The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Remake Review
Today we're going for a game remake that came out 28 years ago, and a lot of people might've only heard its name. The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time released in 1998 for the Nintendo 64, and since then it's been known as the greatest game of all time. But now Nintendo has remade this masterpiece for the Switch 2, and today in this The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Remake Review, I'm gonna go over different angles of this game. So stick with me in this Game Review.
What do we know about The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Remake?
At the start of this The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Remake Review, I should say we're not dealing with a simple remaster—the whole game has been rebuilt from scratch, 100%. The voices, dialogue, controls—everything's been redone, but the core structure of the game hasn't changed. In this game, you wander and adventure through a fascinating world, conquer Dungeons, get new tools and weapons, and take new paths.
Note: It doesn't matter if you've played this game before or have no prior familiarity with it—either way, you can fully enjoy this game and progress without problems.
Music and visual details in The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Remake
The first thing you're met with when you enter the world of Hyrule is just how detailed it is. From tall grass and smoke bombs to the sun's effect on you at Death Mountain. The detail is so rich it easily pulls you in. On top of that, its amazing soundtrack that follows you through every stage is super high quality, and it's clearly made with a symphony orchestra.
Game controls
The biggest change we're seeing in the game is the controller, which feels much smoother and more expansive. Now you can easily run, jump, and move along wall edges with one button press. For the weapon system, you now have Motion Aiming with the Slingshot and Bow.
Combat system in The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Remake
In Zelda games, combat was never the main focus—exploring the environment got more attention. In the Zelda Remake, your enemies have their own movement and attack patterns, and you gotta take them down by dodging and striking with your sword at the right moments.
Note: In the remake, Link's abilities are clearly better and he's been given more power, but the number of enemies is about the same as the original, so you won't have a hard time in the game.
Hero Mode being removed
In previous versions like Skyward Sword HD and Link's Awakening, you had an option called Hero Mode, but it's been removed in the Ocarina of Time remake and replaced with Business Scrub Seeds. This new option helps you call a vendor from anywhere and buy from them, but the amount of items and hearts is so high you don't even really need it.
Dungeons in Ocarina of Time Remake
Continuing this The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Remake Review, we get to the fun part: the Dungeons. In my opinion, the Dungeons are the best part of the game. You gotta explore them and search every corner. The Dungeons in Ocarina of Time Remake include different, engaging environments—forests, corridors, various temples, each with its own Boss that you gotta beat with specific tools. You can also improve your Dungeon clear times in Boss Rush mode.
Dungeon changes
- To find lock keys, you no longer need to search huge areas—they're usually close together.
- Some puzzles you gotta solve have been made much easier, and even some spots are marked with a symbol.
- One of the game's most famous dungeons, the Water Temple, needs fewer keys now. And some rooms are only for players who wanna 100% complete the game.
Note: Even though the Water Temple has been made a bit easier in some parts, some puzzles have actually gotten harder.
The game's Side Quests
One of the game's charms is content separate from the main story. Now we're seeing some NPCs act on a daily schedule and have more dialogue. The Side Quests you take from them send you to different places and conditions.
Note: I suggest definitely doing the Happy Mask Salesman missions since you get good rewards from them.
Problems in The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Remake
Despite the countless positives, there are still some parts worth criticizing:
- You could say the game has become too easy.
- Hero Mode has been removed from the game.
- You can't repeat dialogue.
- After finishing the story, you can't complete Side Quests anymore.
Is this game worth buying?
At the end of this The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Remake Review, I should say for people who haven't experienced the game before, it can be really engaging and they won't regret buying it. But those who played the original shouldn't compare the Remake to it. And the last note: don't look for a challenge in this version, and if you want the game to be a few degrees harder, wait for future patches and updates.
