivation of your youth's past timeless expression! Don't give up hope @_Guardian, take a pause on where you are in time, and know you are just in a temporary spot, and things can get better, no matter what! a lot of Jordan Peterson's work have helped many, and when he was on tour, the advice he gives on life, thinking about thought patterns, ways of building purpose in your life - repeat to yourself DAILY that you have an absolute place of value to the world - you can offer so much to so many people you have no idea, and to start the "adventure of your life", right... now! Listen to his podcasts, they will have resonance with your struggles no matter what they are, push forward, "start with just cleaning up your room", and you will get through it! He makes much of his biblical discussion points very practical to understand - the stories of the trials, tribulations, and where the joy's of life must be in order to grow.
Kind of tragic that such introspective and profound writing didn't make it into the modern era of Zelda games. Here's to hoping the next Zelda can capture the philosophical magic that Ocarina of Time managed to deliver.
This game's credits encapsulate its message. The sense of joy over having finished the journey, but also the sense of loss, knowing you won't be able to experience it again 😢. The soft piano, and the incorporation of Zelda's lullaby and Saria's song really pull it all together, with the church bell really bringing a sense of closure to it all.
This is a crazy coincidence because my wife does the same, but of course she knows where the song comes from as I am a Zelda super fan, also a lot of music we listen too incorporates samples from all kinds of games, including the lost woods.
I played OoT so much as a kid and never used to think about the music too much, until I became a musician and realized how much it impacted me even without me knowing it. It's still incredible to me how Kondo was able to make 12 distinct tunes with only 4 (5 if you count the octave) notes of just a D minor 6 chord. I remember as a kid messing around with free playing the ocarina with the different control sticks changing the pitches by half and whole steps along with a vibrato. I didn't know what I was doing but now as an adult when I play it again I try to see how many songs I can play on the ocarina and to my surprise you can play every chromatic note from a low B to a high F. I loved seeing the music expanded in MM with each transformation having it's own instrument, being highlighted with the Circus Leader in the Milk Bar playing the (not) Ballad Of The Wind Fish. Seeing other youtubers playing songs like Africa by Toto and others using all the instruments in MM blew my mind but it was always there for us to play with and I'm forever grateful.
This video is excellent. As someone who finally played OOT last year, it was great to hear an in-depth perspective on one of its most important aspects. Thanks for opportunity to edit it ❤
It might not be from OoT, but I was on a holiday with my family in the Blue Mountains near Sydney, and while I was walking down the street, I found a street performer playing Kass's Theme. I don't remember what instrument she was playing it on, I think it was a violin, but hearing one of my favourite Zelda songs be played like that was amazing!
Ganondorf's battle theme shows off Koji Kondo's love of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, something he has in common with Nobuo Uematsu. Check out ELP's "Tarkus" if you've never heard it before.
It will never stop amazing me how much this game and these songs mean to so many people. N64 was the last system I owned and played regularly. Ocarina of time was a perfect send off for the kids who grew up with the NES through N64
I’m playing an Ocarina randomizer, and it’s the most fun i’ve had in forever playing games. I’ve always had an appreciation for the soundtrack, especially Forest Temple, and “Inside the Deku Tree” both are a perfect mixture of serene, calming, eerie, sinister, and even melancholy, i think OoT (and Minecraft) really sparked my love for video game OSTs, and i always find myself coming back, to listen again.
I will forever love the music from this game. So many pieces that never fail to make me smile. I've actually got a tattoo on my forearm that depicts the Master Sword, Ocarina, and the button inputs for Saria's Song & Zelda's Lullaby.
Same....I most of the time prefer MM thematically and based on "feel"....it's just an emotionally very satisfying game and if you know you know but it's powerful sometimes But the music in MM is sorta decent but nothing spectacular (Stone Tower, Song of Healing and Clock Town is the only real "great" song on the OST), OoT is def better there, it's hard to decide which I prefer but MM is better as an adult, I'll say that much
One very cool thing I found out about only about a year or two ago is that Hyrule Field's Theme is comprised of multiple fifteen second long musical phrases which Kondo clearly composed so that, regardless of what time of day Link enters Hyrule Field (or Death Mountain Trail where the theme also plays), the theme can quickly dynamically shift after however long it takes to get to sundown (or an enemy approaching Link) to one of two alternate versions. One of course being the resting/sunset/twilight version that prepares to close the theme and end the musical accompaniment Link has for the quiet solitude of night (or if he is simply standing around and observing the world), the other to heighten the tension of Link engaging in mortal battle with monsters he has encountered. Also, the lead instrument for the Spirit Temple, because it is so heavily tweaked and compressed, kind of feels like it is a mashup of an Arabic Mizmar and a Sikh Dilruba (about three-fourths Dilruba, with just enough of the Mizmar as to make it sound more like a woodwind instrument than a bowed string instrument).
I'm sure you're aware being a LoZ fan but a youtuber by the name of Save Data has a playlist on his channel that goes through the intricacies and composition of various BGM used in OOT & MM. And in case you're not already aware a link to forementioned playlist. ua-cam.com/play/PL4rx7GrY_xH9QJiP7K4MwI3upgVkYkMuS.html
Same! I love his work so much. The legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong Country, and the Super Mario series as well as the Sonic the hedgehog series, and so many more. All of these games have touched my heart and soul in so many ways and I love sharing the games and Liam's content with my wife and children.
When you talked about the bells in the end theme and how you never will experience that again, you got me all teared up man. Love this game and the music is such a vital part of it that made it so memorable. Thanks for a good video
A bit of friendly criticism... This video would have been awesome if after explaining why each track is great, you allowed it to play for 5-10 seconds. Every time you went over a track I was like, yeah I love that one, or how did that go and then you moved on before I could connect to it myself
I know the song was on in the background while you were talking about it btw, but I'd have to tune my ear to either the music or you. And I'm here for both!
