More unremarkable and odd places in Ocarina of Time

#ocarinaoftime #n64 #unremarkable #weird #liminal #nintendo #zelda
patreon- / any_austin
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music- The Excellent Man from Minneapolis

[@any_austin]

Hi everyone. If you've ever thought about joining us on Patreon, today would be a great day to check it out, as I just posted a new 40-minute PATREON CHECK-IN where I play Pilotwings 64 and answer your listener questions. You can sign up and find that here: www.patreon.com/any_austin

[@parkerkrakowiak2990]

have u ever played one of those remastered halo games with the button that lets you switch between original and remade graphics? Its really cool switching back and forth inside the big alien structures where the two art teams were clearly going for different vibes

[@showalk]

10:18 gotta work on your Mario impression, man

[@kokirikid6130]

In a place where Navi turns green you're supposed to play either Zelda's Lullaby, Song of Time, or Song of Storms it causes a large fairy that fully restores your hearts and magic you can't capture them in a bottle though. In reference to the water island location at the beginning of the video.

[@mouseworks]

Algorithm

[@okami473]

Just saying you should consider doing a quest 64 video. I know the game gets a bad rap but the spaces and moods are unrivaled.

[@yoso378]

That sparkly ice room really feels like a dev really wanted to show off a neat effect they figured out how to do, and that was the place the higher ups settled on letting him use it.

[@TheFloodFourm]

Those little bouts of passion are what made early 3D games so endearing.

[@AndyWitmyer]

I actually wish they would have used the technique in other walled boundaries. Like, could you imagine how neat it would have looked if they used this multi-layered, partly transparent effect on the edges of things such as the game's many forest walls? You would have the front layer of front layer consisting of spaced out tree/wood/plant textures along with translucent areas in between said textures, and then, just a little bit beyond that one, the game's standard, solid, flat textured tree wall. Similar to the icy, crystal room, this arrangement would essentially create a subtle-but-striking parallax effect - one that would have added some interesting depth to the game's otherwise weirdly flat and static tree wall textures. Obviously, with such a limited cart space, it's not clear if that sort of thing would have even been possible in every single wooded area, but clearly, the ice room demonstrated that it WAS possible. It was almost as if the devs wanted us to know that they'd at least *considered* doing something like that and did so by using the ice cavern's one-off, trippy, parallaxed crystal room to prove it.

[@cheeseofglass]

@@AndyWitmyer they do use it with tree-walls in MM

[@edarjolefeu3575]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but the Water Song cutscene in the Parallax Ice Room is like, specially pre-rendered in some way, right? I remember the game always stopping for a moment to load something, and the graphics switching over during the panning camera. That also always made me feel incredibly immersed with regard to the five note water song that begins and ends with arpeggios.

[@bootyshortsband]

the cutscene really sells it for me

[@Demokirby]

Honestly think that little pond at end of Zora river in Hyrule field only exists for the game start screen cinematic for the background while Epona is drinking from the water.

[@ketvector4469]

Nice catch.

[@adamx9065]

I just rewatched the start screen cinematic. Link and Epona stop by the water at one point, but it’s at a part of the river a bit upstream of this end pond.

[@PREDATORYHOTDOGS]

Smart kid

[@RTU130]

Hmmm

[@BenteinBjerke]

It's sad cuz all the water should go somewhere visibly.

[@Demokirby]

Btw, Navi is lighting up there if you play a song, you get one of those weird non-fairy healing orbs to appear.

[@bottombarrelbudgetfilms1854]

I think they're called Big Fairies. They heal all your hearts when touched but can't be bottled.

[@KylerGreer]

The big fairies heal hearts AND magic

[@biogopher]

Thank you, this always bugged me

[@RubUOutC]

I think it’s the Sun’s Song or the Song of Storms

[@rslanna]

Song of storms

[@ahcangela8549]

There's a somewhat common type of dream that people have, where they return to their childhood home and discover a hidden door they had never known about. Seeing the hidden bomb hole with the rainbow walls gave me that kind of feeling. Love these videos!

[@dustiny9132]

that's neat!

[@SolidShepard]

i often have dreams where i am back "home". same friends and everything. when i wake up its a sad feeling. sometimes i try to go back to sleep when i have the time to go back.

[@JacobWHill]

I had one of those dreams just the other day

[@haunt0logist]

hahaha i experience this so frequently. the door always appears when i realize there’s some kind of malicious presence in the house and leads to some white-walled empty safe room

[@nickm5419]

@@SolidShepard bro i love and hate those kinds of dreams; its usually set in some kind of alternate mid/late 1990s, Early/mid 2000s era with 2023 tech

[@lazarusrat6159]

Rather than "how could you have not known about the rainbow hole?!" My feeling is "I'm SO glad that you got to experience something new in a game you had thoroughly explored."

[@VelvetAura]

Same!

[@1gnore_me.]

that spot of hyrule field is actually very nostalgic for me, I remember watching my dad play as a kid & he was convinced there was some kind of secret there.

[@AdamFaruqi]

There is a secret there :) That's what Navi is hinting at...

[@CassidyDylyn]

if you play the Song of Storms, you get a fairy. That's the secret.

