I’ve Never Played Legend Of Zelda, But The Ocarina Of Time Remake Looks Like The Perfect Starting Point
I’ve played a number of game series across genres, but The Legend of Zelda has always been something I deliberately avoided for many years. This was due to a number of factors, including how big the series has gotten over 40 years, with multiple entries that are vastly different from one another and somewhat dated by modern standards. However, after gameplay footage has been shown alongside new details for the Ocarina of Time remake for the series, perhaps it’s finally time to find out what veteran fans have loved about the franchise so much.
For The Legend of Zelda‘s 40th Anniversary, the previously teased Ocarina of Time remake was shown off in full, rather than the teaser Nintendo released earlier this year. The game seems to use a combination of realistic graphics and classic gameplay from the series’ history, especially the titles from Ocarina of Time or Majora’s Mask‘s era. Although not every fan is quite happy with the major changes to the original title, especially regarding the visuals, as someone on the outside looking in, I left the Direct quite impressed.
The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Remake Updates A Classic Title With Beautiful Flair
When I was young, I watched friends of mine play through the original Ocarina of Time, and saw it played through emulation (don’t tell Nintendo) when I got older. However, no matter how often I was recommended The Legend of Zelda series’ best entries, such as Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, Wind Waker, or even Twilight Princess back in the days of the Nintendo Wii, I didn’t bite. For me, the open world of the Nintendo Switch Legend of Zelda games were daunting, while past titles and new ones like the Link’s Awakening remake were somewhat dated.
That being said, Ocarina of Time looks incredibly fluid and inviting by comparison, with a large world, but fewer survival mechanics bogging it down. The incredible stylization of the game seems to find a great middle ground between the visual identity of the original, and some degree of natural realism. This makes the larger environments pop really well, even if the character models are a bit uncanny as a trade-off. The natural trees, water, and other landscapes shown in Ocarina of Time‘s gameplay demonstration were wonderful to see, inspiring all the feelings you want an adventurous game to do.
The gameplay also took me by surprise too, for how fluid it looked when Link was fighting huge nights or strange monsters in the depths of dungeons or temples. The lock-on mechanic from the first Ocarina of Time is still there, but combat angles are less fixed and more cinematic. The up close and personal approach to combat has always been a staple of The Legend of Zelda from what I’ve seen, but I enjoy how the Ocarina of Time remake makes it more of a priority compared to the far away view from the open world Switch games.
Modern Sensibilities Combined With Classic Game Design Is The Ideal Blend For Newcomers
No one I’ve talked to has called the original Ocarina of Time a particularly “difficult” game, as it has a lot of straightforward design philosophies. From enemy weak points being quite obvious to simple solutions to environmental puzzles, The Legend of Zelda has never struck me as something that would be a struggle to play. However, the amount of secrets, quests, dungeon dives, and other aspects of exploration to the series has been where its appeal has come from more than any big combat challenges.
Based on some fan reports, one of the hardest parts of going back to the original Ocarina of Time was how not every area was created equal to support the feverish exploration the game inspires. The infamous Water Temple is known across the action-adventure genre for being a slog to get through, even if you never touched a Legend of Zelda title. That being said, the remake already shows little fixes to decades-old complaints players have had, such as the ability to freely move your camera as you investigate various locations.
Modern features appear to have granted the Ocarina of Time remake a variety of benefits that come from hindsight. For example, Link has a greater freedom of movement while exploring, item switching and inventory management is smoother, and individual quests can be tracked in the large world. Also, Link sees time progression wherever he ends up on the world map, rather than the day/night cycle only existing in the plain and open Hyrule Field of the original. These little things add a lot to a newcomer’s experience, removing many limitations the first game had due to its hardware.
Fans Already Have Lots To Look Forward To Through Extended Gameplay Breakdowns For The Remake
Even if you don’t know about the crazy complexities of The Legend of Zelda‘s timeline like me, the Ocarina of Time gameplay shows just how welcoming it seems to be for series newcomers. The breakdown shown with the September 2026 Nintendo Direct shows how intricate the world building of the game is, reflecting the progressive nature of how players went through the original’s story. Whether it’s solving small puzzles, buying useful items from local vendors, or gathering Rupees for in-game currency, there seems to be plenty to do.
One of the things that struck me the most during the gameplay reveals was just how minuscule the UI systems are to the game itself. For the most part, you only see a mini-map, your health, and small logos indicating prompts for abilities or items. The actual presentation of the game takes up almost the whole screen, letting all the action and adventure show cleanly. In an age of AAA games that clutter screens with sometimes useless information, this was a highlight of the showcase in my case.
Although many fans might not like the comparison, I have the same feelings about this remake as I did for Final Fantasy 7 Remake, another game where the original title wasn’t something I experienced. The smooth art style and clear love for its source material makes The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time one of my most anticipated games this year, and a big surprise to myself as I look forward to jumping into the franchise for the first time.