It’s quite a time to be a Zelda fan in this day and age. We can choose from a ton of original titles, remakes, and spinoffs at our leisure. There is even a blockbuster sequel to Breath of the Wild on the horizon, and any sort of announcement for it could drop at any moment. Who isn’t on the edge of their seat?
The same atmosphere of excitement also stirred for Zelda III, Zelda IV, and Zelda 64 back in the day. Newer Hyrulean adventurers probably aren’t aware of these terms, but if you’re from the older Zelda generation, you know what I’m talking about. Clyde Mandelin, a professional translator and founder of the website Legends of Localization, shares a fun piece of history on the subject.
Back in the mid-1990s, Ocarina of Time was known as Zelda 64 in its early beta stages. A lot of folks remember it being the biggest thing to talk about, and its development was mentioned often in gaming publications. It took two and a half years for Nintendo to release it. Now that’s a lot of waiting! But as the old saying goes, good things come to those who wait, and that’s as true now as it was then.
