The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake plays even better than it looks

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The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is simply one of the best video games ever. Not only did it redefine a beloved franchise after it made the jump from 2D to 3D following A Link to the Past, it sits alone at the top of Metacritic's all-time rankings, a full point higher than other legendary titles like Soulcalibur, GTA IV and Super Mario Galaxy 2. When Nintendo announced that it was remaking the classic title from 1998, the hype was more than understandable. And now that I've had a chance to play a preview of this new version for the Switch 2, I can safely say that it plays even better than it looks.

It's easy to focus a ton on the game's updated visuals. While the original looked great for a 3D title back in the late 90s when most games were still confined to two dimensions, the N64 had its limits, and more than 20 years later, the game is showing its age. But with this remake, Nintendo has completely reshaped Hyrule and given it a loving makeover befitting a new release in 2026.

With its fresh graphical treatment, everything just feels so full of life. Kokiri Forest is lush and overgrown, while the main square in Hyrule Castle Town is bustling with people and pets. Taller buildings and new alleys add a sense of depth and dimension you didn't really get from the original. But I'd argue that things get even better when you focus on smaller details, like the textures on various items. The wise old owl, Kaepora Gaebora, now appears wonderfully fluffy yet still distinguished, while objects like the Deku Shield fit in even better with its surroundings. Instead of looking like a thick piece of cardboard with a swirl on it, you can actually see the bark it's made out of and how it's just as much a piece of the forest as the rest of the village. Meanwhile, Link's nose finally has a more natural shape, instead of looking like it's sharp enough to cut glass.

Things get even better when you go exploring. Inside the Forest Temple, there are rooms with low lying fog that swirls around as you search for items, which enhances the spooky atmosphere. However, my favorite touch is the new effects you see when Link swings his sword. There are brilliant particles that burst out when you make contact with an enemy while the updated animation for his Spin Attack sends out waves of energy, adding even more emphasis to our hero's signature move.

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My one small gripe with the remake's updated graphics is that water doesn't look quite right. For example, after going for a swim, it almost looks like Link is covered in high-fructose corn syrup instead of water. When you check out various streams and rivers, they seem to be filled with light blue jello instead of good 'ole H20. But the appearance of water is something that a lot of modern games still have trouble with and it's easy enough to overlook considering how good the rest of the game's visuals are.

As for gameplay, Nintendo smartly decided not to mess too much with the original's formula. You still rely a lot on Z-targeting (locking onto nearby enemies by pressing one of the Z shoulder buttons), which feels kind of quaint nowadays. However, there is now an actual jump button for navigating platforms and obstacles, which makes running around feel a lot more natural. There's also a new sprint button for quickly getting around. That said, if you want to pretend it's 1998 and roll everywhere, you can do that too, and like the rest of the game's movement, running, fighting and traversing the world feels a lot smoother and less clunky than it did back in the day.

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Nintendo also added cutscenes with full voice acting, which adds an extra level of gravitas to things like meeting the Great Deku tree for the first time. And just like before, you still have Navi yelling "Hey, Listen!" at you, which even though it might get annoying after a while, I wouldn't have it any other way. The one small downside to this is that when you're just running around town and talking to lower-level NPCs, dialogue is still mostly text-based, which can make Link's limited speaking abilities feel like something is missing sometimes.

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Some other new quality of life features includes the Threads of Time system which adds helpful story summaries and tool tips so it's easier to remember what you were doing in the game and pick up where you left off. You also now have full control over camera positioning in case you get stuck in an awkward position, though I found that I didn't need it very often. Swimming has also been improved a ton and the inventory screen has been reworked too, so swapping between tools and weapons is even faster than before. These are just some of the more obvious upgrades; there are a ton of little or more subtle changes like Link actually pushing on things to open doors, full day/night cycles, tweaks to the game's map and landscape and others. Heck, you can even hum or sing into the Switch 2 to play notes on the in-game ocarina if traditional button inputs aren't your thing. And when you hear tunes like the Song of Time again, it hits hard. 

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There's just so much going on in the Ocarina of Time remake, even for people like me who played it when it first came out almost thirty years ago. The game still feels fresh and exciting while retaining everything that made it the classic it is today. This means that regardless of whether you're a long-time fan or someone new to the franchise, there's a lot to like and I can't wait to explore how deep all of Nintendo's changes go this time around.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the Switch 2 is available for pre-order now for $60, ahead of its official release on November 5.