Have you ever thought about one day Apple Watch , not just watching notifications, but actually being able to “play”game“?” And it’s not just a mini-game, it’s the classic masterpiece “The Legend of Zelda:Ocarina of Time》. Recently, a developer put the entire world of Hyrule into a watch, and players were stunned as soon as the screen appeared. Although it is definitely not easy to operate, this kind of operation that makes the impossible possible is the craziest part of this matter.
▲Picture source:Game of Tobi (YouTube)
Can Apple Watch play “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time”? Godman developer makes Hyrule retract its wrists
When it comes to classic games, “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” is almost a masterpiece in the hearts of many players. This one was first The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time The works launched on have been released on multiple platforms in the past, such as GameCube, Wii virtual console, and even PC versions developed by players. But you may find it hard to imagine that it has now been ported to Apple Watch.
The man behind this crazy plan is a YouTube channel Game of Tobi Creator Tobi. In the past, he has specifically challenged various “unreasonable” platform transplants, such as making “Minecraft” into a GBA version, making 3D Tetris run on old handheld consoles, and even stuffing “Super Mario 64” into PDF files.
For him, the focus has never been on practicality, but on pushing the envelope.
He once mentioned that what he enjoys most is completing things that “no one thought could be done” and creating works that will make players exclaim when they see them. The choice of “Ocarina of Time” this time is to a certain extent a continuation of this spirit.
▲Picture source:Game of Tobi (YouTube)
The biggest highlight of this transplant is the complete presentation of the game world. In other words, you can actually see the Kingdom of Hyrule and perform basic operations on the tiny screen of the Apple Watch.
However, the reality is still cruel. Due to the extremely limited screen space, the operating interface takes up almost half of the screen. Judging from the display video, the actual gameplay is very difficult, such as using touch controls for Z targeting or combat, which can almost be said to challenge the limits of your fingers.
▲Picture source:Game of Tobi (YouTube)
But the focus of this project is not “is it fun or not”, but “can it run”. This feeling is actually very similar to the past when players were keen to transplant Doom to various strange devices, such as computers, ATMs, and some people even used potato power to run it. The charm of this type of work lies in breaking through the imagination.
▲Picture source:Game of Tobi (YouTube)
The successful porting this time is actually thanks to a fan project Ship of Harkinian, and the key to this project is “decompilation”. To put it simply, it is to convert the originally compiled game code back into a form that humans can read and modify. This allows developers to make various modifications, such as adding wide-screen support, fixing bugs, and even porting to new platforms.
It is also because of this foundation that Tobi can further bring “Ocarina of Time” to Apple Watch.
▲Picture source:Game of Tobi (YouTube)
Of course, it’s not that simple. Since the Apple Watch was not originally designed to run 3D games, its memory and performance are very limited. Tobi spent a lot of time dealing with crashes, performance bottlenecks, and all sorts of weird bugs during development.
One of the obvious problems is that the text display is not yet normal, which means that this version is not yet fully mature. But even so, being able to get the entire game running is already a technical miracle in itself.
▲Picture source:Game of Tobi (YouTube)
Interestingly, Tobi doesn’t plan to stop there. He said that he will “definitely” try to port “Ocarina of Time” to more platforms in the future, but he does not plan to disclose specific plans yet.
Judging from his past works, Nintendo DS or other atypical platforms may become the next target. In addition, he is also considering adding a custom save function so that players can explore Hyrule directly from any progress in the game to increase playability.
Conclusion
From consoles to computers to smart watches on your wrist, every port of “Ocarina of Time” redefines the possibilities of gaming. This version of Apple Watch may not be mature enough in terms of actual experience, but the technical strength and creativity it displays make people look forward to what kind of breakthroughs there will be in the future.
For players, this is not just nostalgia, but the fun of re-playing classics in new ways. When you actually open your watch in front of your friends one day and run out of the world of Hyrule, that kind of surprise is probably the most fascinating part of this project.
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Source: KOCPC Chinese