Ever since Super Mario Bros. back on the NES, players have “warped” around game worlds in order to ease their journey. Whether avoiding Lakitu and his pesky spinies or just avoiding a grueling hour-long walk across Hyrule, warping or fast travel has become a common tool to lower players’ stress and make their travels across increasingly larger game worlds easier. In the same way, Amy Turk’s medley of the “Warp Songs” from Ocarina of Time makes things like the most difficult journey or all, life, easier. For many of us, it summons a nostalgic spirit to remind us of our childhood spent exploring the polygonal woods of the Kokiri. For others, the mixtures of the soothing notes of the ocarina combined with the ethereal strumming of the harp simply allow us a moment to feel a transportive moment of rest during a busy day.
Amy Turk’s medley follows a three part pattern. Every melody begins with a change of scenery and a costume change to match the mood of the song’s in-game environment. The background’s icy blue hue as the “Serenade of Water” plays is particularly beautiful as is the transition soon after to darker colors as the medley descends into the shrouded realm of the “Nocturne of Shadow.” The use of color and costume is the icing on the musical cake, but of course, it’s the musical mastery that is the delicious cake.
There are two parts to each warp song performance. To begin, Amy Turk, clad in a green hero hoodie, acts out the part of Link as she replicates the in-game songs with an ocarina; afterwards, she responds back to the ocarina by playing the same song on the harp. In these moments, she abandons the green hoodie for a variety of looks in a rainbow of colors that call to mind Princess Zelda’s multi-colored garb from Super Smash Bros. The call and response nature of each medley serves two purposes. It brings to mind the duets performed by the Hero of Time and the secretive Sheik, and it also eases the listener into a more relaxed state. The notes of the ocarina lull you into a calm state before the harp waltzes in and warps away the stress that clings to you like so much mental mud.
Amy Turk’s “Warp Songs” medley is the Red Potion we all need to rejuvenate us after a long day. Its notes act as a balm for our weariness and even if for four minutes, warps us to a moment of peace.
