I Never Played Ocarina of Time, But 2 Hours With the Remake Proves There’s So Much More to This Masterpiece Than Nostalgia

Writer Simon Cardy played a two-hour demo of the Switch 2 remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, despite having barely tried the original. He found it enjoyable in its own right, suggesting the game’s appeal extends beyond nostalgia and that new players can still discover why it became influential.

The demo covered Kokiri Forest, Castle Town and the Forest Temple, which Cardy praised for its interconnected corridors, secrets, puzzles and engaging combat. He saw echoes of Ocarina of Time in later games and cited Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser’s view that developers have borrowed from Nintendo’s landmark N64 games. The remake is due to launch in November 2026.