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Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake added a jump button to avoid being “jarring”
Nintendo has added an on-demand jump button to the Switch 2 remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, aiming to make the 1998 adventure feel less jarring to players familiar with newer Zelda games. The change matters because it alters how players move through the world and required developers to revisit terrain and gaps designed around the original game’s restricted jumping.
Director HokWai Ng said players can now jump anywhere with one button, while producer Eiji Aonuma noted that this freedom meant anticipating more possible player behaviour. Designers had to account for the slightly different jump distances of Young and Adult Link. The remake also offers two Jump Attack control schemes, after Aonuma found the newer two-step method less satisfying; the team also removed proposed warp points to preserve discoveries during exploration.
In short
- Ocarina of Time’s remake adds a jump button.
- Developers adjusted terrain for both versions of Link.
- Players can choose between two Jump Attack controls.
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The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
An on-demand jump button makes Ocarina of Time’s movement feel more natural to players accustomed to newer Zelda games, while giving them greater control over exploration and combat. Revisiting terrain for the different jump distances can preserve challenge while letting the remake feel responsive to modern expectations.
The case against
The original’s restricted jumping shaped its puzzles, gaps and routes, so adding free jumps risks changing how those spaces are meant to be read and overcome. Preserving limits and discoveries can protect the game’s carefully designed exploration, while offering control options lets players choose a familiar combat style without expanding movement everywhere.
Explained simply
The Legend of Zelda is a Nintendo adventure game series in which players explore a fantasy world, solve puzzles and fight enemies. Ocarina of Time first came out in 1998 and follows Link, the game’s young hero, as he travels between childhood and adulthood.
In the original game, Link’s jumps were limited and often happened automatically near ledges. Later Zelda games gave players more direct control over jumping, so returning players may expect to move differently. Changing that control can affect how players cross gaps and explore areas built for the older system.
The remake’s designers therefore had to consider how the new jump works across the world, including the different distances Link can jump at different ages. Its controls also matter because they shape how players approach exploration and familiar actions such as attacking.