The Nintendo 64 classic Ocarina of Time was not my Legend of Zelda. I am of an older generation who was first introduced to Link and his fellow denizens of Hyrule in his original outing on the Nintendo Entertainment System. In fact, it wasn’t until the GameCube rerelease (a pre-order incentive for The Wind Waker) that I experienced the title in full.
Ocarina of Time was also not my children’s Legend of Zelda. While they had played OoT on the Nintendo 3DS, the Switch’s open-world epic Breath of the Wild was truly the first console Zelda title they could call their own.
This means that while our household has long appreciated and respected The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and its place in franchise history, no one has quite as much nostalgia attached to it as, say, our Millennial friends and family. Still, after some wonderful early hands-on time with this new Nintendo Switch 2 release, I went into my review experience genuinely enthused and fully prepared to experience the OoT magic that so many of my peers talk about.
What happened after that was nothing short of transformative.
As I (and pretty much everyone else who’s laid eyes on the product) have already opined, Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo Switch 2 looks phenomenal. This isn’t just some matter of a high-res texture cut-and-paste; the visual assets have been reinterpreted. This applies not just to character models like Link and Sheik, but to… well, everything.
Early on, those familiar faces from Kokiri Forest and Hyrule Castle Town take on brand new aspects. Their movements, expressions, and even dialog differ from what you may remember, but everything still feels wonderfully cohesive. This also applies to the environments themselves, with low-lying fog adding ambiance and dynamic camera controls replacing awkward, static angles.
Navi, originally more of a convenient narrative device, now acts as a real resource, providing helpful input when you’re locked on a new enemy or contributing contextual hints to call your attention to in-world puzzles. Perhaps more than any other newly voiced character—and there is a lot of voice acting across OoT‘s ample playtime—Navi is the one who most benefits from this fresh presentation. She’s more than just a laser pointer that says “Hey, listen!”; she’s a companion that helps Link rise to every occasion.
Speaking of those classic Legend of Zelda puzzles, the temples and dungeons have also been revamped with a fine eye toward contemporary game design. This ranges from simple fixes like repositioned treasure chests to more elegant, intuitive solutions overall, and since Link now has a dedicated jump button, expect to jump a lot to get where you need to go.
Yes, the Water Temple is still a bear and the Biggoron trade sequence is goofy and convoluted, but between the streamlined controls and more deliberate placement of in-game assets, I never quite reached that pulling-your-hair-out level of frustration with this new version of the game. In fact, those little quality-of-life enhancements really go a long way on their own to make this title a much more accessible experience.
As a guy who immediately turns off gyro controls in most Switch and Switch 2 titles, imagine my surprise when I discovered the gyro aiming in Ocarina of Time to be fun, intuitive, and downright helpful! They made those old target practice challenges and mini-games an absolute cinch! Similarly, I found the microphone input for playing the ocarina nicely accurate, though, in truth, I think the dedicated songbook shortcut (you just hold ZL when you have the ocarina out) was far more helpful in my experience.
More helpful still was the Threads of Time, a new mission tracker built into one of the game’s most gorgeous assets, an elaborate tapestry woven through with Link’s previous story achievements. And though I used it sparingly, the Hall of Fallen Foes, a sort of dreamlike rogues’ gallery with some boss rush elements baked in, is an innovative addition to the game of old.
Look, you can still roll across Hyrule Field if you like—there’s nothing stopping you—and you can play the melodies and explore those map areas from memory. For first-time players or those of us who are old and forgetful, though, things like the dash function and Threads of Time are literal gamechangers, rebuilding an old-school slog from the ground up into a new, modern Zelda experience.
In a world of cookie-cutter video game remakes, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time represents something more. No matter how many times or on how many systems you’ve played the game in the past, you have never experienced anything like this.
Purpose-built from the ground up to honor the legacy of the N64 original without saddling players with its numerous quirks and limitations, this tale of the Hero of Time is truly the definitive Legend of Zelda experience. Fun and engaging, it places a lushly organic, meticulously crafted world of adventure on Nintendo’s most powerful system to date, the Switch 2, using all the technology and processing power it affords to make something truly special for every gaming generation.
Even if Ocarina of Time wasn’t originally your Legend of Zelda… Well, it is now, and you can pick up your copy this Thursday, November 5.
Review materials provided by Nintendo of America. This post contains affiliate links. I finally get it now, y’all.
Z
Z. is a proud father of two, Managing Editor of the GeekDad blog, a multiple Parsec award-winning podcaster, and a lover of nerd music and culture. At this moment, he is likely thinking about clothes or playing video games. Possibly both.