Being your friend and watching you grow from basically the beginning of your career has been one of the best experiences of my life, great video as always, I will always be there to watch the next one homie 😃❤
Hell yes, Liam. So excited to watch this. The music and how it is used in the actual gameplay is what hooked me as a kid, I think. I'm currently writing a musical deeply inspired by the world of Zelda (but original characters and all that) here in Chicago. Great job on all of these vids, you're one of my favorite creators. Your Wind Waker video is a testament to how powerful and meaningful these video games can be.
I truly believe this game and the music it had helped to shape my love for music and the beauty of the world. As a young kid I had never experienced something so immersive that truly made you feel like you were going on an adventure. I didn’t even know I was getting the game but it completely stole my attention. Even as a kid, the music of this game felt magical to me. I still remember entering the great fairy fountain and hearing that amazing theme. To this day, hearing music from this game instantly feels me with nostalgia, peace, and almost bittersweetness, because it takes me back to some of the best days of my life, just being a kid with no stresses, responsibilities, or worries. It will forever be my favorite OST with Destiny 1 behind it. This game made my childhood
The channel "Save Data" also made videos about the music in OoT as well as MM. Specifically the music in each of the dungeons. Koji Kondo made each area of the game so memorable with the music associated with them.
For me personally, I haven't enjoyed Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom as much as the older Zelda games, particularly Ocarina, Windwaker and a Link to the Past. A big part of that is the music, I like the new tracks in the latest games but they don't speak to me in the same way as the older games, especially the three I mentioned. Each area, dungeon and boss had a musical theme and they were soo distinctive and excellent. I also really enjoyed being able to use music in the puzzle solving process. For example, accessing Darunia's room using Zelda's Lullaby and then playing Saria's Song to build trust and get on his good side in Ocarina. Or using the Windwaker to control the wind. Music was such a big part of those games, it wasn't just something pretty to listen to, it was a game mechanic too. I miss that.
Forest temple is one of the coolest pieces of music ever made. As a kid it was genuinely terrifying but now it’s calming and beautiful. It’s so unique and I really can’t think of anything like it.
16:28 that is not the combat music. There is a specific song for combat, that is used for regular enemies. This is just part of the Hyrule theme and plays regularly. I'm not sure if you've played the game recently, but the Hyrule field theme, specifically, is not adaptative to link's situation. - It plays during the day, it stops during the night. That's it. Lonlon Ranch legit has adaptative music, or other instances where you can get close to Malon. Honestly, even i forgot about that.
@Rihcterwilker That is not true. The Hyrule Field theme has three groups of 8-measure segments it will randomly pull from: one for when Link is moving, one for when he's fighting, and one for when he's standing still. In the case of the last two groups, it will always play the first of those segments before randomly picking a different one, so there is effectively an "intro to fighting" and an "intro to standing still". Source: I reverse engineered part of the dynamic sequence format, and have maintained the tool for the past 10 years that the romhacking community uses for music import/export to OoT, SM64, and other first-party N64 games.
@@Rihcterwilker I mean, the technical aspect wasn't, but he went over the three categories and described that the music dynamically changes between them based on what you're doing.
There is an artist named Hal Walker who has a musical piece called "Low Key Gliding." That music gives me the same feeling that many tracks in OOT and MM do. It's an incredible experience.
I recently got my boyfriend to play OoT for the first time and when he got to Gerudo Valley and the music kicked in, he was stunned. “THIS is where that song is from??” He’d heard it so many times and had no idea it was from OoT which I think is a cool example of how ubiquitous this soundtrack is.
"A yearning nostalgic attachment to the simpler days of our youth. " The whole DKC2 OST brother. I love that music so much, but it's a knife that cuts all of me at once when I hear it.
Most of the games' music STILL gives me chills to this day. I remember listening yo the lost woods theme for hours as a kid, opening the menu and just taking in the beautiful opening song into the cute plinging piano of the character select.
I absolutely love that you use footage from the N64 original compared to the bigger Zelda UA-camrs who always use the 3D remake! A lot more authentic and I appreciate your take on the music of the game!
Beautifully put. This series and its music is more than just a video game. You probably already have this on your white board for future projects but in case you need encouragement; please cover Majora’s Mask and its music.
Liam, I love all of your content so much and have watched so much with my kids and added your videos to various playlists of mine, and you have just released a video on one of everyone's favorite games of all time and my personal number 1 franchise in gaming. Thank You!
This video sent shivers down my spine. I remember it like it was yesterday, hearing Hyrule Field's music for the first time. I was spellbound. Even as a 6 year old in 1998, I knew this was something special that I'd never forget.
Liam, you have a real talent for taking the expressions and emotions conveyed in music and capturing them with words; the way you describe the different themes, not just describes the music itself but the feelings the music evokes, it's spot on. I feel exactly those kinda things when i hear those tracks! Your videos are very entertaining and thought provoking, you're very good at what you do, man!
I know this wasn't the original intention of the developers but i usually play OOT and MM back to back whenever i do play them and the final church bells at the end of Ocarina of Time's credits feel insanely foreboding once you realize they're the same ones you hear in Termina when another day is ending, it makes me feel like the bells and clocks of Termina are calling upon Link for his last adventure as he walks out of the temple of time
One note to what you said about the Shadow Temple. The corpses are indeed those of prisoners of the Sheikah but those were the very same people who were taken prisoners during the Hyrulean Civil War. This was no war of a distant past but one that took place about a decade before the events of OoT. It was the reason Link's mother fled to Kokiri Forest.
