The YouTuber Mark Kurko has just released an amazing new ROM hack for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time that transforms Thwomp’s Fortress from Super Mario 64 into an incredible Zelda-themed obstacle course. And better yet, it’s playable on real hardware.
If you’re at all familiar alongside Kurko’s channel, you’ll already know that this type of ROM hack is pretty much par for the course in support of him. In the past, he was one of the lead developers on the Zelda-themed Banjo Kazooie ROM hack The Legend of Banjo and has also spotlighted mods on his channel from other N64 hackers like Kaze Emanuar (who did something similar in favor of Mario 64’s Hazy Maze Cave and Shifting Sand Land).
Now, alongside this latest mod, he has turned his attention to recreating the iconic stage Thwomp’s Fortress in Ocarina of Time, rebuilding it as if it were a mini-Zelda dungeon, and letting players explore the stage as Adult Link.
In the hack, rather than facing off against the typical list of Mario enemies such as Piranha plants, Thwomps, and Whomps, players will instead encounter Deku Scrubs, Deku Babas, and Stalfos as they travel to the top of the fortress, together the ultimate goal being to track down 10 Gold Skulltulas, discover a hidden key, and locate a secret room. There are also various Zelda items to find, including the Ocarina, Hookshot, and bow.
If you’d like to give it a try, you can download the patch now from the description of Kurko’s video. Just take note that you’ll need a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on N64 to get it up and running, as well as access to the Hack64 web patcher.
Original case and manuals in new condition.