Zelda OoT: Speed-Game Itinerary and Checkpoints
Start timing when you first get control of Link, in his treehouse.
Highlight the light blue text to see which cutscenes are involved in the current subsection. It's purposely light coloured so it doesn't look cluttered.
I have listed most of the cutscenes and three details - the time the cutscene began, the time it ended, and the difference between the two, i.e. "length" of the cutscene. A cutscene is usually a movie sequence which occurs whe you either play a song, or cross some invisible line. It can occur for entering a new area, but don't overdo it and consider everything a cutscene, like the small introductory fly-by when you enter a new area, or when you aere temporarily not in control of Link when he's going through a door!! I'm listing the cutscenes to see what my time is without counting them, as opposed to a constantly running clock.
One extra rule: you are allowed to stop the clock when you Save&Quit the game. Stop the clock when you 'accept' to save the file. Restart the clock when you restart the file. You cannot stop the clock when people talk, when you enter a new area and there's a flyby, when you are playing a song, or when you have paused the game to change items/equipment.
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Strategy:
Get the sword and the two blue rupees there, and get another 3 blue rupees from the water platforms and the house near the shop. Get the last 3 blue rupees again, for a total of 40, buy Shield. Head for Deku Tree, get 3 Deku Sticks.
DEKU TREE: 5'53 --- 16'10 (Duration: 10'17)
Cutscenes:
Meet the tree (4'49 - 5'49) = 1'00
Getting Kokiri Emerald (16'10 - 21'56) = 5'46
Getting Ocarina (22'30 - 23'59) = 1'29
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Strategy:
Get Fairy Ocarina, continuously roll to Market before nightfall, get Egg from Malon and head for Talon. Enter courtyard. Meet Zelda, get Letter (useless) and learn Zelda's Lullaby.
Save&Reset to go back to forest, head for Lost Woods and get Saria's Song (at 45min mark). Save&Reset to go back to forest, and go to Lost Woods again - take shortcut to Goron City (use Crocked Cartridge to pass through boulders). Get bracelet, and enter Dodongo's Cavern.
DODONGO's CAVERN: 50'34 --- 1'03'37 (Duration: 13'03!)
Cutscenes:
Talking to Zelda + Impa (32'54 - 41'00) = 8'06
Getting Saria's Song (43'53 - 45'35) = 1'42
Getting bracelet from Darunia (47'21 - 49'08) = 1'47
Getting Goron's Ruby (1'03'40 - 1'06'20) = 2'40
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Strategy:
Head for crater, get Spin Attack, take owl ride to Kakariko. Run to Zora's River and plant 1 Magic Bean, enter Zora's Domain. Get scale and bottle, talk to King Zora, catch fish and head to Jabu Jabu.
JABU JABU's BELLY: 1'21'40 --- 1'35'51 (Duration: 14'11!!)
Cutscenes:
Great Fairy's Spin Attack (1'08'41 - 1'10'10) = 1'29
King Zora's slow crawl out of the way = 0'35
Getting Zora's Sapphire (1'35'52 - 1'38'05) = 2'13
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Strategy:
Save&Reset after Jabu Jabu to restart in forest, head to Lon Lon Ranch and get 2nd bottle. Go towards Market to meet Ganondorf, and get the Ocarina of Time. Go get Din's Fire and buy a Hylian Shield (need 80 rupees.. do you automatically get a shield when you grow up?!), and enter Temple of Time. Grow up, run to Kakariko and get Hookshot. Run to Zora's River, ride bean to Zora's Domain, and go to Ice Cavern (get Boots and learn Serenade of Water).
ICE CAVERN: 2'09'07 --- collect boots at 2'16'40 (Duration: 7'33)
Cutscenes:
Zelda throws OoT in moat (1'42'44 - 1'45'30) = 2'46
Learning Song of Time (1'45'55 - 1'47'30) = 1'35
Din's Fire cutscene (about 1'10) = 1'10
Growing up (1'52'00 - 2'00'20) = 8'20
Learning Serenade of Water (2'16'41 - 2'18'49) = 2'08
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Strategy:
After Ice Cavern, run back to Zora's River and take the underwater shortcut to Lost Woods. Head for Sacred Meadow, learn Minuet and enter Forest Temple.
FOREST TEMPLE: 2'26'06 --- 2'55'27 (Duration: 29'21)
Cutscenes:
Learning Minuet of Forest (2'24'13 - 2'25'57) = 1'44
Some Poe sister cutscenes, very small... I didn't write them down.
Getting Forest Medallion (2'55'28 - 2'59'26) = 3'58
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Strategy:
From Deku tree sprout, exit Kokiri Forest into Lost Woods, take shortcut to Goron City (you have bombs now), and get Tunic. Enter Crater through Darunia's Room, get Bolero, and enter Fire Temple.
FIRE TEMPLE: 3'06'52 --- 3'33'16 (Duration: 26'24)
Cutscenes:
Learning Bolero (3'04'57 - 3'06'31) = 1'34
Darunia talks for a minute inside the Fire Temple = 1'00
Getting Fire Medallion (3'33'17 - 3'36'00) = 2'43
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Strategy:
After Fire Temple, warp straight to Lake Hylia and enter Water Temple.