[@raxes1144]

Boring

[@LuxxyLux1]

More like heh heh Snoring lol

[@lemonke8132]

aw cute lol

[@maqaroon]

In the original N64 game, if you had the Rumble Pak it would rumble when you walk over locations that could be bombed. This was one of those and its location in the middle of a narrow space made it quite obvious as you had to walk right over it. I think the weirdness of those grottos was an extra goodie to get people to buy Rumble Paks (worked for me as I got one just to uncover all the remaining secret areas). It's possible that the "rumble clue" feature was removed for later versions making those caves more secret than they were back in the days.

[@chompythebeast]

You're talking about the Stone of Agony, which was an item you got at 20 Gold Skultillas in the shape of a Rumble Pak, and yeah, it only did anything if you had one lol. Luckily I had one already from Star Fox. Anyway, the Wii Classic Controller didn't support rumble, so the item did nothing on the Wii VC release. It works correctly on the Wii U and Switch, however. For the 3DS remake, since the system lacks rumble, it was changed to making a pinging sound, and renamed the Shard of Agony

[@joewarrior619]

The stone of agony rumble worked on the GameCube version

[@JrIcify]

It's weird because it must have cost a lot to make the rumble pack but it seems like post people weren't aware that OoT supported it. Even the developers seem to have forgotten.

[@maqaroon]

@@JrIcify It was a bold move to sell hardware that promised an enhanced game experience but completely intangible before you buy it. The Rumble Pak was fantastic for games like Goldeneye64 but it also wasn't THAT amazing that people would rave about it to their friends and everyone had to get one. OOT wasn't a launch game for N64 so they probably tried to sway the development team to provide tangible rewards for the Rumble Pak. It was such a strange era because there was only a brief period where hardware and software had to be combined to get the full gaming experience before consoles moved onto inbuilt vibration and fully digital games.

[@lowmax4431]

I forgot this was a thing!

[@lawrencelewis1570]

That sparkly room in the Ice Cavern has always fascinated me. Meanwhile, I've played the game at least once a year since it was released, often twice. And i have NEVER seen that crystal room in the Sacred Woods. It looks like a leftover test room or something.

[@tamed4171]

I found it a few years ago, and it blew my mind

[@RedSpade37]

Right?? I have never found that in two decades!

[@mellowyello1478]

I wonder if most grottos were some sort of test room shenanigans they left in, for giggles.

[@walls_of_skulls6061]

That and the kakariko grotto

[@rogercastano5127]

It feels very Mandela effect ish

[@jessicathompson7992]

This whole series scratches just the right itch of, "no hot takes, no stakes". I crave content like this these days, so thanks!

[@ninja_tony]

I'm not really sure what that means, but it's definitely one of my favorite series, so I think I agree? lol

[@thefungusrat]

"No hot takes, no stakes" is SUCH a great way to put it and I will be stealing it from now on, thank u

[@sirel33]

​@@ninja_tonyNo controversy, no stress, basically. And I'm loving this kind of thing more and more too

[@SkylightCiel]

Liminal is such a perfect word to describe Ocarina of Time. There are so many little areas and moments that you just don't think about about or visit at any point throughout the game. The kind of places that you might've spent some time in as kid trying to figure out if there are any secrets there but in every single playthrough after that you completely ignored.

[@ninja_tony]

I've been annoyed with the word for a long time now, but I finally realize it's not the word that bothers me, rather the fact that it's almost become a meme at this point (well, I guess not almost, it essentially HAS become a meme for a lot of people). The actual concept of liminal spaces is fascinating to me, I just hate that people have turned it into a joke at this point.

[@cheekofnut]

It is! Liminality is really one of the strongest energies present in video gaming in general - most of the stories we follow have something of the 'other world,' and especially Zelda in general. He doesn't belong in any world he is present in. Neither Kokiri nor quite Hylian. This theme is also very present in Majora's Mask, where you are partaking of something of a religious journey, really, if you look at the parallels between Shinto or Buddhism and the path of the game. You travel to a specific place in a ritualistic setting, a particular direction, to heal the land and the troubled spirits of what plagues them, you are given gifts and a kind of inheritance from those healed spirits, masks which have a particular universality especially in Japanese ceremony. You are present in that world through a kind of dream, a liminal space, you will not stay there. So that kind of feeling is really present throughout all of the N64 Zeldas in particular. The charged and emotive purpose of most places matched with a kind of simplicity and forgotten feelings. It's really beautiful. I feel personally quite blessed to have grown up at a good time to be impacted by these games.

[@cheekofnut]

@@ninja_tony I hear you, I'm just not sure how it would be a joke. Do you mean in the 'back rooms' kind of sense? I'm more aware of liminality being a horror trope, or kind of cliche at this point. It's a really important arena of psychology, religion, and storytelling. Most of the 'hero's story' goes through some process of liminality. Is that what you mean by a joke, like the cliched hero's story?

[@yourboi1842]

I love the stupid scarecrow song that literally no one will find or care about.

[@OtakuUnitedStudio]

​@@yourboi1842You get to make up the Scarecrow song and I use it every time I play the game. Shortcuts and secrets galore.

[@lyuktentiok]

Older games will always have that surreal feeling that's somehow comforting. That's why I like liminal spaces dreamcore, weirdcore and vaporware; they give off the same feeling

[@golos9]

I've fully completed Oot like 10 times in my life. I used to aimlessly run around the game exploring as a kid. I have watched hours and hours of videos on it. That crystal cave eluded me for 21 years. . . Wtf.

