Ura Zelda (partially lost build of unfinished Nintendo 64DD game; 2000)

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UraZelda-UnofficialLogo.png

Japanese logo for the GameCube port of Master Quest.

Status: Existence Unconfirmed

Ura Zelda (裏ゼルダ in Japanese, translated as "Other Zelda") was an add-on to the Nintendo 64 game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the short-lived Nintendo 64 Disk Drive.[1] The project was shelved due to the cancellation of the Nintendo 64DD worldwide and the discontinuation of it in Japan, and eventually became Master Quest, first released for the GameCube in 2002.

History

When Zelda 64 switched formats from a 64DD disk to a standard cartridge release, some aspects had to be scrapped or altered to fit the limitations of the cartridge. Director Shigeru Miyamoto planned an expansion for the game, tentatively titled Ura Zelda or Zelda DD, to make use of some of the unrealized ideas from the 64DD version.[2][3] It was planned to be released in Japan in 1998,[4] but due to the repeated delays of the 64DD, this did not come to pass.[1] In 2000, Miyamoto commented that Ura Zelda had been completed for some time.[5] Due to the 64DD's commercial failure, Nintendo cancelled the release of Ura Zelda, thinking of different ways to bring it to a wide audience.[6] Ura Zelda, now titled Ocarina of Time Ura in Japan and Master Quest overseas, would finally be released as part of a promotion for The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, where customers who pre-ordered the game would receive a bonus disc containing emulated versions of Ocarina of Time and Master Quest; it was released in Europe in a limited edition two-disc set.[7] However, Master Quest only contained remixed dungeons from Ocarina of Time, and none of the additional items, quests, or dungeons which were previously anticipated.

Ocarina of Time still contains leftovers from Ura Zelda in its code.[8]

Speculation

Since Ura Zelda was planned to revisit some of the scrapped ideas of Ocarina of Time, fans have speculated over which beta content would be re-added, as well any other improvements that may have been incorporated. These include the removed sword beam attack and the ability to obtain the physical Triforce as seen in the Shoshinkai 1996 trailer. Fans have also theorized the addition of a Wind Temple and an Ice Temple, as certain sections from Ocarina of Time have led some to believe such dungeons were cut from the final game. The fabled "Unicorn Fountain", an area resembling the Great Fairy Fountain which contains a statue of a unicorn head, appears in beta footage of Ocarina of Time, but is absent from the final game; it is also believed to been made accessible. New cutscenes and graphics were supposedly added as well, in addition to a restored persistent world feature, where objects would remain in a certain state for the duration of Link's adventure, such as broken signs not fixing themselves. Using a GameShark, it is possible to see a cuttable bush that may have been planned for the Ura version in the existing game.

Restoration Projects

In 2010, a group of fans led by artist ZethN64 attempted to recreate Ura Zelda in a mod called Ura Project, a highly ambitious game which would have added a myriad of new features such as a new protagonist, overworld, plot, soundtrack, and dungeons.[9] The team's inexperience led to the project's cancellation in 2013,[10][11] and a early maps of it were eventually leaked.[12] On August 9th, 2016, another fan known as Alex S on GBATemp.net attempted to finish Ura Project in a new mod, Another Restoration of Ura Zelda, also known as Project ARUZ 2016. Due to a lack of updates, this project is also believed to be cancelled.[13]

Gallery

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time URA Restoration Project

Videos

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Gameover Jesse‘s video which speculates on the content of Ura Zelda (ft. Yuriofwind).

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Dr. Lava's video on the development of Ura Zelda.

GameOver Jesse's Top 10 video on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time that also mentions Ura Zelda.

Sakura Stardust's video mentioning the Ura Zelda (57:30-1:09:14).

See Also

Nintendo 64DD

Zelda

External Links

Reference