Ocarina of Time Decomp: 16 Build Configurations From One Tree

By Indie Kings | October 28, 2026

Updated October 28, 2026: zeldaret/oot, the decompilation of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, builds 16 different configurations from one source tree, covering five Nintendo 64 retail releases, the GameCube ports and their Master Quest variants, European debug builds, the Collector's Edition disc and the Chinese iQue Player release. Its newest commit, dated October 18, 2026, fixes regressions in the haunted wasteland trap actor, and the repository has 5,628 stars, 716 forks and 101 contributors.

Image: a Nintendo 64 with its controller, the platform Ocarina of Time launched on, via Wikimedia Commons.

Sixteen targets in one tree

The README's build table is the most striking document in the repository. It lists ntsc-1.0, ntsc-1.1, ntsc-1.2 and both PAL releases, then the GameCube conversions in Japanese, US and European versions, each with and without Master Quest, then three European debug builds, the Japanese Collector's Edition disc, and ique-cn for the Chinese iQue Player. Each row carries a build timestamp from 1998 to 2003 and the MD5 hash of the input ROM or ROMs it corresponds to, because several of those releases contain more than one executable.

Supporting one build target already requires a source tree that compiles to a specific binary. Supporting 16 means the project has abstracted the differences between regional releases, between the original N64 engine and the GameCube port, and between retail and debug variants, then made each combination a first class build. The practical benefit is that a contributor can verify against whichever copy they own, whether that is a US cartridge, a PAL disc, or a debug image that circulated among developers. For preservation, it means the repository documents not just one game but the whole family of binaries Nintendo shipped under the same name.

Why the debug ROM is the default

The default version is gc-eu-mq-dbg, the GameCube Europe PAL Master Quest debug build, which is not the version most players grew up with. That choice is not nostalgia. Debug builds retain assertion strings, developer symbols, overlay names and diagnostic code that retail releases strip out, and those artifacts are enormously useful when reconstructing source. A decompilation team can use the leftover names to identify functions, then match the retail builds against the same source once the structure is understood. Starting from the most informative binary and working outward to the stripped ones is a standard strategy, and the README's default reflects it.

The debug builds also matter for modders, because they include debugging features and messages that never shipped. Having them as supported targets means a mod can be tested against the version with the most instrumentation. The README is careful to note that the repository includes none of the assets needed to build the ROM and that a prior copy of the game is required for extraction, which keeps the project on the preservation side of the line. It also states, in bold, that the project is not producing a PC port, a sentence that exists because every decompilation eventually attracts that question.

The iQue problem and the long tail

The iQue Player release is the most interesting row in the table. Nintendo's Chinese console used a different distribution model, with games stored on flash rather than cartridges, and Ocarina of Time on that platform is a distinct binary with its own hash. Supporting it alongside the Western releases means the project handles a version whose tooling and documentation are far thinner than the N64 originals. That is the kind of target that only gets added by someone with a specific interest and access to the hardware, and its presence says the maintainers treat completeness as covering every official release rather than the convenient ones.

Day to day, the work is regression hunting. The October 18 commit fixes regressions in the background trap actor listed in the source as z_bg_haka_trap, and the pull request number, 2838, indicates the volume of changes the project has absorbed since it was created on March 17, 2020. Sixty nine issues remain open, which is a large number for a project whose progress badge reports 100 percent, and the gap is explained by the same shiftability and documentation work that affects every mature decompilation. A hundred and one contributors have touched the tree, and 716 forks suggest a substantial modding population building on it.

Project card

FAQ

How many versions does the Ocarina of Time decompilation build?
Sixteen configurations, including five N64 releases, GameCube ports with and without Master Quest, European debug builds, the Collector's Edition disc and the iQue Player release.

Which version is the default?
The GameCube Europe PAL Master Quest Debug build, chosen because debug binaries retain symbols and assertion strings that make reconstruction easier.

Does it include the game's assets?
No. The README states that no assets are included and that a prior copy of the game is needed for extraction.

Is it a PC port?
No. The README says explicitly that the project is not producing a PC port, although the source can be used for mods and other projects.

What is the iQue target?
The Chinese iQue Player release of the game, a distinct binary with its own hash, supported alongside the Western versions.

Why are there still open issues at 100 percent?
Because the progress badge tracks code coverage, while shiftability, documentation and platform specific regressions remain ongoing work.

Bottom Line

Sixteen build targets is the kind of number that sounds like showing off until you look at the table and realize each row is a different piece of Nintendo's history, debug builds and a Chinese console included. The default choice of a debug Master Quest image is a reminder that decompilation is partly archaeology: the best source of truth is often the version that leaked the most information. With 101 contributors, a 5,628 star following and regression fixes still landing in October 2026, this is the most complete public record of how Ocarina of Time was built, and it keeps getting more precise.

Sources

• GitHub zeldaret/oot README build table, default version, asset notice and port disclaimer, accessed October 28, 2026
• zelda.deco.mp progress badge endpoint for Ocarina of Time, accessed October 28, 2026
• GitHub API metadata for zeldaret/oot, stars, forks, contributors, issues and latest commit, accessed October 28, 2026

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