Another game series that I feel does this theme of using music as part of the world elements itself is the Metroid games specifically for me personally Metroid Prime and Prime 2: Echoes. I love the music used in Magmoor Caverns & Phendrana Drifts(Edge) and for Echoes it's the Torvus Catacombs/ Subterrain which I'm aware are Retro Studios and other associates reusing older BGMs.
I had to stop the video and fact check what he said about Gannondorfs Battle theme. It really does transition from 4/4 time to...23/16. I counted. 23/16 has got to be one of the weirdest times signatures I've ever heard of and I love the song so much more for it
I thought that the Hyrule theme in OOT, changed according to the time of the day, didn't know it was reacting to action before. I don't know if you noticed in TOTK, but I think that the horn sound effect you hear when you enter the depths from the chasm mid-flight, is a part of the shadow temple's theme.
I can't tell you how many times I've watched this video lol I love videos like this. even more your wind waker retrospective (MY favorite Zelda game) glad my fellow Zelda nerd friend suggested your UA-cam channel
What a nice surprise!! This is one of the only UA-cam channels left that I genuinely love. Never stop, Liam. Never stop. I love how you word your impressions.
Speaking about the Goron famine situation. It would have been solved if you see a gloom-like substance taking over the rocks from Dodongo's Cavern and slowly looming over Goron City. They're not starving yet, but they're in danger of. And since that gloom substance affects rocks, they themselves can't enter the cavern because they're made out of rocks.
YES YES! I AM SO READY FOR THIS VIDEO! I was just getting back into the OOT mood, almost subconsciously. And hear I get a perfect vid from a perfect creator. I am so ready.
As always: Great video. Watching Liam x Zelda videos always feels like reading love letters you'll never get tired of reading. OoT has the best overall soundtrack of any Zelda game and the soundtrack certainly enhances the game in multiple ways. I desperately hope that Nintendo will do proper music again in the next Zelda title instead of ambient music. I'd also love to have some kind of instrument again (and maybe transformations masks - those were amazing too).
@@ShadowWizard224I have to disagree. I get why they did ambient music, but I certainly don't have to like it. It was actually kinda boring and I'm certainly not the only one who missed the musical highlights you usually have in Zelda games.
@@benjamindittmann7431 I agree that 90% of the time it’s mostly ambient and it can get kinda boring but the other 10% of the time when the game actually does show it’s actual music is absolute perfection. Some examples would be Hyrule Castle, Hateno Village, Vah Medoh, The Attack on Vah Naboris, Mipha’s Theme, Daruk’s Theme, Tarrey Town, Korok Forest, Rito Village, etc etc…. 🙏
Please pleeeease tell me we're gonna get one of these videos for Majoras Mask 🙏 I love these videos and Liam's commentating is both mature and logical while retaining that sense of childlike bliss that we all feel/felt playing these games. Keep up the great work man! 🤘
I’m probably biased because of my age and nostalgia, but this is one of your best works by far. You even included the awesome cover of the Gerudo Valley Theme. Such a love letter to Koji Kondo’s work. I’d like to think long after he is gone people will watch this video and appreciate his work in another light.
The part for water temple when entering the temple, in my thoughts always were: "Its now time for the best battle, Dark link." Also for me that fight was a symbol of growing up and overcoming obstacles because since the battle seems the reflection of link which is battling with himself, its like battling with his inner thoughts, and one wins, either the inner thoughts overcome you, that's where link dies, or you overcome the thoughts, which in this case link eliminates dark link and moves on.
Comment for the algorithm because this is a beautiful video for a beautiful soundtrack in a beautiful game and I need to indicate how much I appreciate that.
Small correction: KK already had the overworld music for TLoZ when he found out Bolero wasn't in the public domain yet, he "just" needed to rearrange it into the opening scroll theme overnight (still stressful enough, I imagine). Anyway, Kondo is a freaking genius and OoT is his magnus opum. Idk if there's any other game so jam-packed with memorable melodies as this one. And the atmospheric stuff without hooks is just as amazing, like the Forest Temple Theme.
I think you're mistaken about the Hyrule Field theme changing when you're in combat. The music takes on that harsh, oppressive, alarming tone whether you're in combat or not; it's just part of the arrangement. It's actually one of the few complaints I have about Hyrule Field's theme, because you'll just be chilling and riding Epona, and the music will freak you out because you think you're entering combat when really that's just how the song goes. EDIT: In fact, I think the part with the gentle strings also doesn't have anything to do with the player standing still. I'm pretty sure that's just how the song is written when the sun starts to set and it starts winding down for the night theme.
I was there that day malcura played that, i remember walking threw that mall and i herd it and was sorta jist humming it till i just went hang on that gerudo valley, and watch them play it, it was awesome
41:10 my parents for whatever reason hate video game music, and simply don't understand that video game music can be good. To them, they think all video game music is just beeps and whistles like how it was when they were kids, and cannot comprehend that some games have won awards for soundtracks alone. It bothers the shit out of me because my step-dad prides himself on being a music connoisseur, but refuses to listen to songs if they come from games
Trying to describe the real linguistic meanings of compositions will always sound imprecise and metaphorical. As difficult as trying to describe "pleasure" itself.
Interestingly, at 16:35 - Hyrule Field's theme is not actually 'dynamic' in the sense that it actively changes based on the player's activity. It is dynamic in the sense that it 'contains' a variety of sections that may (or may not) be appropriate at any given time, but Hyrule Field's theme does not respond per se to the player's actions. This is unlike Banjo's music, which does dynamically change depending on the activity i.e. whether the player is underwater.
