History Awesome / TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime

* Beating Dark Link without resorting to using the [[InfinityPlusOneSword Biggoron Sword]], [[DropTheHammer Megaton Hammer]], or any of the other exploits that can make the fight easy is a moment of this for any player brave enough to try it.

* Sure, pretty much every time Link takes on Ganon/dorf is a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome, but in Ocarina, the final battle is truly epic: after you fight Ganondorf with epic music in the background, tearing through his defenses with Zelda's Light Arrows, and escape the collapsing tower, Ganondorf goes OneWingedAngel and turns into Ganon for the first time, towering over Link with twin swords that are each nearly as big as TheHero is tall. Then Ganon bellows in rage, wordlessly promising that this is going to be a CurbStompBattle. That's ''his'' Crowning Moment. Then, when Link finally knocks him down, Zelda ''finally'' gets hers, using all her might as a Sage and sorceress to pin Ganon in place. Last of all, Link rips into Ganon with the Master Sword and finishes it by stabbing him through the forehead[[note]]Or in Version 1.0 Link ''shoves the Master Sword into Ganon's mouth and down his throat!''[[/note]], allowing the Sages to [[SealedEvilInACan banish Ganon]]. Hero of Time, no kidding.

** Navi's gameplay mechanic, in general, is a moment of awesome: she gets right into the enemy's face all so [[MundaneUtility Link can focus on the enemy in front of him]], and even tells you how to beat most foes; the only ones she can't tell you about are Ganondorf and his OneWingedAngel form Ganon. Say what you will about [[StopHelpingMe Navi]]; she certainly played her part as the Hero of Time's companion. [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Fi]] must be looking at her from the Master Sword with approval right now...

* Simply the act of ascending Ganondorf's Tower at the end of the game is one of the best parts of the story. Not only is the music incredibly ominous and foreboding but it speaks volumes of Ganondorf's character. The music itself is an expertly crafted piece, showcasing the quality of Ganondorf's education and upbringing as a king and that he possesses refined tastes. Then there's the fact that the music echoes throughout the fabric of the tower as if to broadcast to Link how arrogant and confident he is in his own victory that he can put on a little show before the curtain finally falls. The music also subtly illustrates the nature of Ganondorf's evil -- it starts out soft, like a distant rumbling that is just barely audible, foreshadowing the evil that is to come. Then as Link ascends further up the tower the music becomes overwhelming in its intensity, the escalation of that chaos vibrates through the very foundation of the tower, consuming all other thoughts -- chaos as profound and terrifying as Ganondorf himself. By the end of it, the song has symbolically shown the player that they are in the presence of an ultimate, dastardly, perverse, and all consuming-evil that one would be wise to run away from or face their inevitable, complete, and utter destruction. [[HeroicSpirit And Link keeps climbing anyway]}. [[HeroicResolve To be fair, Zelda's up there.]]

* Simply the act of ascending Ganondorf's Tower at the end of the game is one of the best parts of the story. Not only is the music incredibly ominous and foreboding but it speaks volumes of Ganondorf's character. The music itself is an expertly crafted piece, showcasing the quality of Ganondorf's education and upbringing as a king and that he possesses refined tastes. Then there's the fact that the music echoes throughout the fabric of the tower as if to broadcast to Link how arrogant and confident he is in his own victory that he can put on a little show before the curtain finally falls. The music also subtly illustrates the nature of Ganondorf's evil -- it starts out soft, like a distant rumbling that is just barely audible, foreshadowing the evil that is to come. Then as Link ascends further up the tower the music becomes overwhelming in its intensity, the escalation of that chaos vibrates through the very foundation of the tower, consuming all other thoughts -- chaos as profound and terrifying as Ganondorf himself. By the end of it, the song has symbolically shown the player that they are in the presence of an ultimate, dastardly, perverse, and all consuming-evil that one would be wise to run away from or face their inevitable, complete, and utter destruction.
** [[HeroicSpirit And Link keeps climbing anyway.]] [[HeroicResolve To be fair, Zelda's up there.]]