[@newguy371]

You either needed a guide or a rumble pack to find it. There's no reason to go there for anything, it's just there.

[@QuasarEE]

@@newguy371 Areas like that find new life when you play the randomizer, as there could be anything in there potentially. So you gotta remember all these odd places to look, and it's fun.

[@urizencomposer739]

This kind of "wtf" feeling, it's the beautiful thing of this game

[@golos9]

@@urizencomposer739 100% agree. I was in awe that things can still be flying under my radar.

[@Tosmasta00]

I did know about that cave. But the reason i found it was by trying to bomb the wolf that spawns when you first visit.

[@wormhole99]

I feel like a vid on wind waker would be pretty cool. The fairy fountains, the first visit to dragon roost, the pirate ship, and the top forest of outset always felt odd to me.

[@MotobugGaming]

Wind Waker is filled with places that you only visit once, and that adds a liminality to them. The top of the tower of the gods always gave me a liminal feeling.

[@bottombarrelbudgetfilms1854]

@@MotobugGaming yeah! Like you're really not supposed to be up there

[@rosie_mew]

one of those games i didnt understand how to play as a kid so i just stood around the town and started a new game every time i played. same thing with hl2, i kinda miss being such a dumb kid that i'd try to interact with doors that obviously didn't lead anywhere, it was fun being so curious

[@bottombarrelbudgetfilms1854]

@@rosie_mew yeah as a dumb kid I loved mindlessly wandering around OoT, MM, WW's worlds

[@frilent1467]

A lot of the small islands are strange too. Where nothing is really happening, no music, just some treasure chests in the water

[@kholdseid6614]

The wooded area behind Link's bedroom window in OoT always had this vibe to me because I would have dreams where I climb through that window and explore the woods beyond.

[@MrMisterMisterMr]

I think the wildest thing about the forest meadow room is that there's literally no agency to it. It doesn't have a piece of heart or gold skulltula or anything required for a 100% save file, just a couple wolf bois and a plain ol' purple rupee. It exists as a crazy secret for people that have a rumble pak for the Stone of Agony and nobody else.

[@OtakuUnitedStudio]

50 rupees is a godsend in the early game, so knowing about it when you first go to meet Saria can help you get just that little bit further ahead.

[@CZsWorld]

I believe Navi in the first unremarkable place is pointing out a place to play Song of Storms or Zelda's Lullaby or reveal something.

[@TheProgramer64]

Fairy fountain with song of storms.

[@Rainbowforce5]

It gives you a big fairy if you play the song if I remember correctly.

[@faceofbear8024]

@@Rainbowforce5 That's how I remember it.

[@John_Lee_]

you're everywhere

[@rosie_mew]

I miss playing games from the perspective of a little kid that didn't understand how they're made, i'd play something like half life 2 and try to interact with every single door or try to jump over the maps boundaries genuinely thinking theres a chance that i can go there. silly rosie

[@danplaysguitar6706]

Tbh I bet there's a way you can drop out of bounds in half life 2

[@snugasapugonarug]

Kakariko Village has the grotto with the two Redeads in it where the walls look like they're melting, that one rocks too. But the Sacred Forest Meadow one is my favorite, I looooved it as a kid. I wanted it to be my bedroom.

[@EmeraldLance]

The one in Kakariko Village always stood out to me. I found it accidentally when I was just randomly hammering the village for some reason (which is also how I found out that the hammer can open secret grottos too). It's right in the dead center of town, and you get a gold rupee for killing the redeads! I remember being blown away and (being a stupid kid at the time) I couldn't stop thinking about the implications.

[@Starfloofle]

I found that one as a kid too and it was my first time encountering redeads, scared the ever-loving shit out of me as you can imagine

[@renegaderaven3777]

Ha, the weird “crystal” room. It was always just bizarre. People even made up theories about it being the entrance to a secret dungeon in the earlier days of the internet. The weird secret grotto in the middle of Kakariko village kind of has the same vibe.

[@danielbueno8474]

I remember the playground rumor about that hole where I lived was that there was a way to get into the bottom of the well early through that hole via a secret entrance... that no one happened to know where inside the hole it was located. It was also a pretty small hole.

[@AndyWitmyer]

Literally the first time I'd seen it. The way it can only be accessed by a seemingly random bomb drop gave off some mad Legend of Zelda 1 vibes.

[@renegaderaven3777]

Yeah, it’s totally bizarre. I think the idea was that you could discover really neat and interesting places if you had the rumble pack (that was of course sold separately) which would rumble if you were near a hidden grotto to bomb but there only ended up being very few unique hidden grottos and most were just the “default” grottos as it were. This is purely speculation but there were probably a bunch of unique grottos planned but they might of had to be cut to save time or something.

[@OtakuUnitedStudio]

​@@renegaderaven3777 The Rumble Pak was bundled in with Star Fox 64 back when it first released, so a lot of people playing OOT already had one. But then again, a lot of people only ever RENTED N64 games, from Blockbuster most likely, so they may have never had the chance to have Zelda and a Rumble Pak at the same time. I had both, but not a lot of other games, because so many of the games I played were on a $5 for 3 days basis.

