Yesterday we gave you our general impressions on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D . As promised, today we've got some more in-depth detail on the various areas we visited during our recent demo, and what exactly has been improved in each. But before we dive into a discussion of the first area, it's important to note that, right off the bat, this demo made it crystal clear that this is not the Ocarina we've been replaying on various systems for the past 12 years.

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Eye+for+an+eye.

Kokiri+Forest

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Castle+Town

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see deal The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D - Nintendo 3DS $19.99 on Gamestop

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Every inch of what we saw has been completely redone to bring this familiar classic to modern audiences. It isn't just a retexturing, but, in fact, a remodeling of the entire game. It's almost as if the developers took a look at the original and asked themselves what could be altered graphically to give this 3D version new life without stepping on what was there before. What's most impressive is that all of this is done while maintaining the same basic level design and proportions of the original, something that should come as a relief to Zelda purists.Our demo started off in the middle of the first dungeon-- Inside the Deku Tree. What was especially impressive about this area was the landscape itself. The wood was not just distinguishable as wood because it was brown. Rather, you can now actually see the wooden texture on every wooden surface. Along the same lines, the vines that you crawl up are no longer flat, but now look like real vines that pop off the wall and actually look climbable.All the enemies have tons of new added detail to make them more palatable to modern audiences. The skulltulas, for instance, actually look like skulls now. Their bodies are no longer a collection of flat, polygonal surfaces with a skull painted on it, but instead a more complex form that actually resembles the shape of a skull.Even the golden skulltulas are now fiercer and less flat looking (with pointy, intimidating-looking fang-like things sticking out of their backs and that same, scratchy noise that clues you in to their presence sounding crisper than ever). From the deku scrubs (which look considerably leafier) to the spider monster Gohma-- it's all here, and just the way I always imagined it.Stepping outside of the Great Deku Tree (who, Zelda fans will be happy to hear, is still sporting a big, wooden mustache and eyebrows-- we'd have it no other way), I made my way past the angry Mido (who's still upset over that darn fairyless Link gaining favor with Saria) and into the Kokiri Forest. Again, it was quite impressive, as new emphasis had been placed on color, something that just couldn't be fully realized on the Nintendo 64.The grass was bright and textured, no longer a mesh of blurred pixels in muted tones, but, instead a bright green, grassy pattern. The memorable spots of floating light that permeate the forest (or Forest Fireflies, as they're called in Wind Waker) were also brighter and more whimsical. This was especially noticeable as they floated in and out of the foreground thanks to the 3D effect. There are also pretty, purple flowers popping up out of the ground, a small touch that helps add to the feeling that you are actually in a forest, rather than a beautiful, green playground.There were always visual "gray areas" in Ocarina meant to hide system limitations at the time. Certain choices had to be made back then, not because they were the best choices, but because they were actually achievable on the old hardware. Ocarina 3D makes it clear that this is no longer a problem.Most notable in this area was the fact that you could really see the sky and the trees in the background, and that you can now tell exactly what the rocky, moss-covered walls that enclose this little village look like. All the NPCs in this area (and all across Hyrule, for that matter) have also been fully redone, while still maintaining the simplicity so inherent to their original designs (though this time without the jagged polygons and rough edges).I also went into Saria's house and was pleased to find that there were no invisible walls. Rather than being blocked off from a section of the house because there's something nearby, I was able to squeeze between the wall and a chair that was pushed almost right up against it without any problem. If this proves true for the rest of the game, I'm extremely excited to explore even more nooks and crannies of a game I've memorized every inch of.To be honest, this is one of the areas that really stuck out during the demo. For once, Castle Town really felt alive, like a bustling town where people really live and conduct their day-to-day lives. The houses all looked different and unique from each other, and the muddy colors that were once difficult to distinguish are now vibrant and beautiful.While the camera is still set at fixed angles, it now feels a lot less claustrophobic. For some reason, the fleshed out shops and the more vibrant color scheme really make everything feel a lot roomier. This makes the fixed camera a lot less of a bother, though I wouldn't have minded having the camera follow Link around as he explores the town.As mentioned, the NPCs that populate the town are also a lot more lifelike, especially the dancing lovers, who you can now actually tell are dancing rather than spinning like clockwork (you can now see that the love struck beau is actually lifting his girlfriend in the air as they dance around).From Castle Town we made our way to the Temple of Time, which you can now see the ceiling of in full detail. The lighting and added detail in here was simply glorious, setting the mood of wonder even better than the original did. No, we didn't get the chance to pull the legend The last area we demoed was the beginning of the dungeon inside Jabu Jabu's belly. Here the new graphics really brought Jabu Jabu's gross, sticky looking insides to life. As expected, I encountered Ruto, the Zora princess, who's still a lazy bones who refuses to make herself useful. After throwing the stubborn fishy against the wall a few times, I took a close look at her character design, which has now been perfected. She still has that funny, smug, self-important look on her face and essentially looks the same, but with more detailed skin and communicative facial features.While I was in Jabu Jabu's belly, I took the opportunity to bust out the old ocarina. Though I knew there was nothing I could really do with it at that point in the game, I still played Epona's theme just to see what the animation looked like. I'm glad I did, because watching the rainbow of colors and the notes swirling around Link as he played the tune was gorgeous, especially in 3D. For those wondering, you now play the ocarina using the 3DS' four face buttons (A, B, X, and Y) and the L and R buttons. It's different, to be sure, but it works just great and feels very intuitive.

Still want more info on Ocarina 3D? Has your hunger for all the latest still not been satiated? Then be sure to check back tomorrow for even more impressions on this highly anticipated remake. Until then, scour the new screenshots and concept art in the Ocarina of Time 3D image gallery , and see what changes you can spot. If you find anything we missed, or just can't contain your excitement, let your voice be heard in the comments section below.