Censorship Follies This is not so much about things that were censored as it is about things I'm surprised weren't. Despite how Nintendo of America is commonly know for its anti-blood and gore stance, there is a rather large pool of red blood on the floor below a cross in the Shadow Temple and another one in the Bottom of the Well. The cross' inclusions are also questionable, considering how picky Nintendo can sometimes be about religious symbols in their games (though they are in the shape of an X, it's still hard not to see them as crosses). Despite the fact that the moon & star symbols were removed, and some blood in the Ganondorf/Ganon fights was censored to green or removed altogether in later versions of Ocarina of Time, the bloody crosses remain intact on all versions. Dead Hand is a miniboss found in the Shadow Temple and the Bottom of the Well. It's rather gross-looking as far as enemies in Zelda games usually go. A tumor-like body with red sores (or bloody patches) all over and a huge gaping maw. (Not to mention the spindly arms sticking up out of the ground all over the room that attempt to grab Link right in the face.) Anyone who complained that Ocarina of Time was too "cutesy" must never have gotten this far. Much has already been said about how damn disturbing the ReDead enemies are. It's like this game was taking inspiration from Resident Evil. Oh, but you know what freaks me out the most in this game? Those damn Like Likes! They never bothered me in the earlier Zelda games, but Ocarina of Time Like Likes look like a cross between a leech, a tumor, and a pile of vomit. They make a horrible creaking noise as they squirm and move around, and an unsettling "hummmm" noise when they get close to you. They're also scarier to deal with because they can eat your shields. I shoot those suckers with arrows from a safe distance because there's no way in heaven or hell I want them swallowing me up. Some bosses in this game die rather gruesome deaths, whether it's by crumbling into dust, or like King Dodongo here, being submerged into lava with only his hands and head grasping at the air in his final deathroes. And then there's Volvagia...whose skin melts away to his skeleton, which then breaks apart in mid-air and, finally, his lifeless skull drops and lands hard at Link's feet. Many switches and crates in the original N64 version, as well as the back of the Mirror Shield, contained a moon and star symbol that looks very much like the moon and star symbol found on the Flag of Turkey: The moon and star symbols were all censored out of later versions of Ocarina of Time that appeared on the Gamecube, Wii, and 3DS. Cameos & References The look of Lon Lon Rach farmhands Talon and Ingo is clearly based on that of Mario and Luigi. Ingo's role of trying to take over Lon Lon Ranch from Talon in the future world is probably a parody of how Mario always gets the spotlight while Luigi plays second banana. Though I wasn't able to get a screenshot of it, it's also worth mentioning that Malon is wearing a Bowser-head brooch. There are also pictures of Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Peach, and Bowser behind a window in the Hyrule Castle Courtyard where you meet Princess Zelda, but, umm... I don't have a picture of it. TO DO: Seriously, where my screenshots, at? I'm sure I took them, but I can't find them. I'll have to retake them later, I guess. The Stony of Agony is shaped like Rumble Pak. Yeah, you probably did notice that one, didn't you? One of the "items" you get in the trading game is a blue cucco named "Cojiro". He is likely named after Sasaki Kojiro, a famous Japanese swordsman of the early Sengoku and Edo periods, known for his rivalry with Miyamoto Mushashi. Another interesting thing to note is that Musashi and Cojiro were the names of Jessie and James, the infamous Team Rocket villains, in the Japanese version of Pokemon. Considering that Cojiro is a Pocket Cucco, much like how the word "Pokemon" is derived from Pocket Monsters, it is likely a very, very subtle reference. The tile on this slab in the Dodongo's Cavern that gives a clue about opening the pathway to the boss is identical to the infamous "L is Real" tile found on the fountain in Super Mario 64. The same tile as seen in Super Mario 64. The Keaton mask is based on the Kitsune. While "kitsune" is literally the Japanese word for "fox", foxes have a lot of legends and folklore associated with them in Japanese culture, including being able to shapeshift, amongst other abilities. The four female Poes of the Forest Temple are named Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. They are named after the main characters of Louisa May Alcott's novel, Little Women. Also worth mentioning is that the Poes in general are likely named after American author and poet, Edgar Allan Poe. When Link has all of the medallions from all the temples, he is able to create a "Rainbow Bridge" to reach Ganon's Castle. This seems very much inspired by Dragon Warrior, in which you had to create a Rainbow Bridge to reach Charlock Castle, the game's final area. Your Little Richard? ????????????????????? Hey, Didja Ever Notice...? Did you ever notice that the symbol on the Deku Shield is shaped exactly like the gold portion of the Kokiri's Emerald? Likewise, did you ever notice that one of the Composer Brothers has a moon on his hat, while the other one has a sun? These are the guys who composed the Sun's Song, which changes night to day and vice versa. Little details like this are what make this game's world so interesting. (These guys also have a distinct "Mario and Luigi" vibe to them, but I guess that's going to happen almost anytime Nintendo has a pair of brothers in a game with mustaches, and one has a reddish hue and the other a greenish hue.) There's a shark in the bottom of the diving pool in the Lakeside Laboratory. As far as I know, it does nothing. The label on the Lon Lon Milk Bottle you get from Talon has a cow's face printed on it. One of my favorite scenes in this game is walking up Death Mountain Trail and then turning around about halfway up to see Kakariko Village far below in the valley. It's even prettier at night when it's dark and all the lights in the houses are turned on. The woman who owns the potion shop has a pet tiger cub. The Gerudos are cooking a really big pot of chili. Too bad you can't stick around for that feast. In future Kokiri Forest where the Deku Sprout is, you'll notice a light shining down on him through the canopy above. Look up at the spot where the light is shining through and you'll notice that it looks kind of like the Triforce. Probably just a coincidence caused by the polygon seams, but it's interesting nonetheless. Submitted by Daryn. General Weirdness When the characters who run shops from behind counters are shown in the ending sequence, they are only ever shown from the waist up. Why? Because they were never given any legs! If you use codes to hack your way behind the various counters in the shops, you'll see that anyone who is only ever seen from the waist up has no legs whatsoever! One of my favorite areas in the entire game is the room in the Water Temple where you fight Dark Link. When you first enter the arena, it appears to be an empty void, with a few inches of water on the ground, an island with a single dead tree in the middle, and the entrance/exit doors standing in the middle of nowhere. Beat Dark Link and the illusion fades away. Link's reaction to the Deku Sprout is hilarious. People in this game have such bizarre reactions to things. If you ask me, that's getting a little too excited about the prospect of wearing rabbit ears. (It also reminds me a lot of Tobias Funke from Arrested Development.) Either I have a very dirty mind, or they could have worded that better. I don't want to know what that means. I don't want to know what that means, either. Uh, dude, maybe the reason they didn't want you to join their all-female group is because you're men.