[@MetroAndroid]

7:08 When I was kid, I sometimes had nightmares about gravity reversing and falling into the sky and into space. I think Stone Tower Temple incepted that in my mind, but looking at the ceiling of this room also kind of reminds me of that feeling. 11:45 I think I found this room by accident while fighting wolfos aboveground. It's easy to have missed for years. You really have to treasure those "finding dramatically new things in old games you've played your whole life" moments, you only get so many of them.

[@BlackRaven6695]

Please watch a movie called Patema Inverted.

[@SirCorn]

The deal with the room in the Lost Woods is probably that most people discover it if they have a rumble pack on an N64 (and have the Stone of Agony) or are playing it on 3DS (and have the Shard of Agony). Both of those will notify you of this place's location. I can see rumble not being a huge priority when emulating games, but I remember it being a big part of my N64 experience.

[@GomezFloyd]

There's a mod called "Redux" for Ocarina of Time 1.0 that places a little Agony Stone in the screen that appears and moves everytime you get near to a secret hole.

[@QuasarEE]

OoT Randomizer has absorbed that feature as well, I like it.

[@k4keko]

The version on GameCube is also an option. That's how I found the room.

[@chubbywubby6689]

There’s another strange grotto in the Lost Woods that I believe can only be accessed by young link. The hole is hidden in tall grass and hinted at by a group of yellow butterflies flying around there. Inside there are 3 or 4 Deku Scrubs that look like no other in OOT. They’re not enemies but instead ask about something to do with Truth and you have to wear the Mask of Truth and speak to them and they’ll give you a large Deku Seed Pouch for your slingshot. Idk if this is common knowledge about OOT or not, but I always found it quiet strange due to the unique Deku Scrubs and one of the only other purposes of the Mask of Truth

[@newguy371]

They actually react to other masks as well. The problem is that it's glitched in the original game. If you go there after becoming adult Link, the scrubs won't appear.

[@QuasarEE]

Specifically, if you put on the skull mask they'll give you a deku stick upgrade (IIRC). If you put on the spooky mask, they go goblin mode and all start spitting at you at once (it's actually easy to die if you don't GTFO immediately). Not sure what if any reaction they have to the others. I either didn't try or just forgot.

[@IceSpoon]

@@QuasarEE It's also possible (don't remember which mask) that they start staring at you, the Castle's Courtyard theme starts playing, and if you run towards one of them, they'll hide in the ground. If move further away, they'll reappear and keep staring.

[@indumatipngtuber2790]

I know about that. If you come with the skull mask, you can get a stick upgrade too.

[@H3Vtux]

6:00 I actually had an incredibly remarkable dream about that room back when I was about 8 or so years old. It was that exact pattern on the wall, and I knew the ice caverns were outside (even though I hadn't walked through them in my dream) and there was snow everywhere but a huge pool in the middle of the room and I was tring to do something very specific but I can't remember what it was. I met up with some people who were trying to help me find my way around, I don't remember who they were or what they wanted though. On a general note "unremakable places in games" is such a genius series particularly for the 2000s era when as you pointed out things had to be somewhat incomplete. Throwing my vote in for Majoras Mask, Half life, Deus Ex, SiN, Resident Evil 4, System Shock 2, Mass Effect.

[@any_austin]

I gotta do RE4 no question

[@H3Vtux]

@@any_austin I looik forward to it! 👍

[@rareosts5752]

I got so nervous you'd miss the crystal color grotto when you were placing bombs and when you set the bomb at 9:19 my heart was filled with glee.

[@DT_Worlds_Strongest_Goth]

That last one gave me some serious "every copy of OoT is personalized" vibes because I have never seen that in my life and I played the heck out of this game.

[@FernCharlotte]

i've been a huge fan of that little island next to Zora River for like 22 years now! always loved its vibes, always wondered what was up with it as a kid. so glad to see it featured here!

[@ramenboop]

I love the slight eerie delay of the wall reflections that are supposed to move when you move and stop when you stop but they don't

[@jasonredwine5270]

I don't know why I love the 'unremarkable' videos so much. Your personality perfectly fits this series. Do Pilotwings 64! There's a million weird spots with the unremarkable vibe.

[@Rad_Dan]

Navi being green like that usually indicates some sort of secret. You could try scarecrows song, or song of storms. I actually don’t know what’s in that spot in particular.

[@robinwestrick2270]

Yea i was thjnking scarecrow song but i dont remember reading about that one, plus it’s in the water? Idk if itd work there??

[@graveyardsmash2711]

Song of Storms can be played and you can get a big fairy that restores health and magic.

[@chompythebeast]

@@graveyardsmash2711 This is correct. The Scarecrow wouldn't be doing much for the player if it appeared there, after all. Big Fairies are pretty obscure. I'll bet half or more players from back in the day don't remember them

[@melty4204]

@@chompythebeast they don't just not remember, I'd be willing to bet the fast majority have never even seen a big fairy. I know I didn't.

[@newguy371]

@@melty4204 I'm pretty sure most online guides didn't know about them. I think one of the gossip stones tells you about them, but that's it.

[@Mongoose_Ridge]

Holy shit, I've played this game more times than I can count and I've never heard of that weird crystal room either. I wonder how it looks in the 3DS version.

