From NPR · · 2m
Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake launches on Switch 2
Nintendo's new version of the 1998 classic arrives Thursday with streamlined controls, updated graphics and faithful storytelling, though it plays it safe.
In brief
Nintendo's new version of the 1998 classic arrives Thursday with streamlined controls, updated graphics and faithful storytelling, though it plays it safe. Nintendo released a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Switch 2 Thursday, modernizing controls and graphics while preserving the original's core…
A classic returns to modern consoles
Nintendo's remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time launches Thursday on Switch 2. The original released in 1998 and told of an idyllic world despoiled by lust for power.
The game's structure spans two eras
Link works through the world as a child, then returns as an adult after a magical seven-year slumber to save his post-apocalyptic world.The remake echoes this with 28 years between the original's release and now.
Controls and camera get modern treatment
The remake adds jump and sprint buttons and uses an over-the-shoulder camera instead of the original's thoughtfully-composed angles. A quick menu lets you swap items without pausing, borrowed from 2023's Tears of the Kingdom.
Quality of life improvements ease frustration
A new Threads of Time quest log points you in the right direction when stuck.The notoriously frustrating Water Temple is much more tolerable.
Graphics modernize with mixed results
Ornate textures jar with cartoony proportions. Most changes are clear upgrades, but some characters like Nabooru veer into the uncanny valley with exaggerated features. Animations are extensive, sometimes dragging pacing in opening hours.
“Nabooru looks bizarrely yassified with huge red lips and golden eye-shadow”
Character changes soften rough edges
Mido shifts from bully to overbearing but well-intentioned boss.Kaepora Gaebora the owl no longer repeats himself constantly.Navi the fairy companion no longer chimes in with incessant Hey!Listen!Such changes risk eroding the game's character.
The remake stays faithful to the original
This ranks as one of the most faithful adaptations seen, less ambitious than the Demon's Souls remake but far more than the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy or Resident Evil 4 remake.
The remake plays it safe, not revolutionary
Where the original innovated and launched a new three-D era, this remake represents the safest of safe bets.It will never eclipse memories of the first Ocarina of Time, which defined childhoods of a whole generation.
“Where once it innovated, now it represents the safest of safe bets.”
Nintendo ensures the classic endures
By lavishing attention on an all-time classic ahead of a Zelda movie next year, Nintendo has ensured it won't go out of style for at least another few decades.
“Some harmonies are worth turning back time for.”
The essence
Nintendo released a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Switch 2 Thursday, modernizing controls and graphics while preserving the original's core design.
