Remaking The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a tricky needle for Nintendo to thread. The Nintendo Switch 2 update of the Nintendo 64 classic needs to feel both authentic to the original, groundbreaking game while somehow feeling of a piece with modern Zelda titles, such as Breath of the Wild. After spending roughly 30 minutes playing November’s The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Nintendo seems to have pulled it off.
The remake is both incredibly impressive graphically and the game now plays better than ever. The remake evokes nostalgia for Link’s first 3D adventure while also feeling thoroughly modern. My hands-on time with the game covered much of what series producer Eiji Aonuma showed in his gameplay demonstration during a Nintendo Direct showcase in September.
I started at the very beginning of the game, when Link earns his new fairy, Navi, and visits the Great Deku Tree to explore his first dungeon. From there, I strolled through Hyrule Field and into its bustling Castle Town. Later, I explored a heretofore unseen section of the Ocarina of Time remake, the twisting, turning Forest Temple.
One impression of the remake remained consistent throughout my hands-on time: Nintendo’s new Zelda is snappy, streamlined, and polished in ways that make it feel totally fresh. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Switch 2 starts in a familiar way. Navi the fairy is tasked with waking the fairyless boy Link, conveying a message from the wise old Deku Tree.
In this opening section, I relearned the basics of interaction and combat. I visited my Kokiri friends for conversation and learned what I need to progress. That included acquiring a Kokiri sword, earned by visiting a nook in the forest, and earning enough rupees to purchase a Deku shield.
These activities, which taught me to jump — yes, Link can manually jump now, using either the X or B button on a Joy-Con 2 controller — and pick up and throw objects, felt speedy and precise. I feel like I blitzed through the opening tutorials, confronting the bossy Mido with such efficiency that even he must have been impressed. After speaking to the gorgeously rendered Great Deku Tree, I ventured inside with Link to explore the interior dungeon.
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