The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (2026) – Rapid Review

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Fast Facts

Link’s Awakening

The Legend of Zelda. One of the greatest names in video game history. From the original game on the NES to Echoes of Wisdom more recently this is a franchise that has spanned generations. The franchise itself has been on a huge winning run in recent years with Breath of the wild and the sequel – Tears of the Kingdom – both being some of the best games released in the last decade. Clearly Nintendo needed something to follow up on those and the aforementioned Echoes of Wisdom – Enter Ocarina of Time. Again. Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo 64 is arguably the pinnacle of the franchise and is always mentioned in debates for the greatest game of all time. Now remade for the Switch 2 in 2026, does it offer all the glory of the original?

A Link to the Past

Ocarina of Time was billed by Nintendo as being a faithful recreation of the original game on the N64. The idea was that a whole new generation could experience the majesty and brilliance of that original title with an increased graphical fidelity. I can say that the graphics are absolutely impeccable. As the screenshot of the title screen shows you above there has been a serious upgrade from the polygonal original.

Between the dense Kokiri Forest and the open Hyrule field you can tell care has been taken in presenting Hyrule as beautifully as possible. In my time playing the game I can say that even in handheld mode there was plenty to marvel at whilst playing. Of course, there is more to a game than how it look and (Spoiler) Ocarina of Time has a LOT more.

A Link Between Worlds

Ocarina of Time boasts a lot of great musical scores including the main theme itself. The scores themselves have been completely overhauled and rerecorded for the new game whilst maintaining the mood and tone of the original. The sound does become a little muted in handheld mode however that is a hardware limitation. There is a way to listen to them in all their glory and it involves your smartphone!

The Nintendo app on your phone has a handy feature called ‘Zelda Notes’. It acts as a chronicle of your adventure as you journey through Hyrule once you connect it to Ocarina of Time. I mention this as it allows you to unlock the ability to play the various pieces of music from the game. The tile in the app labelled “Gossip Quests” gives you hints for things to do in game to earn points. Using these points you can unlock the game’s music in the app to listen at your pleasure. I love it! As a side note – “Zelda Notes” can be used with other titles in the series also.

Breath of the Wild

People thinking of Ocarina of Time will point to many instances of what makes it so good. Hyrule Field is one such item on the list. In the original title Hyrule Field offered something different compared to previous The Legend of Zelda games with it being a totally open zone. Ocarina of Time (2026) has expanded on this making it feel much bigger. That first view you get of it after leaving the forest is breath-taking. At night, however, the open plains feel TOO open. Like the original, the creepiness is amped up once darkness falls.

The Adventure of Link

Ocarina of Time’s story is effectively identical to the original game. Anybody who has played the original game will know that this is in no way a bad thing! All the major story beats are left intact and even the side quests are completely untouched. Of course, like all good remakes, a few extra things have been added here and there. One such addition is fully voiced FMV sequences which further immerses you in the story. Hearing character such as the Great Deku Tree speak is definitely a highlight of the new features for me.

Speaking of New features in Ocarina of Time, the addition of a dash function and manual jumping is also welcome. The latter itself is definitely handy so you no longer have to walk around a knee-high ledge. I did find myself expecting the auto-jump of the original early in the game however which definitely brought a few comical falls.

Tears of the Kingdom

Ocarina of Time offers a whole load of things to do. Hyrule Field connects many different areas of the world such as villages, dungeons and even a volcano. Each of these areas in turn offer puzzles, combat and problems to solve throughout your adventure. Due to the sheer amount of content it can be overwhelming but the essence of the game is to explore. Find hidden items and quests to complete and Link will reap the rewards. Some of these rewards include increasing Link’s health or even a new piece of gear.

One of the rewards is the gameplay itself. Ocarina of Time keeps the whole experience fresh throughout your time with it. Whether it be smooth combat or puzzles to get your brain working it all adds up to one really great time. So much so you can easily lose hours to helping Link save Hyrule from Ganondorf and his plots. All in all I had an amazing time going back to this version of Hyrule.

Skyward Sword

Ocarina of Time was brilliant. Ocarina of Time (2026) is brilliant. It was a world beating game back then and it is a world beating game even now. Because of this and all the reasons I’ve mentioned above I cannot recommend the game enough. All told this is a MUST play. I implore you to go out and play this game even if you’ve played the Nintendo Switch Online version of the N64 original. It is just that good. I can only rate out of 5 – I would give this 6 if I could.

5 out of 5

5

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (2026) is available exclusively on Switch 2. If you wish to learn more and.or purchase it you can do so here.

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