About this video

• Video Title: Why Breaking into Zelda's Castle at Night is a Bad Idea
• Channel: SwankyBox
• Speakers: None explicitly named, but one narrator.
• Duration: 11:28

Overview

This video explores the Hyrule Castle area in "Ocarina of Time," focusing on what happens when the player attempts to access it at night. The narrator details various glitches and unusual occurrences, such as the castle's exterior appearing as flat shapes, the water in the moat not functioning as expected, and the castle itself disappearing or becoming impassable at night due to guard triggers and camera limitations. The video also touches on the differences between the N64 and 3DS versions of the game regarding the castle's design and hidden areas.

Key takeaways

• Castle Exterior Illusion: The castle's exterior is constructed from flat shapes and 3D objects layered to create the illusion of a 3D structure from afar. From certain angles or out of bounds, it appears as a series of disconnected parts.
• Nighttime Hazards: Attempting to enter Hyrule Castle at night presents unique challenges. Two guards block the entrance, and even if bypassed through glitches, the game's camera and rendering actively delete parts of the courtyard, causing instant death if the player walks too far.
• Water Glitches: The moat surrounding the castle, and even the water inside, does not behave as expected. It often ends abruptly or allows Link to stand in it without swimming, indicating a visual effect rather than functional water.
• Limited Interior Design: The castle's interior is primarily composed of only two accessible rooms. The "courtyard" where Ganondorf appears is designed to be viewed only through a specific window, with the background elements and guards being part of the room's 3D model rather than separate entities.
• Version Differences: The 3DS version of the game features more complete-looking areas, including a hidden hallway behind the castle map that is not present in the N64 version.

The water in the moat surrounding Hyrule Castle and within the castle grounds exhibits several unique behaviors:

• Abrupt Endings: The river or stream that flows around the castle as a moat goes into gratings on the left side, but beyond that, the water simply ends.
• No Swimming Required: Link can stand under the "water" without needing to swim, suggesting it's a visual effect rather than actual water.
• Out-of-Bounds Swimming: The water in the moat extends out of bounds, and it's deep enough to swim in, allowing the player to navigate in areas normally inaccessible.
• Fallen-Through River: If Link tries to jump into the river where it ends or goes out of bounds, he will fall through the map because there's a fence there that normally prevents players from reaching it, meaning there was no need to implement swimming mechanics for that area.