As a video focused on the music of the games, it would have been nice to have more than a couple instances where you paused the dialogue to let us hear the music before moving on. It’s perfect when you do do it, but there were a lot of times (especially in the beginning of the video when you were going over the older games) where you didn’t and I don’t remember what the music sounded like so I had no idea what you were talking about. Especially frustrating was the end, where you sit there gushing on and on over the music playing during the Ganon fight, yet I can’t hear the music you’re talking about so everything you’re saying about it is basically meaningless to me.
@@ShadowSkyX It’s just not a good production choice for the viewer to have to go watch someone else’s video in order to understand what would have taken mere seconds to show in the first video. He even demonstrates that he’s aware of this by doing it multiple times.
If you're in to music as a game mechanic, try Loom for PC DOS. The CD version has voice acting, as was common at the time. It's by LucasFilm, and it shows. Anyway, I wanted to leave the comment to draw people to your video. It's well done, and has tons of great information about how Zelda game music in general, not just Ocarina of Time. Loom predates Zelda OoT, but you have a staff, and several notes, and you gain more notes as the game progresses. You have to play certian tunes in order to progress. I always thought that OoT probably got the idea from Loom, but it's one of those ideas at which many designers could probably independently arrive.
These songs take me to Hyrule. I walk a lot si ce i dont drive and the music makes him imagine if i was there. Holding a sword and wanting to be a hero myself
I recently graduated with my music degree. Throughout my entire experience, I never lost sight of the fact that Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask were the catalysts for my musical journey.
The idea of playing an instrument in-game and having the music you play be such a core mechanic hit me differently than anything I had experienced up to that point, and I never looked back.
As a music educator, I can't thank you enough for this kind of video, especially because it's designed without music theory in mind. After attending several video game themed orchestral concerts, I know just how much video game music has impacted the people who play those games. So, getting to further understand WHY the music effects them the way it does is why I do what I do.
So, thank you! I hope you'll be willing to explore this kind of video more.
If you like this stuff you should check the channel Official Music Tracks which has essays and orchestration of every single track from the game
I aim to cover multiple Zelda games in this series, and *hopefully* other games as well, as long as I come up with something good!
@@LiamTriforce That's wonderful news!!
Not that I think you need it, especially since there's no music theory involved, but if you would ever like to reach out to me as a consultant of sorts, I'd be happy to help. 👍
@@LiamTriforce As I commented I think the Metroid series would be a good one to look at as well.
Back when I was a kid, I used to go back to lon lon ranch at night in between dungeons as adult link, just standing next to malon and chilling with her, and I used to show my dad epona and how I can summon her using those 6 jingles, to this day when my dad hears those jingles he immediately recognizes it and goes like "hey isn't that the epona's song?"
This game is magic
His music really speaks to you, it reminds you of young days, the was it touches everyone’s heart. The quote that I love is when Shiek says: “The flow of time is always cruel... Its speed seems different for each person, but no one can change it... A thing that doesn't change with time is a memory of younger days..”
This one really resonates with me, I’m not in the best place in my life and this reminds me to not take the best moments for granted.
Can’t wait for more videos on the music for the rest of the series
It's one of the most powerful quotes ever written. The words bring forth deep, painful tears. Just plain, simple truth.
Hang in there, stranger. May you find peace and purpose. 🤙
@CLSharpman5000 Dear @CLSharpman5000 and @_Guardian,
I think because of its simplistic fashion, as you said @_Guardian, the Shiek quote, so powerful to read, I get goosebumps replaying OoT and seeing that, and reading now, and you @CLSharpman5000, "bring forth deep, painful tears. just plain simple truth", I thought of this:
You, @_Guardian, myself and many thousands of others at similar age, once old at 70, will recall back to this very quote, the memory from our first play-through of OoT, the title theme's ocarina melody, and just burst in tears - overwhelmed in feeling of sad and joy, after passing through a lifetime, from the engrossing transcendence of the tune. Just know in that very moment, that there is another gamer that will be doing the VERY SAME at that age, looking back at life in reflection and memory - you wont be alone!
In another thought worth imagining with me: How cool will it be when you are 70, brittle and sore back, and you come across someone that also played OoT, you spend 5 minutes trying to remember the song name, until it dawns on you both at the very same time, and say "Gerudo Valley!" You both tap synchronously to the same beats, laughing and smiling in the heartfelt of purest joy, your grandchildren catch to observe the rare deep captivation of your youth's past timeless expression!
Don't give up hope @_Guardian, take a pause on where you are in time, and know you are just in a temporary spot, and things can get better, no matter what!
a lot of Jordan Peterson's work have helped many, and when he was on tour, the advice he gives on life, thinking about thought patterns, ways of building purpose in your life - repeat to yourself DAILY that you have an absolute place of value to the world - you can offer so much to so many people you have no idea, and to start the "adventure of your life", right... now!
Listen to his podcasts, they will have resonance with your struggles no matter what they are, push forward, "start with just cleaning up your room", and you will get through it! He makes much of his biblical discussion points very practical to understand - the stories of the trials, tribulations, and where the joy's of life must be in order to grow.
Kind of tragic that such introspective and profound writing didn't make it into the modern era of Zelda games. Here's to hoping the next Zelda can capture the philosophical magic that Ocarina of Time managed to deliver.
I liked the video but he didn't went over Zora Domain's theme. What happened ? I use to fall asleep to that song.
They knew they were talking directly to us kids back then and that we were going to carry this game in our memories forever
This game's credits encapsulate its message. The sense of joy over having finished the journey, but also the sense of loss, knowing you won't be able to experience it again 😢.