[@joshshrum2764]

It’s just a regular cave I think.

[@zsugarant8447]

It's a rocky wall done with a unique texture that does shimmer and change colors following the camera, but not nearly as out of place as this one.

[@Mongoose_Ridge]

@@zsugarant8447 Huh, I'll have to check it out next time I play OoT. It's so weird to know that's been hidden there this whole time and I never once stumbled across it...

[@aeroblu2002]

@@Mongoose_Ridge I think it's a texture glitch in the original, or someone took a day off programing it

[@Mongoose_Ridge]

@@aeroblu2002 That would make a lot of sense tbh, you might be onto something there.

[@jbbyaboo1105]

"The plot of grass in the highway donut exit" Yes! I look at spots like these all the time, like the useless small square of floor I see halfway up the escalator at the airport, where I imagine hopping over to and pitching a tent. Gives me the same exact feeling of your first spot, a spot I always, always noticed and stopped at. Is there like a word for this type of thing?

[@quetzal5666]

That hidden grotto in the sacred meadow is so fucking unreal. This series rules!

[@AbeM.]

I’m almost convinced that the room with the reflective walls is a leftover from the aesthetics of the early development days of the game.

[@QuasarEE]

Yeah it's got a Spaceworld '97 vibe. I'm fairly convinced it was forgotten about during development, hidden too well. Probably used to be between the triforce room and the unicorn fountain in the game's file system😆

[@PickySun]

If you ever do a second unremarkable and odd places in Majora's Mask, I highly recommend the platform near the top of the waterfall in Great Bay, before you enter the beavers area. Similarly, the inside of the beavers' dam has some weird vibes, too.

[@jeanbob1481]

agreed it is completely out of place considering how big the area is and how well hidden it is, I never found it as a kid and had my mind blown away when I saw speedrunners going there. I was like wait what is this a romhack???

[@ShadowGaro]

I like how the beaver race transitions to the swamp environment as you go through the course. I feel like Majora's Mask has a ton of these kind of places: * Gorman racetrack * Deku Palace where the guards patrol * Library in the Skulltula house * The log in Termina Field * On top of the pillars in Termina Field * The little pond in Termina Field near the ocean * Inside the Music Box etc etc, almost every place in the game has a strange feel to it, by design I guess

[@tzendere]

That ending music is pretty good! Also, I hope this series gets big. It's a really nice break from the "10 SpoOkY locations in game" formula. I really like hearing the thought process behind each location discussed

[@DekuStickGamer]

I love how this series really stretches the definition of ‘unremarkable’. Austin is truly one of the most ever.

[@hFactorial]

I can't wait for an in-depth analysis of the ice cavern room in a future episode of ceiling appreciation

[@SpongeBobaFett]

My man I completely forgot about the starry room in the crystal cave, but I truly remember playing the game back in 1999 as a little 6 or 7 year old and thinking to myself "This is indeed SUCH a vibe"

[@godisyourmother991]

the song playing in the hole with crystal walls is called ‘inside the deku tree’ and its equally as strange and beautiful as the room itself. loved seeing the reaction of someone seeing the place for the first time. id love videos on weird music in games

[@SwordGuy3924]

Turok Rage Wars filled me with these vibes as a kid with all those liminal space-like stages. Stages that felt like a bunch of pocket universes neatly tucked away in a forgotten corner of reality. Especially the last stage of the campaign, where you fight Tal'Set. That floating, battle platform stage in the middle of space. So isolated yet arguably the most significant stage of the game

[@Necrion]

Oh damn, you are absolutely right! Thank you for mentioning Rage Wars. I felt those vibes back in the day, playing that game as a kid but couldn't ever grasp the exact reason, why I felt that way.

[@Robzeke]

Rage Wars was one of my favorite games! I'd love to see a video done with it. Good idea.

[@DGR_Dave]

I so badly wish we could have SEEN your reaction and not just heard it when you saw the Forest grotto...it was almost palpable how in shock you were lol

[@selfaware7617]

Hi Dave!

[@pizza-mana.k.a.pizzaparker3615]

What? Why do you have to see him?

[@myboyjigglz4118]

I can see Dave really liking this type of content. It really gets your brain goin

[@Jacksongirard]

Good advice, even just a stunned reaction would have added a little to the video. Face camera work is a weird art lol

[@perks6292]

There's another one of those crystal-like caves in the middle of Kakariko Village, close to the tree in the middle of town. There's two ReDeads down there and I don't remember what the prize is for killing them but it's probably also a Purple Rupee. It was easy to find if you had the Stone of Agony and the Rumble Pack on the N64 version!

[@OtakuUnitedStudio]

It's actually a gold rupee, but it doesn't have the crystal texture. It has a weird greenish blue texture that looks like it's melting. And yes, the portal platform has the same pattern as the walls again.

[@maxinefinnfoxen]

I absolutely love the feeling of discovering something knew in a game I was sure I knew like the back of my hand. This has happened in Minecraft where I've messed around with commands and mob behavior for years and then something happens that I did not expect at all, it's like finding a lucky penny on the walk you take to work everyday.

