Nintendo Switch Online recently added The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time to the list of available Nintendo 64 games that can be emulated, and using save states is a great alternative to the game's traditional saving. The option to save from the in-game menu is also available but much less convenient than using save states, or suspend points. Save states are created by using the Suspend menu while playing Ocarina of Time.
Suspend points are files that save the exact moment when players create them. Instead of backtracking through dungeons in Ocarina of Time or leaving the game paused for hours to avoid losing progress, suspend points can be created. The save states are separate for every game, so players can have multiple suspend points in Ocarina of Time without losing slots for other N64 titles. Nintendo Switch Online gives players four slots to create suspend points in Ocarina of Time.
The Suspend menu for Nintendo Switch Online games is very easy to navigate and use. While Ocarina of Time is running, the minus button will open the Suspend menu. The third option down that says, 'Create Suspend Point' will open up the four available slots to save the game. When the suspend point is created, it saves Ocarina of Time at the place and time when the file is created. The Suspend menu is also where players can load any save states by clicking the 'Load Suspend Point' option.
Using Suspend Points In Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
Traditionally in Ocarina of Time, saving and quitting a game meant starting in a specific spawn point when reloading. Young Link typically started in the treehouse where he woke up at the beginning of the game, and Adult Link started in the Temple of Time. If players saved while in a dungeon, they would start outside that dungeon the next time they loaded the game. This was sometimes frustrating, especially with more difficult or confusing dungeons like the Shadow Temple and Water Temple in Ocarina of Time. Using suspend points eliminates that frustration.
Instead of backtracking, players can create a suspend point in the middle of a dungeon and pick up right where they left off. Suspend points can be created at any time in the game, and players can jump right back in without losing any progress like they would with the traditional saving in Ocarina of Time. With four available slots, players can also create secondary suspend points before a difficult fight to reload if they lose instead of starting again with only three hearts.
Having the ability to stop in the middle of a dungeon in Ocarina of Time makes the game much more enjoyable. However, players also need to be careful about organizing their suspend points. If all four spots are used, and players overwrite the wrong suspend point, the data can't be recovered. Additionally, if a suspend point is loaded and is earlier than the in-game save, it will delete progress made after the suspend point. It's recommended that players use only one method of saving to avoid this issue. Ocarina of Time is one of several new games recently added to Nintendo Switch Online that offers the use of suspend points.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is available on Nintendo Switch Online.
