The Ocarina of Time remake feels remarkably modern — and surprisingly terrifying
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Nintendo’s Switch 2 remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time updates the 1998 classic with modern controls and more realistic visuals, making it easier to play while bringing out its darker atmosphere. A hands-on preview found that the changes preserve the adventure’s appeal and make its horror themes more striking.
The remake adds a dedicated jump button, right-stick camera control, quicker item selection and a Threads of Time progression marker. Zelda Notes in the Nintendo Switch app provides maps and other information. The preview covered about 90 minutes, including sections with Child and Adult Link, and highlighted the Forest Temple’s blood-coloured light. The game launches on Switch 2 on 5 November.
- The remake updates a landmark Zelda adventure for Switch 2.
- New controls smooth out some frustrations of the original.
- Realistic visuals make the Forest Temple feel more frightening.
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The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is an adventure game first released for the Nintendo 64 in 1998. Players guide Link, a young hero who travels through Hyrule, a fantasy kingdom, and later returns to places after time has passed.
The game became influential for bringing exploration, puzzles and combat together in a large three-dimensional world. Its story follows Link at two stages of his life, as he faces threats to Hyrule and encounters Princess Zelda and other people who shape the kingdom’s fate.
The Forest Temple is one of the later areas Link explores as an adult, and its eerie setting is part of the game’s darker side. The remake’s significance lies in revisiting a much-loved classic for a new console while retaining its original story and world.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The remake’s modern controls and clearer progression tools could make a landmark adventure more welcoming to returning players and newcomers, while improved presentation gives its darker scenes fresh impact. Preserving the original story and scale respects what made the game influential while making it easier to enjoy today.
The case against
Modern controls and guidance features may alter the deliberate feel and sense of discovery that shaped the original experience, even if its story and scale remain intact. A more frightening presentation could also change the tone players remember, raising a fair question about whether a classic benefits from this kind of update.