* A sort of retroactive meta-moment thanks to the official Zelda timeline: The games set after Ocarina of Time fall into one of three timelines, "Child", "Adult", and "Demise". [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI All]] [[VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink four]] [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast Zelda]] [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening games]] made prior to ''[=OoT=]'' are in the Demise timeline, which follows from Link failing to defeat Ganon and dying in ''Ocarina of Time''. All Zelda games made after ''[=OoT=]'', except for prequels, the ''Oracle'' games, ''A Link Between Worlds'' and ''Tri Force Heroes'', are set in either the Child or Adult timeline, both of which follow from the ending of ''Ocarina of Time''. This means that when you beat ''Ocarina of Time'', ''[[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong you are changing Hyrulean history so even if you lose, Link still wins]]''. That's what makes him the [[RedBaron Hero of Time]].

* A meta-Awesome for the game: more than 20 years after its release, it is still considered by many to be the best game in the Zelda franchise and one of the best games of all time.

* Sure, pretty much every time Link takes on Ganon/dorf is a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome, but in Ocarina, the final battle is truly epic: after you escape the collapsing tower, Ganondorf goes OneWingedAngel and turns into Ganon for the first time, towering over Link with twin swords that are each nearly as big as TheHero is tall. Then Ganon bellows in rage, wordlessly promising that this is going to be a CurbStompBattle. That's ''his'' Crowning Moment. Then, when Link finally knocks him down, Zelda ''finally'' gets hers, using all her might as a Sage and sorceress to pin Ganon in place. Last of all, Link rips into Ganon with the Master Sword and finishes it by stabbing him through the forehead[[note]]Or in Version 1.0 Link ''shoves the Master Sword into Ganon's mouth and down his throat!''[[/note]], allowing the Sages to [[SealedEvilInACan banish Ganon]]. Hero of Time, no kidding.

** What also makes that fight intro particularly awesome is two simple things - first, Ganon is the only boss in the game with no [[BossSubtitles subtitle]], because he doesn't ''need'' one. This is ''Ganon'', you don't need a description of him, the simple knowledge that this is Ganon tells you A) this is the final battle, and B) it is going to be awesome. Then as Ganon starts flailing his arms, he knocks the Master Sword out of Link's grasp and beyond the ring of fire around them, and you realize not only are you about to fight Ganon again, but you're expected to do it [[OhCrap without the Master Sword]]. And then you do, proving Link really is a true hero--he doesn't need the Master Sword to kick Ganon's ass, he's picked up enough tricks and items to do it himself.

* ''Ocarina of Time'' emptied truckloads of respect for Princess Zelda upon all who played it. Especially after [[spoiler:getting all six medallions and appearing at the Temple of Time to get the Light Arrows, where the badass Sheikah ninja Sheik unmasks to reveal none other than Zelda herself, who had spent the length of the seven-year TimeSkip masquerading as Sheik to hide from Ganon.]]
** [[spoiler:Oh, and those ninja skills? After you defeat Ganondorf, Zelda leads Link out of the crumbling castle, with chunks of masonry crashing down all around both of them. She doesn't get hit once.]]

* Going to the most [[CrossingTheDesert distant point]] on the map and [[spoiler:awakening the Sage of Spirit]] from among Ganondorf's own people.

* Even Navi gets a crowning moment at the start of the final boss fight. [[spoiler:"There's no way he's going to hold me back again! ''This time, we fight together!''"]]
** Navi's gameplay mechanic, in general, is a moment of awesome: she gets right into the enemy's face all so [[MundaneUtility Link can focus on the enemy in front of him]], and even tells you how to beat most foes; the only ones she can't tell you about are [[spoiler: Ganondorf and his OneWingedAngel form Ganon]]. Say what you will about [[StopHelpingMe Navi]]; she certainly played her part as the Hero of Time's companion. [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Fi]] must be looking at her from [[spoiler: the Master Sword]] with approval right now...

* Sure, pretty much every time Link takes on Ganon/dorf is a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome, but in Ocarina, the final battle is truly epic: [[spoiler:after you escape the collapsing tower, Ganondorf goes OneWingedAngel and turns into Ganon for the first time, towering over Link with twin swords that are each nearly as big as TheHero is tall. Then Ganon bellows in rage, wordlessly promising that this is going to be a CurbStompBattle. That's ''his'' Crowning Moment. Then, when Link finally knocks him down, Zelda ''finally'' gets hers, using all her might as a Sage and sorceress to pin Ganon in place. Last of all, Link rips into Ganon with the Master Sword and finishes it by stabbing him through the forehead[[note]]Or in Version 1.0 Link ''shoves the Master Sword into Ganon's mouth and down his throat!''[[/note]], allowing the Sages to [[SealedEvilInACan banish Ganon]]. Hero of Time, no kidding.]]

