At today’s The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct, Nintendo took the wraps off the The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake which they teased in June. Given that they also revealed the game is releasing on November 5th, this seems like a good time to show the game itself! Series producer Eiji Aonuma sat down to showcase a gameplay segment which you can see below (at the 40:21 mark if the video doesn’t cooperate):
Many fans have been discussing whether this is a reimagining or closer to a 1:1 remake, and with Nintendo today describing this version as “faithful,” I think we have our answer! More importantly, the game looks excellent, with incredible detail in the landscape and textures. Link and the other Kokiri childrens’ clothes in particular are very detailed, as if woven from forest leaves.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake Screenshots
Navi, everyone’s favorite fairy companion, is here as expected, but it looks she tends to offer advice on-demand — if you hit a button — and is far less intrusive about it. Given that Nintendo made this same kind of change to Fi’s interactions in Skyward Sword HD, this makes sense, but it’s still good to see! We got to see Aonuma-san exploring the village, fighting inside the Great Deku Tree, and a bit of Hyrule Field.
Hyrule Castle Town features a simple but important update, swapping out the original game’s fixed, rotating camera for a free roaming camera. It will let players explore the town in more detail to chat with the many locals. The dancing couple is still there near the fountain, too, don’t worry! The free camera movement isn’t limited to Castle Town, either. While it’s funny to think back to 1998 and controllers with a single analog stick, the original Ocarina of Time did not have a manually adjustable camera, but this version will have that.
While it’s clear this version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is not trying to reinvent the 1998 classic, it isn’t without new features. Similar to Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, story cutscenes will be fully voiced (is that Matt Mercer I hear as Ganondorf again…?). Another inspiration from the latest Zelda games is the “Threads of Time” feature in the menu. This will recap past story events and give you a reminder of where to go next, which could be useful if you step away from the game for an extended period or have too much of a gaming backlog and why are you attacking me?
Anyway, along with being a helpful quest tracker, there’s a cool visual component with an in-game tapestry that will gradually fill out as you progress as well.
Aonuma-san also demonstrated a fun bonus feature on Switch 2 for those that want to try something new with the in-game Ocarina of Time. While you can play music as usual with the buttons, you will also be able to hum or sing the tunes yourself near the Switch 2 microphone, and it will result in Link playing the corresponding song. This may mean I have to work on my singing and pitch a bit…
Taking this fun (optional) idea one step further, there will be a playable ocarina released later this year that you can also play in vicinity of your Switch 2 to accomplish the same thing. So if you ever wanted to be even more hands-on (I refuse to say “mouth-on” here) with your ocarina playing, this is your moment.
As a nod to the original Ocarina of Time‘s gold cartridge (itself a nod to the NES games which released on gold cartridges in the West), the first print run of the physical edition of the Ocarina of Time remake will feature textured foil cover art. While the effect will no doubt be more pronounced in person, here are the regular and foil editions side by side (click or tap for larger). You can pre-order the game from Nintendo now.
Opinions will likely be divided on those that wanted this to be an overhaul or exactly what it is, a true to the original remake with upgraded visuals, an orchestrated soundtrack, and reworked camera system. I, for one, am excited. The Direct closed out with a trailer that either shows too much, or just enough, of the new game. If you want to remain in the dark about a lot of it, I’d recommend not watching it, but otherwise, it’s a beautiful and nostalgic three and a half minutes:
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time launches for Switch 2 on November 5th, 2026, with a companion Switch 2 console, case, and Pro Controller launching October 29th, 2026:
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Switch 2 Console
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Switch 2 Pro Controller
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Switch 2 Carrying Case
And, yes, this edition of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time will indeed get its own amiibo, starting with Young Link and Young Zelda, based on classic poses that definitely stir up some nostalgia:
To keep up with all that Nintendo has planned for the Zelda series’ 40th anniversary, they will be sharing everything on the official Zelda website.
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