A few months back, the discovery of several beta maps and assets for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time from the Forest of Illusion team sparked a renewed interest in the history and development of the title. Today, that interest is taken to a new level, as a group of modders is planning a release of a recreation of the fabled Spaceworld 97' version of Ocarina of Time.
Featuring some key modders and archivists, including project lead Zel, CDi-Fails, and MrCheeze, the new mod, titled Ocarina of Time: The Spaceworld 97' Experience looks to re-create the 1997 Spaceworld version of Ocarina of Time. MrCheeze noted that two game modes will be available. First is a tour mode that is purposefully designed to be as close to the original Spaceworld demo as possible. The second is a debug mode, where players can get to visit dozens of maps in various states of development, some of which have never been seen or recreated previously.
The Spaceworld 97' Experience will not be a full re-creation of the game, however, as MrCheeze noted that the two gameplay modes will be individually level based. MrCheeze also notes that several assets had to be recreated, as the original source codes were scrubbed from the debug cartridge that was found.
The Spaceworld 97 demo of Ocarina of Time was one of several design phases of Ocarina of Time that were heavily featured in the gaming press at the time. The 97 demos, in particular, was known for containing three modes of play for attendees; the Hyrule Tour, which contained several gameplay scenarios and screen, the Battle Tour, which was featured three fights against enemies and two in-game bosses, and the Dungeon Tour which showed off three different dungeons in the game.
You can read up on the Spaceworld 97 Demo, and a comprehensive timeline of the development of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, in our own four-part series starting here.
Be on the lookout for the Spaceworld '97 Beta Experience in the future.
