The Richard the Dog sequence in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is an iconic part of the original game. In this quest, Link must help Richard’s owner locate the missing dog who is roaming the streets of Hyrule Castle Town during the night.
This activity is back again in the Ocarina of Time Remake, but the location of both Richard and his owner have been totally changed this time around.
Since this isn’t a sequence you’ll automatically have the solution for even as a longtime OOT fan, let’s lay out exactly how to find and return Richard in the new remake.
Richard Quest Prerequisites
Completing the Richard quest isn’t available the first time you reach Hyrule Castle Town. Here’s everything you must do before Richard goes missing:
- Complete the Great Deku Tree dungeon
- Speak with Zelda in the courtyard of Hyrule Castle
- Open the Death Mountain Trail by showing the guard in Kakariko Village the letter from Zelda
It’s unclear why getting Death Mountain Trail access is the trigger for Richard to run away from his owner, but regardless, these steps must be followed first.
The first time you arrive in Hyrule Castle Town before you’ve met Princess Zelda, the game doesn’t allow time of day to progress to nightfall, which is when Richard goes missing.
However, even after your introduction to Zelda, if you immediately return to Hyrule Castle Town at night, Richard still won’t run away. Instead, you’ll just be able to observe Richard and his owner repeatedly hanging out in the Market, then returning home together when the sun sets.
Once you have Zelda’s letter, head straight to the guard standing by the large, shut gate in Kakariko Village who is preventing you from accessing Death Mountain Trail. Present Zelda’s letter to the guard to open the gate. For whatever reason, after this is done, Richard will now be missing the next time you return to Hyrule Castle Town after dark.
As an added tip, and since you’re already in Kakariko Village anyway, consider stopping by the Graveyard in order to obtain the Sun’s Song from the Royal Family Tomb (unlocked by playing Zelda’s Lullaby directly in front of the giant headstone in the back of the cemetery).
The Sun’s Song is a huge quality-of-life ocarina tune in the game anyway, and you can use it for the Richard quest to make sure you’re entering Hyrule Castle Town at night.
Returning Richard to His Owner
After meeting the prerequisites and returning to the market at night, you’ll find Richard’s owner outside of a building to the right, just before the entrance to the large market square. She’ll let you know Richard has gone missing, which is your cue to spring into action.
In the original game, Richard was hanging out behind the fruit stand outside the bazaar, but that’s not the case in the remake.
Instead, head to the back alley, coincidentally close to Richard’s actual house. But there’s one other issue to sort out; you’ll actually notice two white dogs in the back alley, making it tough to know which one is actually Richard.
Visually, these two white dogs look identical. The trick here is to use the “Play” prompt when you stand next to one of the dogs and listen to the pitches of their barks. Richard has a very high-pitched bark, while the imposter dog has a very low one. Richard is also the one who runs around directly in front of the Treasure Chest Game, which has also been relocated to the back alley.
“Play” with the higher-pitched white dog, which will trigger him to follow you around. Return him to his concerned owner, and your good deed is complete.
Reward for Rescuing Richard
For rescuing Richard and returning him, his owner will bestow a shiny heart piece upon you for your troubles.
Right after this, Richard runs off again. Don’t worry about it, however. I tried to see if there were any secondary rewards for returning Richard multiple times, and there are not. In fact, though he runs off again immediately, it’s actually because he’s now returning to his home in the back alley.
How do you feel about these little tweaks the remake has switched up in Zelda: Ocarina of Time? Be sure to let us know in the Insider Gaming Discord server.
Looking for more Zelda talk? Check out our full review of the Ocarina of Time Remake. For more gaming news and stories delivered directly to you, be sure to subscribe to the Insider Gaming newsletter.
Ethan Krieger got started as a sports journalist covering the NBA, but video games have always been his main passion. Since then, he's edited and written for multiple gaming outlets,…
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