* Also, for the player, capturing Poes on horseback is a big feat, especially if it's [[spoiler:a gold Poe. Those back away so fast you have to be a real good shot to hit one and then very fast to get to it before the flames disappear.]]

* Getting Epona. You've just wasted Ingo in two straight horse races, and he agrees to give you Epona... but locks you into the ranch. What do you do? [[spoiler: Jump the ranch walls and watch Epona do an Awesome pose.]] And then later on in Gerudo Valley you're confronted with a broken bridge. [[spoiler:You jump the FREAKING CANYON.]]

* Playing the Song of Storms at the windmill for the first time (chronologically). The usually happy guy is mad at a later timeline because a kid played that song and messed up the windmill badly and drained the well which had sealed an evil spirit. [[spoiler: Turns out you go back in time and create a time loop by being that kid, playing the song he ironically taught you, and opening the most [[NightmareFuel terrific (and terrifying) dungeon]] in the game.]]

** Or even better than jumping over one of the wall fences, jump over the fence that Ingo just closed AND over him to boot and, if lucky enough, get treated to the badass horseman pose as the ultimate "screw you" to Ingo. It's even possible to summon the Cucco Revenge Squad first to go into CrazyAwesome territory.

* Awesome Moment for the game itself: It got into the Guinness Book of Records as the best-reviewed game of all time.
* Similarly, it's [[http://www.metacritic.com/game/nintendo-64/the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time the highest rated video game on Metacritic, with a score of 99/100.]]

** Ganondorf even [[VillainRespect genuinely praises]] Link's moxy when he sees the sword come out. He generally attributes Adult Link's exploits to the Triforce of Courage; but in this moment, he saw a child with more heart than any of the soldiers he'd just killed, and may well have spared him for that reason alone. Little wonder that he frequently treats Link as a WorthyOpponent; throughout the timelines, he surely remembers the first time the Hero challenged him when he had absolutely no hope of winning.
* The game's soundtrack has the proud distinction of not only being [[https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/koji-kondo-the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time/ the first video game OST Pitchfork has ever reviewed]], but getting a ''9 out of 10'' from them. For reference - that's only a few tenths away from the likes of ''[[Music/TheStrokes Is This It]]'' and ''[[Music/MellonCollieAndTheInfiniteSadness Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness]]''. '''Koji Kondo is in the same league as the Strokes and the Smashing Pumpkins!'''

* Beating Dark Link without resorting using the [[GameBreaker Biggoron Sword]] or any of the other exploits that can make the fight easy is a moment of this for any player brave enough to try it.
* Young Link standing up to Ganondorf after he loses track of Zelda and Impa. Link is very scared (or at least nervous) since he pulls out his sword slowly compared to how he usually withdraws it. Even though Link knows that Ganondorf possesses great strength and could easily kill him, he still refused to tell him where Zelda ran off to. Luckily for Link, Ganondorf just uses a ball of energy to knock him flat on his ass, but he still gets major points for standing up to his future enemy.
** Ganondorf even [[VillainRespect genuinely praises]] Link's moxy when he sees the sword come out. He generally attributes Adult Link's exploits to the Triforce of Courage, but in this moment he saw a child with more heart than any of the soldiers he'd just killed, and may well have spared him for that reason alone. Little wonder that he frequently treats Link as a WorthyOpponent - throughout the timelines, he surely remembers the first time the Hero challenged him when he had absolutely no hope of winning.

* The first time using the Golden Gauntlets. To see Link not only lift an obelisk a hundred times his size, but send it FLYING into the air behind him, is, well... you know.

** Navi's gameplay mechanic in general is a moment of awesome: she gets right into the enemy's face all so [[MundaneUtility Link can focus on the enemy in front of him]], and even tells you how to beat most foes; the only ones she can't tell you about are [[spoiler: Ganondorf and his OneWingedAngel form Ganon]]. Say what you will about [[StopHelpingMe Navi]]; she certainly played her part as the Hero of Time's companion. [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Fi]] must be looking at her from [[spoiler: the Master Sword]] with approval right now...

** When you regain the Master Sword while fighting Ganon. It is like a reunion between the hero and the sword as Link picks it up, looks at it, and swings it as if it feels just right in his hand. Also the fact that you MUST beat Ganon with the Master Sword and with no other weapon. Ganon will not fall to his knees until you use the Master Sword to beat him.