[@ominousvirus5278]

I just had nostalgia of what would make this even more of a vibe. If you had a CRT with a lousy speaker or muted and you could hear the tv running, that just adds a whole ‘nother layer.

[@Sand-Walker13]

That would be a quite a vibe indeed. (Also hello fellow Tessie appreciator)

[@myronmason8170]

Navi turns green because you can play either Zelda's Lullaby, Song of Time, or Song of Storms and get a fairy or hole to appear.

[@XpRnz]

Or Pierre the scarecrow!

[@myronmason8170]

@@XpRnz That too!

[@the__ushanka]

It seems like a decent amount of people find N64 games to have a lot of liminal spaces (like Super Mario 64, for instance). It's interesting how the first Nintendo console to have more of a 3D depth can also also seems to have the most un-intentionally creepy games, due to the primitive-ness of the technology during that time. Wacky

[@THICCTHICCTHICC]

It's no real surprise though. Devs were trying to make rooms and areas as big as they could, while trying to save memory space. So lots of stretched out textures and weird shapes.

[@soilthestillborn4949]

Honestly early 3d game design is something that makes me feel more like a child than modern games Idk I wouldn't mind a whole franchise of 3d games to come out with the n64 vibes in mind

[@AlmyTheAlien]

I don't think it's just early 3D either honestly. A lot of first and second generation games probably aren't even detailed enough to have properly "liminal" spaces, but there's a very similar sensation of "I can *almost* see what you're going for" to them.

[@BynineStudio]

@@soilthestillborn4949 i'm working on a project that tries to capture that feeling 😎

[@newguy371]

@@soilthestillborn4949 Check out Pad of Time (preferably the Wii U version). It's technically 2.5D, but it gives off that early N64 vibe.

[@zach.0]

IDK why, but I always liked the random low wall in Hyrule Field that extends out from Lon Lon Ranch. I would climb on top, walk to the very end, and ponder its pointlessness. I think my appreciation for random areas was sparked by the Tingle Tuner in Wind Waker that had you stand in/on or bomb areas that you didn't really think about that much. You should cover that! Anyway, when I was younger, I wish you were rewarded for exploring these little areas in games. My favorite thing ever about games is secrets and easter eggs. Whenever I dabble in making a game, I almost overload it with secrets.

[@hyperventalated]

One interesting thing I like to consider with that wolfos grotto is that the floor is tiled, meaning that (in universe) something had to create those tiles and place them. That implication alongside it just being an empty room with the crazy crystals, and a chest in the middle with 50 dollars in it. Idk it gives me a lot to think about, even if it wasn't intended to be thought about.

[@OtakuUnitedStudio]

It definitely feels like it was meant for something bigger but they either didn't have time or it's a leftover from an earlier version of the game. It reminds me a bit of the chest that the Triforce is in for the OOT trailer, which is almost nothing like the final game.

[@alterablebark54]

Austins videos are just a vibe, especially with the music at the end

[@Utsubu]

Apparently if you play the Song of Storms by that location in Hyrule Field where Navi turns green you'll get a healing fairy.

[@manoflego123]

The whole obsession with differences thing heavily resonates with me. I went to a 20th anniversary remaster screening of The Fifth Element just to see if they fixed a seam line in a practical effect and got stupidly happy when I saw they did.

[@KairuHakubi]

loved that ice boss room. all this murky, cloudy ice throughout, then you hit a room with crystal clear ice walls you can see through.. crazy.

[@unansweredquestion768]

One thing I miss about these older games is the fog they’d use to ease up on the memory of these games, newer games are so polished and clean for the most part, which isn’t a bad thing, but I always felt a sense of dread or uncertainty in places like the Sacred Forest as a kid, because of the fog. It added to this strange but somehow familiar world.

[@StudioTanuki]

Interestingly, the river flowing through Hyrule Field was actually way bigger in the beta maps of OOT. They spanned across the entire field going down towards Lake Hylia! I'd love to see you check out all those recently found beta maps in the future, tons of unremarkably remarkable things to see!

[@mysticat]

i love the appreciation of all the little things in N64 games!

[@mysticat]

also HOW HAVE I NEVER SEEN THAT CRYSTAL ROOM WHAT???

[@billzoaiken]

The ice cavern room has always been one of my favorite places in the game. I’m glad I can now add that weird forest meadow one to the list.

[@mbrando4403]

3:16 i think that may be a scarecrow spawn point. by playing the scarecrows song. idk, there usually is a purpose for them being in specific areas though (being a grapple point for the hookshot) . i dont remember is they each have a unique text box or not (like the Sheikah stone things do)

[@mbrando4403]

a lot of other posters are saying its a "big fairy" ... i didnt even know those existed in OoT..... still finding things out about this amazing game. nice

[@Amatwigger]

This was my first thought, also. But after seeing some comments about a big fairy, I'm leaning that way instead, now.

[@mbrando4403]

@@Amatwigger when i was a kid playing this game... 25 years ago, lol. i wanted my "Scarecrow's Song" to be 6 notes like the rest of the early songs..... long story short, i went to eat dinner and left the screen at 6 notes. i came back about 45 minutes later and entered the last 2 notes. so every time i played the "Scarecrow's Song" it would go into the cutscene of Link replaying the song it would pause for about 45 minutes between the 6th and 7th note of the song. so.... i never actually played around with the scarecrow much unless i absolutely had too (i think, like, once i needed it in the fire temple for something.)