WATER TEMPLE: 3'36'32 --- 4'06'59 (Duration: 30'27!!)
Tip: When you get the first key, Save&Reset. Then roll + jump-attack from high up to land on middle tier (but water is minimal). Light the torch and enter the tower without using the key! Get the other keys normally, and you'll have 1 key extra (you didn't unlock the bottom door in the tower). Thus, you can avoid a lengthy key, like the one with with shooting an arrow at the eye. You also need to raise the water only 3 times: minimal, then medium, them maximum - and you can finish the temple without changing water any more, since you avoid that certain key.. Also, Save&Reset after getting Boss Key, to shortcut to the start.
Cutscenes:
Meeting Ruto (3'37'12 - 3'38'20) = 1'08
Getting Water Medallion (4'07'00 - 4'10'50) = 3'50
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Strategy:
Run (ie "roll lots") to Gerudo Fortress, save carpenters, and enter Haunted Wasteland. Complete the wasteland without the Lens of Truth, and get to Desert Colossus. Enter and leave temple to learn Requiem. Save&Reset to start in Temple of Time, and learn Prelude of Light. Go back in time, warp to Sprit Temple, and enter it.
SPIRIT TEMPLE: 4'33'49 --- 5'12'13 (Duration: 38'24, 3'04 of which was spent outside and time-travel)
Checkpoint: collect gauntlets at 4'47'35, Mirror Shield 4'57'20
Checkpoint: re-enter Spirit Temple as adult Link at 4'50'39.
Cutscenes:
Learning Requiem of Spirit (4'28'38 - 4'30'26) = 1'48
Learning Prelude of Light (4'30'39 - 4'32'41) = 2'02
Nabooru's speech about the gauntlets is not really a cutscene, but takes 1'54. I won't count it as a cutscene.
Witches and Nabooru, when getting gauntlets (4'47'45 - 4'48'55) = 1'10
Various cutscenes before/while fighting Witches and Ironknuckle Nabooru = 4'00
Getting Spirit Medallion (5'12'14 - 5'14'15) = 2'01
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Strategy:
Warp to Temple of Time, run to Kakariko to find Shiek. Learn Nocture of Shadow, and warp to graveyard. Enter Shadow Temple (without Lens of Truth).
SHADOW TEMPLE: 5'20'33 - 5'46'57 (Duration: 26'24!)
Can be better, since I had no Lens, and had to do a few parts "slowly" and safely.
Cutscenes:
Kakariko + Learning Nocturne of Shadow (5'15'44 - 5'19'36) = 3'52
Getting Shadow Medallion (5'46'58 - 5'49'55) = 2'57
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Strategy:
Warp to Temple of Time to get Light Arrows; head for Ganon's Castle.
GANON'S CASTLE: 6'00'23 --- 6'40'47.3 (Duration: 40'24)
Cutscenes:
Zelda gives Light Arrows (5'50'15 - 5'58'28) = 8'13
Rainbow bridge constructed = 0'40
Barrier dispelled (Forest): (6'03'16 - 6'03'53) = 0'37
Barrier dispelled (Water ): (6'07'11 - 6'07'46) = 0'35
Barrier dispelled (Shadow): (6'09'49 - 6'10'26) = 0'37
Barrier dispelled (Fire ): (6'12'43 - 6'13'17) = 0'34
Barrier dispelled (Light ): (6'15'36 - 6'16'11) = 0'35
Barrier dispelled (Spirit): (6'18'23 - 6'19'14) = 0'51
Meeting Ganondorf (6'23'23 - 6'25'10) = 1'47
Beating Ganondorf (6'27'28 - 6'29'18) = 1'50
Meeting Ganon (6'33'16 - 6'36'19) = 3'03
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Final blow was at 6:40:47.
Total cutscenes: 1:35:55
Total without the cutscenes: 6'40"47 - 1'35"55 = 5:04:52hrs
This still includes cutscenes from bosses intro and their deaths (which vary between half a minute and 2 minutes, and there's many bosses in the game). Also it includes a lot of speech - carpenters (4 minutes), nabooru (2 minutes), navi teaching you stuff in the deku tree, mido twice, the baby goron who gives you the tunic, King Zora, Malon, Talon, etc. If speech were not to be included in the game either, then the overall time would fall way under 5hrs.
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Here are what the totals WOULD have been, if I had stopped time for cutscenes and long text speeches:
Deku Tree: 10'17 (still includes Navi's text, and boss intro/death sequences)
Dodongo's: 13'03 (still includes boss intro/death)
Jabu Jabu: 14'11 (still includes Ruto's text, and boss intro/death)
Forest: 29'11 (still includes boss intro/death, small sequences of Poe sisters)
Fire Temple: 25'24 (still includes Volvagia's intro/death sequences)
Water Temple: 28'02 (removed 1'17 for Morpha's intro/death, 1'08 for Ruto's text)
Spirit: 29'26 (removed all speech and boss/mini-boss intro/death)
Shadow: 25'54 (removed 30 seconds for Bongo Bongo intro/death)
Ganon's Castle: 29'55 (removed dispelling barriers sequences, and Ganondorf's text)
Time spent as child: around 1:19hrs
Time spent as adult: around 3:46hrs