* Simply the act of ascending Ganondorf's Tower at the end of game is one of the best parts of the story. Not only is the music incredibly ominous and foreboding but it speaks volumes of Ganondorf's character. The music itself is an expertly crafted piece, showcasing the quality of Ganondorf's education and upbringing as a king and that he possesses refined tastes. Then there's the fact that the music echoes throughout the fabric of the tower, as if to broadcast to Link how arrogant and confident he is in his own victory that he can put on a little show before the curtain finally falls. The music also subtly illustrates the nature of Ganondorf's evil -- it starts out soft, like a distant rumbling that is just barely audible, foreshadowing the evil that is to come. Then as Link ascends further up the tower the music becomes overwhelming in its intensity, the escalation of that chaos vibrates through the very foundation of the tower, consuming all other thoughts -- chaos as profound and terrifying as Ganondorf himself. By the end of it the song has symbolically shown the player that they are in the presence of an ultimate, dastardly, perverse and all consuming-evil that one would be wise to run away from or face their inevitable, complete, and utter destruction.

* Darunia, the wacky, HotBlooded leader of the Gorons running off to fistfight a fire dragon to try to buy you a little time to save his people. He knows that he doesn't have the megaton hammer, and thus, is pretty much incapable of winning, yet he hoists up his gigantic rocky balls and runs in anyway. That, friends, is a man you should be honored to call your sworn brother.

* ''Ocarina of Time'' emptied truck loads of respect for Princess Zelda upon all who played it. Especially after [[spoiler:getting all six medallions and appearing at the Temple of Time to get the Light Arrows, where the badass Sheikah ninja Sheik unmasks to reveal none other than Zelda herself, who had spent the length of the seven year TimeSkip masquerading as Sheik to hide from Ganon.]]

* Playing the Song of Storms at the windmill for the first time (chronologically). The usually happy guy is mad at a later timeline becouse a kid played that song and messed up the windmill badly and drained the well which had sealed an evil spirit. [[spoiler: Turns out you go back in time and create a time loop by being that kid, playing the song he ironically taught you, and opening the most [[NightmareFuel terrific (and terrifying) dungeon]] in the game.]]

* Simply the act of ascending Gandondorf's Tower at the end of game is one of the best parts of the story. Not only is the music incredibly ominous and foreboding but it speaks volumes of Gandondorf's character. The music itself is an expertly crafted piece, showcasing the quality of Ganondorf's education and upbringing as a king and that he possesses refined tastes. Then there's the fact that the music echoes throughout the fabric of the tower, as if to broadcast to Link how arrogant and confident he is in his own victory that he can put on a little show before the curtain finally falls. The music also subtly illustrates the nature of Ganondorf's evil -- it starts out soft, like a distant rumbling that is just barely audible, foreshadowing the evil that is to come. Then as Link ascends further up the tower the music becomes overwhelming in its intensity, the escalation of that chaos vibrates through the very foundation of the tower, consuming all other thoughts -- chaos as profound and terrifying as Ganondorf himself. By the end of it the song has symbolically shown the player that they are in the presence of an ultimate, dastardly, perverse and all consuming-evil that one would be wise to run away from or face their inevitable, complete, and utter destruction.

** Ganondorf even [[VillainRespect genuinely praises]] Link's moxy when he sees the sword come out. He generally attributes Adult Link's exploits to the Triforce of Courage, but in this moment he saw a child with more heart than any of the soldiers he'd just killed, and may well have spared him for that reason alone. Little wonder that he frequently treats Link as a WorthyOpponent - throughout the timelines, he surely remembers the first time the Hero challenged him, when he had absolutely no hope of winning.

** What makes Ganon even more awesome is how genuinely ''monstrous'' he looks. In the 2d games, Ganon tends to be... pretty unimposing, being essentially somewhere beteen a PigMan and a humanoid bulldog. Ganon in ''[=OoT=]'', though? He's just plain monstrous. Tusks and snout and scales and hooves and lashing draconic tail all combine into something truly demonic-looking. He's hunched over nearly double, but still roughly ''twice'' your size, and carries ''two'' triple-bladed swords that are about the size of Link himself, one in either hand, as he strides across the battlefield, the earth quaking at every step.