[@Scribblersys]

@@mbrando4403 a bit late now, but you can always go back and give him a different song XD

[@mbrando4403]

@@Scribblersys shucks. 😆 lol

[@WilfredCthulu]

Oohhhh yeahhh. The thumbnail location was used for rumor temple places before I love it lol. Also I already suggested Snap but another good one would be Mario Party 2. I always notice something new when I play it. So much so I even made an iceberg on it lol. Like those goomba houses that are on every map but serve no purpose. Mystery Land is the best you can see Peach's Castle in the top right corner and it's really chilling when you do. Edit: also random green navi means you can summon a scarecrow or time block. Usually.

[@JossCard42]

Liminal Spaces like these exist in pretty much any place that humans have built but do not seem to serve any human purpose. Early 3D games like these had spaces like these as design concepts to fill empty space and reward players for finding nooks and crannies. As such, there are spaces literally created with the intention that players are meant to avoid. Most games now either put something there or they will use some trick to gate the player off from exploring that area

[@TheJJZeeman]

There are a few places where Navi turns green for apparently no reason. If you play Song of Storms/Song of Time, a big fat Fairy will appear. You can't catch them in your bottles but they will heal all hearts AND refill your magic bar. The most useful one of these is in the Shadow Temple if you're doing a no revive run (no bottled fairies) or a three hearts run, which I super recommend to anyone who hasn't tried it.

[@yotetoob]

I've been playing OoT for more than 15 years, I have NEVER seen that room either! My reaction was yours exactly! This is seriously my favourite KZbin series. PLEASE do more Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask - this is such weirdly specific niche content, it's crazy in the best way possible to see someone cover it. Please keep it up man!

[@55randerson]

At the very beginning of this video, the tips of somebody's fingers moving in the next room through that doorway freaked me out for a second. And then I realized that's a mirror, not a doorway, and those are totally Austin's fingers.

[@hiruharada2650]

I love this series. It revels in the mundane, and embraces redundancy beautifully. Also, did not know about that last room.

[@Bl0MANIAC]

Most likely shes pointing to a spot where a big fairy is kinda like the shortcut to zoras domain in the lost woods. If you play the song of storms a big fairy will pop out and heal your hearts and magic.

[@NorthSudan]

can confirm, at least on the 3ds version

[@jimcopeland4011]

I always liked those weird sort of distant perimeter parts of Hyrule Field. Always got my imagination going as a kid of what must be beyond those walls or whatever. As an adult it certainly is more like, "I know there's nothing on the other side of that wall," and almost has an opposite emotional effect.

[@DapperDanLovesYou]

The museum section of Paris in Hitman (2016) is very fitting with this concept. It's so large yet serves very little function. Honestly, the entire Hitman series would fit this series really well. There are so many areas, especially in the early games, that are just... areas. 2/3 of the Sapienza map is practically unused in the main mission, with apartments and a graveyard and an office. These complex, multistory buildings that don't really offer anything towards your goal.

[@Zeldafan1ify]

Liminal spaces, in place of making me feel uncomfortable, actually give me so much comfort and nostalgic peace, much akin to crawling under the covers on a cold winter morning while knowing you have nothing else to do for the day. I guess it's because much of my happiest core memories involve pretending to sleep under a giant shield in the underground caves of oot. There's nothing more nostalgic for me than the "unsettling" liminal space. As feel-good as botw is with its amazing scenery, it just.. doesn't feel quite the same.

[@benhorne452]

There's another unique grotto in Kakariko village near the tree that the depressed cucco dude sits under. It has a very weird moving wall and floor texture that I believe is unique to that grotto.

[@kricku]

Came here to post this. Definitely worth a look in another video.

[@Austin-kt7ky]

I read an interview once that said the dev team spent time looking at various real-world locations so they could replicate the randomness of the landscape. I like to think the end of Zora's River is a product of that. Also, I think if you play the Song of Storms there you can get a giant fairy. That's what Navi was indicating. There are some places like that where Navi shows where you should play the Ocarina, apart from the Scarecrow locations.

[@gnbman]

No, no, I totally agree about the Spyro skybox discussion. I was greatly disappointed by how much the art had changed.

[@PlotlinePlus]

I really appreciate the CRT filter you put on the footage. REALLY bring out the nostalgia. I've seen these games presented super clean that it's easy to forget how much better old games looked on the tech they were designed to run on.

[@lucetubegplusstillsux2678]

If not for additional content that was axed when the DD failed, I think they intentionally put empty places so you'd have to explore more for secrets. If every spot that looked like it should have a grotto had one it'd be too predictable after all.

[@BynineStudio]

the texturing in that forest meadow grotto is so weird looking! it almost looks like a corruption. really cool

[@neonmushroom1]

It's a graphical error. Instead of the "crystal walls", there is just supposed to be darkness.

[@MrPoeGhost]

@@neonmushroom1 As in, darkness is what the developers intended? Or is this an emulation glitch?

[@wesnohathas1993]

3:04 When Navi points to a spot on the ground with nothing there like that, it means you can play the Sun's Song or Song of Storms depending on the location to summon a large fairy that cannot be captured, but recovers magic as well as health.

