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Review: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake is superb, streamlined and safe

By · Via NPR · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Arriving nearly three decades after the original release, Nintendo's Switch 2 overhaul prepares the foundational adventure for contemporary audiences ahead of a planned feature film adaptation next year. The release heavily focuses on accessibility, incorporating refined controls, modern inventory management, and rebalanced gameplay mechanics. These adjustments smooth out long-standing points of friction while maintaining the core structure of the celebrated adventure. Concrete alterations also touch the in-game economy, requiring players to spend up to 500 rupees for Great Fairy upgrades.

Key points

  • Nintendo's modern control scheme and on-the-fly quick menus successfully align the classi…: Nintendo's modern control scheme and on-the-fly quick menus successfully align the classic adventure with standards set by recent franchise entries.
  • Character interactions and visual presentations have been substantially softened, transfo…: Character interactions and visual presentations have been substantially softened, transforming Mido from an outright bully into an overbearing boss figure.
  • The remake functions as a faithful, safe adaptation designed to keep the historical game…: The remake functions as a faithful, safe adaptation designed to keep the historical game accessible for new players without completely replacing original memories.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

With its tale of an idyllic world despoiled by the lust for power, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time feels as relevant today as it did in 1998. Nintendo's new remake, out Thursday on the Switch 2, enshrines its place in the gaming canon for generations to come. But despite its stupendous production values and painstaking details, the game left me feeling oddly bereft.

Perhaps I should have expected as much. Ocarina of Time weaponizes nostalgia even within its narrative, as the protagonist Link ventures to save his post-apocalyptic world as an adult after first working through it as a kid. You'll uncover old characters enduring new catastrophes. You'll try to rescue everyone you meet. You'll strive to bring things back to how they were before — no, better than they were before.

Seven years stretch between Link's childhood and adult adventures. 28 years yawn between the remake and the original's release. Both in and out of the game, Ocarina of Time makes us yearn for an idealized past.

How it plays

Decent remakes evoke how you remember a…

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