The soft piano, and the incorporation of Zelda's lullaby and Saria's song really pull it all together, with the church bell really bringing a sense of closure to it all.
That thing Koji Kondo made during the N64. Using the entire sound font for the credits theme (he did the same with Mario 64) is so emotional.
Yes! Super Mario 64's Credits Theme does the same thing and pulls everything about the game all together.
I see Ocarina of Time - I click. Also, I love how you used a bottle to battle Ganondorf. 🤣
I see Liam video and I click. The OOT is indeed a delicious bonus desert of a nice extra though!
@@Hexsyn Hehe it is indeed!
If you like this stuff you should check the channel Official Music Tracks which has essays and the orchestration of every single track from the game
in LttP, use a bug-catching net to battle Agahnim :)
Gerudo’s valley theme is so good that its the sole reason im thrilled to reach that portion of the game, more than the temple itself
My wife has never played Zelda games but I find her very often whistling the theme of Lost Woods.
Start dancing like Darunia.
This is a crazy coincidence because my wife does the same, but of course she knows where the song comes from as I am a Zelda super fan, also a lot of music we listen too incorporates samples from all kinds of games, including the lost woods.
I'd be a bit concerned.
@@ThomasFogle Where are you guys finding Zelda-aware wives? 😭
@@bmonq This comment gave me a tear from laughing so hard.
I played OoT so much as a kid and never used to think about the music too much, until I became a musician and realized how much it impacted me even without me knowing it. It's still incredible to me how Kondo was able to make 12 distinct tunes with only 4 (5 if you count the octave) notes of just a D minor 6 chord.
I remember as a kid messing around with free playing the ocarina with the different control sticks changing the pitches by half and whole steps along with a vibrato. I didn't know what I was doing but now as an adult when I play it again I try to see how many songs I can play on the ocarina and to my surprise you can play every chromatic note from a low B to a high F.
I loved seeing the music expanded in MM with each transformation having it's own instrument, being highlighted with the Circus Leader in the Milk Bar playing the (not) Ballad Of The Wind Fish. Seeing other youtubers playing songs like Africa by Toto and others using all the instruments in MM blew my mind but it was always there for us to play with and I'm forever grateful.
This video is excellent. As someone who finally played OOT last year, it was great to hear an in-depth perspective on one of its most important aspects.
Thanks for opportunity to edit it ❤
21:39 you have to go past deku scrubs to get the song initially? 😅
It might not be from OoT, but I was on a holiday with my family in the Blue Mountains near Sydney, and while I was walking down the street, I found a street performer playing Kass's Theme. I don't remember what instrument she was playing it on, I think it was a violin, but hearing one of my favourite Zelda songs be played like that was amazing!
Ganondorf's battle theme shows off Koji Kondo's love of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, something he has in common with Nobuo Uematsu. Check out ELP's "Tarkus" if you've never heard it before.
It will never stop amazing me how much this game and these songs mean to so many people. N64 was the last system I owned and played regularly. Ocarina of time was a perfect send off for the kids who grew up with the NES through N64
I’m playing an Ocarina randomizer, and it’s the most fun i’ve had in forever playing games. I’ve always had an appreciation for the soundtrack, especially Forest Temple, and “Inside the Deku Tree” both are a perfect mixture of serene, calming, eerie, sinister, and even melancholy, i think OoT (and Minecraft) really sparked my love for video game OSTs, and i always find myself coming back, to listen again.
I will forever love the music from this game. So many pieces that never fail to make me smile. I've actually got a tattoo on my forearm that depicts the Master Sword, Ocarina, and the button inputs for Saria's Song & Zelda's Lullaby.
Same....I most of the time prefer MM thematically and based on "feel"....it's just an emotionally very satisfying game and if you know you know but it's powerful sometimes
But the music in MM is sorta decent but nothing spectacular (Stone Tower, Song of Healing and Clock Town is the only real "great" song on the OST), OoT is def better there, it's hard to decide which I prefer but MM is better as an adult, I'll say that much
One very cool thing I found out about only about a year or two ago is that Hyrule Field's Theme is comprised of multiple fifteen second long musical phrases which Kondo clearly composed so that, regardless of what time of day Link enters Hyrule Field (or Death Mountain Trail where the theme also plays), the theme can quickly dynamically shift after however long it takes to get to sundown (or an enemy approaching Link) to one of two alternate versions. One of course being the resting/sunset/twilight version that prepares to close the theme and end the musical accompaniment Link has for the quiet solitude of night (or if he is simply standing around and observing the world), the other to heighten the tension of Link engaging in mortal battle with monsters he has encountered.
Also, the lead instrument for the Spirit Temple, because it is so heavily tweaked and compressed, kind of feels like it is a mashup of an Arabic Mizmar and a Sikh Dilruba (about three-fourths Dilruba, with just enough of the Mizmar as to make it sound more like a woodwind instrument than a bowed string instrument).
I'm sure you're aware being a LoZ fan but a youtuber by the name of Save Data has a playlist on his channel that goes through the intricacies and composition of various BGM used in OOT & MM. And in case you're not already aware a link to forementioned playlist.
ua-cam.com/play/PL4rx7GrY_xH9QJiP7K4MwI3upgVkYkMuS.html
I could listen to one of these videos for every mainline Zelda game, Mario game, donkey Kong country game, and so many others. Keep them coming Liam
Same! I love his work so much. The legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong Country, and the Super Mario series as well as the Sonic the hedgehog series, and so many more. All of these games have touched my heart and soul in so many ways and I love sharing the games and Liam's content with my wife and children.
This video came out just a few hours before I finished Twilight Princess for the first time. Your timing genuinely could not have been better.
