The Legend of Zelda : Ocarina of Time fans have modified the classic game’s sky to look more like a scene from a Studio Ghibli movie. Ocarina of Time is often considered one of the greatest video games of all time, and is very popular among modders and speedrunners, who often sabotage or modify the game in various ways to gain an advantage.
Studio Ghibli, on the other hand, is one of the most respected animated filmmakers in the world. Under the leadership of renowned writer and director Hayao Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli produced some of the most famous animated films of all time, including My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke, among others. Studio Ghibli films have a unique artistic style that is instantly recognizable and appreciated by millions of people around the world, even after years of imitation. The Ghibli films have been the inspiration for the entire Zelda franchise.
A Redditor named iandasquebradas on the Zelda subreddit and an Ocarina of Time fan posted a minute and a half video of their mod for the classic game. Imbued with a cloudy sky, very reminiscent of the art style often found in Studio Ghibli films, especially those of Hayao Miyazaki. The modified clouds are lush, dramatic and fantastic. They’re clouds of cartoon dreams created by an artist who certainly wasn’t hindered by the technical limitations of the Nintendo 64. Even Ocarina of Time running in 4K is indisputable.
In comparison, the original clouds in Ocarina of Time were sparse. They’re faint and thin, and there’s nothing quite like the emotion evoked by the modular clouds created by iandasquebradas and inspired by Studio Ghibli (a filmmaker that itself had a huge influence on games). They’re more like clouds on a bright blue background, which is good enough to convey the concept of clouds, but lacks the awe of a modified version.
Not surprisingly, iandasquebradas is a professional illustrator whose other work is as dramatic and emotional as a simple set of clouds in an old video game background. In a comment on the Reddit post, iandasquebradas explained that they probably didn’t have enough time to apply the same art style to all of Ocarina of Time’s other assets, which is understandable but also a shame. While modern Zelda games do draw a lot of studio ghibli comparisons, they’re not as eye-catching as iandasquebradas’ art, and it doesn’t necessarily feel like Zelda is remembered Way.
The Legend of Zelda : Ocarina of Time is available for 3DS, Nintendo 64, and Wii U.