[@TJCurlyFry]

Something that's always weirded me out about Ocarina of Time was the Fairy Fountain's wall textures, especially the creepy low-resolution angel's faces near the ceiling. Same with the statues in the castle courtyards that you sneak past.

[@gamekeeperstudios454]

thanks austin! these are definitely my favorite types of videos you make (:

[@htttps_trippy]

That FUCKING grottto what the fuck dude!!! I can't believe I've never heard about it before! ITS FUCKING CRAZZY! I was popping out of my seat! it made me so excited lol

[@princeapoopoo5787]

that crystal room is way too dope for a room where you fight an enemy that you've fought like 400 times before and can defeat in like two seconds. I swear they originally planned something cooler but didn't have the time or some shit like that. (I was talking about the ice cavern room, but the fifty rupee chest room could also apply tbh)

[@107_cow]

when navi turns green, its often a hint to do something, to summon a scarecrow, or to play the song of storms for a super fairy to come out, it basically a better fairy except you can’t catch it, other songs trigger the fairy to spawn too, at least from my memory.

[@fluidexpressions6856]

yes the super fairy heals hearts and magic

[@TMAziz]

Regarding room textures that give certain vibes -- there's some treasure rooms in the bottom of the well that have human skulls all over the walls

[@MachFiveFalcon]

9:12 I remember people would use that "rainbow room" at the end as fake evidence of pictures/footage of an "Ura Zelda" Beta (aka the original planned sequel of Ocarina of Time for the N64 Disk Drive). Neat to see other people learning about it for the first time! :D

[@evanlacagnina3963]

One really weird place is under Jabu-Jabu in Zora's Fountain, if you go there as adult Link with the iron boots. It gets you a heart piece, and also feels really weird.

[@JohnDoe-tt5qc]

The reason Navi is lighting up there is because it is where Link’s body will wash ashore on Sept 15th, 2026.

[@Opolopso]

even if you do not include it in a future video, dampé's shack is so odd to spend any amount of time in. It's in the kakariko village graveyard, you can only access it as an adult, and all it contains is a reference to how dampé's grave contains the hookshot. the best part is that it is a 2 image like other interior cells, but it's incredibly tiny and only has one angle. I love it.

[@nelson-haha89]

The green navi thing has puzzled me since I was 9. Glad you pointed it out.

[@OtakuNoShitpost]

Less remarkable than the crystal cave, and not even in an unremarkable way, is the weird wet cave in Kakariko village. A little zombie hole by the carpenter tree

[@Faine212]

Austin are you aware about the crazy secret in ocarina of time where if you hold a stick in front of a butterfly, The butterfly has a chance of following you with your stick and it transforms into a healing fairy.

[@1gnore_me.]

my favorite thing about watching OoT randomizer streams, is at least 3 people in the chat freaking out every time the streamer goes in that grotto

[@FinalGamerJames]

I don't know what it is but something about this voice and the competely deadpan observation makes this so funny and entertaining to me, but also I too love weird and unremarkable places, thank you for this series!

[@supbilly07]

If you play the sun's song or song of storms when Navi is green, a big fairy appears which replenishes all hearts

[@Manoffire97]

Thanks for always asking my permission to take me to weird places, it really makes me feel safe.

[@OhNoBohNo]

I have *NEVER* seen that ice room in my life, but I'm SO glad I did, thank you Any Austin :)

[@iidoyila]

austin , i found this video kinda remarkable . i'm beginning to wonder , truly , if you can even manage to make unremarkable content . also 50 rupees is epic austin , you're losing it wake up austin

[@Kosmicd12]

the lava room with the song of time blocks in goron city is so weird. It's just so jarring and also so pointless. Same with some of the back alleys, especially with the dying guard

[@Sam_T2000]

I’ve always thought Eastern Hyrule was a kinda cramped, with Western Hyrule empty. Zora’s Domain should’ve been placed in that weird, empty northwest corner, with Death Mountain, or at least Kakariko Village moved south, slightly. Zora River (?) could split inter directions to wrap around Hyrule Field, and end in the east with a similar little pond, but then why not have someone that lives there, with a little house… like the Running Man, or maybe another fishing pond? also, one of my favorite things about the map is how you can ride Zora River down Gerudo Canyon and into Lake Hylia… I want to say that’s the only location with multiple organic entry points, and I think it’s really neat. it would be cool if you could ride the river to the lake all the way from the source.

[@hyrules_feral_hero]

The spot in that little lake where Navi targets is a spot for you to play the Song of Storms! I think it opens a grotto or gives you fairies

[@fluidexpressions6856]

makes a big glowing fairy that heals hearts and magic when u play the song of storms at it

[@Tera_GX]

11:32 I remember that hole being kinda easy to stumble upon if you had the rumble pak ("Stone of Agony"), it's right in the way of where you'll walk

[@Infindox]

The grotto near the end of the video, the game DOES hint at it being there using the Stone of Agony, as long as you have a rumble pack inserted. I think the 3d remake makes a sound there instead with the Shard of Agony. Played on Switch recently and surprised me at first cause I totally forgot about the spot lol.

[@mookkss1381]

I love that you're just finding out about some of these things now, it makes me reminisce of the good old days when I discovered these little things and my mind was blown.