When you talked about the bells in the end theme and how you never will experience that again, you got me all teared up man. Love this game and the music is such a vital part of it that made it so memorable.
Thanks for a good video
A bit of friendly criticism... This video would have been awesome if after explaining why each track is great, you allowed it to play for 5-10 seconds. Every time you went over a track I was like, yeah I love that one, or how did that go and then you moved on before I could connect to it myself
I know the song was on in the background while you were talking about it btw, but I'd have to tune my ear to either the music or you. And I'm here for both!
Agreed.
maybe something to do with copyright, but totally agreed
Ocarina of Time music is so instantly nostalgic, a few notes in and your instantly transported. Another banger video as always!
Being your friend and watching you grow from basically the beginning of your career has been one of the best experiences of my life, great video as always, I will always be there to watch the next one homie 😃❤
Hell yes, Liam. So excited to watch this. The music and how it is used in the actual gameplay is what hooked me as a kid, I think. I'm currently writing a musical deeply inspired by the world of Zelda (but original characters and all that) here in Chicago. Great job on all of these vids, you're one of my favorite creators. Your Wind Waker video is a testament to how powerful and meaningful these video games can be.
I truly believe this game and the music it had helped to shape my love for music and the beauty of the world. As a young kid I had never experienced something so immersive that truly made you feel like you were going on an adventure. I didn’t even know I was getting the game but it completely stole my attention. Even as a kid, the music of this game felt magical to me. I still remember entering the great fairy fountain and hearing that amazing theme. To this day, hearing music from this game instantly feels me with nostalgia, peace, and almost bittersweetness, because it takes me back to some of the best days of my life, just being a kid with no stresses, responsibilities, or worries. It will forever be my favorite OST with Destiny 1 behind it. This game made my childhood
The channel "Save Data" also made videos about the music in OoT as well as MM.
Specifically the music in each of the dungeons.
Koji Kondo made each area of the game so memorable with the music associated with them.
I love these video's when you talk about soundtracks. The dkc one really was one of my favorite vids in a long long time. Tysm for these vids man!
For me personally, I haven't enjoyed Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom as much as the older Zelda games, particularly Ocarina, Windwaker and a Link to the Past. A big part of that is the music, I like the new tracks in the latest games but they don't speak to me in the same way as the older games, especially the three I mentioned.
Each area, dungeon and boss had a musical theme and they were soo distinctive and excellent. I also really enjoyed being able to use music in the puzzle solving process. For example, accessing Darunia's room using Zelda's Lullaby and then playing Saria's Song to build trust and get on his good side in Ocarina. Or using the Windwaker to control the wind.
Music was such a big part of those games, it wasn't just something pretty to listen to, it was a game mechanic too. I miss that.
Forest temple is one of the coolest pieces of music ever made. As a kid it was genuinely terrifying but now it’s calming and beautiful. It’s so unique and I really can’t think of anything like it.
Check out Watermelon Man by Herbie Hancock (from the album Head Hunters). Very possible Kondo took inspiration from that song for the Forest Temple.
Just finished the Mario Kart video and rewatched Zelda II. You are unstoppable!
Obligatory comment for algorithmic boosting.
Obligatory reply for algorithm boosting.
"Why don't Gorons eat other rocks?" Has the same energy as "If you're starving, why don't you eat grass?"
I was absolutely blown away as a kid the first time I ventured into the Forest Temple and that haunting music played.
16:28 that is not the combat music.
There is a specific song for combat, that is used for regular enemies. This is just part of the Hyrule theme and plays regularly.
I'm not sure if you've played the game recently, but the Hyrule field theme, specifically, is not adaptative to link's situation.
- It plays during the day, it stops during the night. That's it.
Lonlon Ranch legit has adaptative music, or other instances where you can get close to Malon. Honestly, even i forgot about that.
Yeah, and the calmer parts play even if you're walking around, not when you're idling.
The Hyrule field just plays random bits of the song.
@Rihcterwilker That is not true. The Hyrule Field theme has three groups of 8-measure segments it will randomly pull from: one for when Link is moving, one for when he's fighting, and one for when he's standing still. In the case of the last two groups, it will always play the first of those segments before randomly picking a different one, so there is effectively an "intro to fighting" and an "intro to standing still". Source: I reverse engineered part of the dynamic sequence format, and have maintained the tool for the past 10 years that the romhacking community uses for music import/export to OoT, SM64, and other first-party N64 games.
@@Sauraen i believe you. However, none of that was shown in the video.
@@Rihcterwilker I mean, the technical aspect wasn't, but he went over the three categories and described that the music dynamically changes between them based on what you're doing.
@@Sauraen I stand corrected then.
I stopped and paused this as ALttP’s opening theme started simply to say how much I fucking love it.
There is an artist named Hal Walker who has a musical piece called "Low Key Gliding." That music gives me the same feeling that many tracks in OOT and MM do. It's an incredible experience.
While I wished you brought a few of the early references to the fore to enjoy, I liked this video, made me appreciate what Kondo did here. Good work!
I recently got my boyfriend to play OoT for the first time and when he got to Gerudo Valley and the music kicked in, he was stunned. “THIS is where that song is from??” He’d heard it so many times and had no idea it was from OoT which I think is a cool example of how ubiquitous this soundtrack is.
This video was amazing! I know these take a lot of time and effort but a similar video breaking down Majora's Masks music would be super cool too
"A yearning nostalgic attachment to the simpler days of our youth. "
The whole DKC2 OST brother. I love that music so much, but it's a knife that cuts all of me at once when I hear it.
Most of the games' music STILL gives me chills to this day. I remember listening yo the lost woods theme for hours as a kid, opening the menu and just taking in the beautiful opening song into the cute plinging piano of the character select.
