The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake is out — how Nintendo reimagined the 1998 classic

The remake fans waited years for

The remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time finally launched on Thursday — after years of rumours that Nintendo would rework the game many consider one of the best ever made. The remake review was written by Tom Gerken, technology reporter at BBC News. IGN called the 1998 N64 original 'the biggest game of the decade' at the time, and decades later it remains the highest-rated game in history on the review aggregator Metacritic. Ocarina of Time was where many mechanics that are familiar today were first introduced or perfected: horseback riding, sword combat with a shield, and lock-on targeting with the press of a button.

What has changed, and what has stayed the same

Nintendo deliberately chose not to reinvent the wheel: the remake plays very much like the N64 classic. Series producer Hidemaro Fujibayashi explained that expectations of games have evolved — what players once filled in with their imagination is now explicitly shown through graphics. At the same time, the more expressive visuals led to a shift toward a cartoonish style, which may disappoint some players: the original had some rather creepy places, such as the Skulltula House, where people have been turned into human-spider hybrids. Series producer Eiji Aonuma, who worked on the original, told the BBC that the new graphics and lighting unintentionally made the place even creepier — testers complained it was 'too scary', and adjustments were made in the final version to preserve the balance of the original.

The Water Temple and the free camera

The most noticeable change was the rework of the Water Temple — a dungeon located about two-thirds of the way through the game, notorious for its reputation as 'very, very difficult'. Aonuma called it the thing he personally most wanted to change: players can now easily swap the heavy boots and control the camera orientation. The review's author, who grew up with the original, notes that free camera movement is a significant improvement — in 1998 the N64 had only just introduced an analogue stick, whereas today two sticks are the standard. At the same time, familiarity with the original sometimes worked against the remake: some tasks and puzzles were completed too quickly because the author remembered their solutions. He wonders whether Nintendo played it too safe, although he admits the game does contain changes and surprises.

The reaction, and what comes next

The opinions of the YouTubers invited by the BBC were mostly positive. Mike Channell of the Outside Xbox channel believes the remake was made 'very carefully' and, in his view, took no less effort than an entirely new Zelda, while Zeltik (893,000 subscribers) highlighted 'the level of detail and charm', noting the rework of his beloved Forest Temple. Asked about excessive caution, Fujibayashi replied that even with the changed look, the essence the original creators wanted to convey has been preserved. The near future of the franchise is already set: its first film will be released next year. As for the question of a possible second remake in 30 years, Aonuma joked that by then he would be 'long retired'.

Image source, Nintendo

Image source, Nintendo

Image source, Nintendo

Image source, Nintendo