Did you play Ocarina of Time when it was first released? If so, you may have noticed that the music in the Fire Temple is different than in re-releases of the game. The Fire Temple theme in the first two versions of Ocarina of Time featured chanting, but all later versions replaced the chanting with MIDI synthesizer. Why did Nintendo make this switch? To avoid possibly upsetting their Muslim fanbase.
Versions 1.0 and 1.1 of Ocarina of Time feature the original Fire Temple theme, but all subsequent releases, including the release on the GameCube and Wii Virtual Consoles and the remake on the Nintendo 3DS, feature the theme sans chanting. Gamers have known about the different versions of the Fire Temple theme since the second version was incorporated into the new releases.
Nintendo acknowledged the differing tracks in the September 2001 issue of Nintendo Power magazine in response to a fan inquiry. In this response, Nintendo admitted that the music had been changed because the vocals “resembled a holy Muslim chant.”
Many believed that Nintendo altered the Fire Temple Theme after serious backlash from the Muslim community. However, GameTrailers explain in the video above that Nintendo became aware of the potential controversy soon after release and worked quickly to resolve the issue before it caused a huge stir. Nintendo responded to GameTrailers’s inquiry about the chant in 2012, explaining it had obtained the chanting from a commercial sound library.
The inclusion of the chanting apparently ran afoul of Nintendo’s policy to refrain from any use of religious materials in its products, and so was removed. (Side note: Nintendo instituted this policy in 1988, after the release of The Legend of Zelda, in which Link’s shield featured a cross. However, several Christian references can be found in Zelda II, even though that game was released in North America after the policy took effect.)
The chanting wasn’t the only reference to Islam in the original Ocarina of Time. The Gerudo Crest, which appears on the Mirror Shield and various blocks, switches, and flags, closely resembled the star and crescent symbol commonly associated with Islam (although the religion has no official symbol). This design only appeared in the original versions of Ocarina of Time, replaced in subsequent releases due to its conflict with Nintendo’s no-religious-symbolism policy.
Nintendo quickly realized its mistakes and corrected the issues before a controversy could build. I believe this is a testament to their ability to quickly adapt to concerns from fans and their desire to make the gaming experience enjoyable for all. Maybe it was also a lesson in taking a bit more caution with materials available from outside the company. Hopefully, the incident didn’t cause any offense to Zelda fans of the world’s second-largest religion.
And to our Muslim fans, Ramadan Mubarak!