I absolutely love that you use footage from the N64 original compared to the bigger Zelda UA-camrs who always use the 3D remake! A lot more authentic and I appreciate your take on the music of the game!
Beautifully put. This series and its music is more than just a video game. You probably already have this on your white board for future projects but in case you need encouragement; please cover Majora’s Mask and its music.
It's interesting how the energy tennis match requires perfect tempo in a game all about music.
Liam, I love all of your content so much and have watched so much with my kids and added your videos to various playlists of mine, and you have just released a video on one of everyone's favorite games of all time and my personal number 1 franchise in gaming. Thank You!
This video sent shivers down my spine. I remember it like it was yesterday, hearing Hyrule Field's music for the first time. I was spellbound. Even as a 6 year old in 1998, I knew this was something special that I'd never forget.
Liam, you have a real talent for taking the expressions and emotions conveyed in music and capturing them with words; the way you describe the different themes, not just describes the music itself but the feelings the music evokes, it's spot on. I feel exactly those kinda things when i hear those tracks!
Your videos are very entertaining and thought provoking, you're very good at what you do, man!
I know this wasn't the original intention of the developers but i usually play OOT and MM back to back whenever i do play them and the final church bells at the end of Ocarina of Time's credits feel insanely foreboding once you realize they're the same ones you hear in Termina when another day is ending, it makes me feel like the bells and clocks of Termina are calling upon Link for his last adventure as he walks out of the temple of time
Man I need a whole series on this subject for Zelda! Way to go!
I’m so happy I missed these video types from you and I was just binging them again a few days ago
So glad I found your channel. Loved this POV and exhaustive analysis!
Keep it coming brother!
awesome video as always , dude , thank you so much !! take care , Liam
One note to what you said about the Shadow Temple. The corpses are indeed those of prisoners of the Sheikah but those were the very same people who were taken prisoners during the Hyrulean Civil War. This was no war of a distant past but one that took place about a decade before the events of OoT. It was the reason Link's mother fled to Kokiri Forest.
Is there any official source that says this?
@@Vortexone112 Hyrule Historia p. 84, Zelda Encyclopedia p. 44, The Great Hyrule Encyclopedia (entry Shadow Temple)
I would absolutely love like a 10-12 minute version of this.
Came down with a case of “zoomer attention span “ ehh?? Get well soon
I put on your Ocarina of Time retrospective to fall asleep almost every night, if not the Majoras Mask one. So excited for this video!!
Terminalmontage changed the whole tragectory of my life with the line: "Why just you don´t eat the boulder?"
This Scarecrow really is some of the greatest writing of a character in all fiction
Another game series that I feel does this theme of using music as part of the world elements itself is the Metroid games specifically for me personally Metroid Prime and Prime 2: Echoes. I love the music used in Magmoor Caverns & Phendrana Drifts(Edge) and for Echoes it's the Torvus Catacombs/ Subterrain which I'm aware are Retro Studios and other associates reusing older BGMs.
Videos like this do help form a appreciation for the game even though I've never played it.
I had to stop the video and fact check what he said about Gannondorfs Battle theme. It really does transition from 4/4 time to...23/16. I counted.
23/16 has got to be one of the weirdest times signatures I've ever heard of and I love the song so much more for it
Pretty sure they also attribute the castle theme to Gannondorf because you can hear it play in TotK when he's on screen.
I thought that the Hyrule theme in OOT, changed according to the time of the day, didn't know it was reacting to action before. I don't know if you noticed in TOTK, but I think that the horn sound effect you hear when you enter the depths from the chasm mid-flight, is a part of the shadow temple's theme.
I can't tell you how many times I've watched this video lol I love videos like this. even more your wind waker retrospective (MY favorite Zelda game) glad my fellow Zelda nerd friend suggested your UA-cam channel
What a nice surprise!! This is one of the only UA-cam channels left that I genuinely love. Never stop, Liam. Never stop. I love how you word your impressions.
Speaking about the Goron famine situation. It would have been solved if you see a gloom-like substance taking over the rocks from Dodongo's Cavern and slowly looming over Goron City. They're not starving yet, but they're in danger of. And since that gloom substance affects rocks, they themselves can't enter the cavern because they're made out of rocks.
YES YES! I AM SO READY FOR THIS VIDEO! I was just getting back into the OOT mood, almost subconsciously. And hear I get a perfect vid from a perfect creator. I am so ready.
As always: Great video. Watching Liam x Zelda videos always feels like reading love letters you'll never get tired of reading. OoT has the best overall soundtrack of any Zelda game and the soundtrack certainly enhances the game in multiple ways. I desperately hope that Nintendo will do proper music again in the next Zelda title instead of ambient music. I'd also love to have some kind of instrument again (and maybe transformations masks - those were amazing too).
Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild both had amazing soundtracks
@@ShadowWizard224I have to disagree. I get why they did ambient music, but I certainly don't have to like it. It was actually kinda boring and I'm certainly not the only one who missed the musical highlights you usually have in Zelda games.
@@benjamindittmann7431 I agree that 90% of the time it’s mostly ambient and it can get kinda boring but the other 10% of the time when the game actually does show it’s actual music is absolute perfection. Some examples would be Hyrule Castle, Hateno Village, Vah Medoh, The Attack on Vah Naboris, Mipha’s Theme, Daruk’s Theme, Tarrey Town, Korok Forest, Rito Village, etc etc…. 🙏
Gerudo Valley theme truly is a masterpiece and I will forever be bitter they didn't include it in BotW or TotK!! Outrageous!
Please pleeeease tell me we're gonna get one of these videos for Majoras Mask 🙏 I love these videos and Liam's commentating is both mature and logical while retaining that sense of childlike bliss that we all feel/felt playing these games. Keep up the great work man! 🤘
I’m probably biased because of my age and nostalgia, but this is one of your best works by far. You even included the awesome cover of the Gerudo Valley Theme.
Such a love letter to Koji Kondo’s work. I’d like to think long after he is gone people will watch this video and appreciate his work in another light.
The part for water temple when entering the temple, in my thoughts always were: "Its now time for the best battle, Dark link." Also for me that fight was a symbol of growing up and overcoming obstacles because since the battle seems the reflection of link which is battling with himself, its like battling with his inner thoughts, and one wins, either the inner thoughts overcome you, that's where link dies, or you overcome the thoughts, which in this case link eliminates dark link and moves on.
please keep going with this as a series, i’d love to see videos on the other zelda games !!!
Comment for the algorithm because this is a beautiful video for a beautiful soundtrack in a beautiful game and I need to indicate how much I appreciate that.
PLEASE upload more of your videos to podcast on spotify!!!!!!!!!
The Spirit Temple theme is my favorite song in the game. It really touches something in me.
Minuet of forest is one of my All time favorite songs
Small correction: KK already had the overworld music for TLoZ when he found out Bolero wasn't in the public domain yet, he "just" needed to rearrange it into the opening scroll theme overnight (still stressful enough, I imagine).
Anyway, Kondo is a freaking genius and OoT is his magnus opum. Idk if there's any other game so jam-packed with memorable melodies as this one. And the atmospheric stuff without hooks is just as amazing, like the Forest Temple Theme.
I think you're mistaken about the Hyrule Field theme changing when you're in combat. The music takes on that harsh, oppressive, alarming tone whether you're in combat or not; it's just part of the arrangement. It's actually one of the few complaints I have about Hyrule Field's theme, because you'll just be chilling and riding Epona, and the music will freak you out because you think you're entering combat when really that's just how the song goes.
EDIT: In fact, I think the part with the gentle strings also doesn't have anything to do with the player standing still. I'm pretty sure that's just how the song is written when the sun starts to set and it starts winding down for the night theme.
Zelda’s lullaby is incorporated in sheiks theme. It‘s absolutely incredible foreshadowing
Sheesh! I sure appreciate the angles you look at Zeldas at! Other games too but it’s fun to be excited about some of the same stuff
I was there that day malcura played that, i remember walking threw that mall and i herd it and was sorta jist humming it till i just went hang on that gerudo valley, and watch them play it, it was awesome
41:10 my parents for whatever reason hate video game music, and simply don't understand that video game music can be good. To them, they think all video game music is just beeps and whistles like how it was when they were kids, and cannot comprehend that some games have won awards for soundtracks alone.
It bothers the shit out of me because my step-dad prides himself on being a music connoisseur, but refuses to listen to songs if they come from games
Yet again another amazing video!! Love your content so much!
The Gerudo Valley music just plays in my head occasionally, it's so catchy
Im normally a 2x speed guy for my video essays and news, damn you for doing a video essay on the music of zelda
Trying to describe the real linguistic meanings of compositions will always sound imprecise and metaphorical. As difficult as trying to describe "pleasure" itself.
Thank you Liam!
Amazing as always, Liam. Always look forward to these.
Interestingly, at 16:35 - Hyrule Field's theme is not actually 'dynamic' in the sense that it actively changes based on the player's activity. It is dynamic in the sense that it 'contains' a variety of sections that may (or may not) be appropriate at any given time, but Hyrule Field's theme does not respond per se to the player's actions. This is unlike Banjo's music, which does dynamically change depending on the activity i.e. whether the player is underwater.
As a video focused on the music of the games, it would have been nice to have more than a couple instances where you paused the dialogue to let us hear the music before moving on. It’s perfect when you do do it, but there were a lot of times (especially in the beginning of the video when you were going over the older games) where you didn’t and I don’t remember what the music sounded like so I had no idea what you were talking about. Especially frustrating was the end, where you sit there gushing on and on over the music playing during the Ganon fight, yet I can’t hear the music you’re talking about so everything you’re saying about it is basically meaningless to me.
Go look it up
@@ShadowSkyX It’s just not a good production choice for the viewer to have to go watch someone else’s video in order to understand what would have taken mere seconds to show in the first video. He even demonstrates that he’s aware of this by doing it multiple times.
The title screen music for Ocarina of Time hits me in the soul.
Wow, thats a task! Expecting post-tonal analysis and some real ground breaking insights to rhythm theory
Great video, the theme of Ganon and the Spirit Temple are similar, nice touch for the "lore" from Kondo
My man has his sources LINKED. Kudos
Babe wake up new Liam Triforce video just dropped
Fantastic video essay!
Koji kondo is the goat, no other game composer can touch it
1:50
That made me laugh harder than it should have
If you're in to music as a game mechanic, try Loom for PC DOS. The CD version has voice acting, as was common at the time. It's by LucasFilm, and it shows. Anyway, I wanted to leave the comment to draw people to your video. It's well done, and has tons of great information about how Zelda game music in general, not just Ocarina of Time. Loom predates Zelda OoT, but you have a staff, and several notes, and you gain more notes as the game progresses. You have to play certian tunes in order to progress. I always thought that OoT probably got the idea from Loom, but it's one of those ideas at which many designers could probably independently arrive.
These songs take me to Hyrule. I walk a lot si ce i dont drive and the music makes him imagine if i was there. Holding a sword and wanting to be a hero myself
I’d love to see you do one of the for wind waker
Mr. Koji Kondo was deep in his mf BAG when making the music