Hyrule Reimagined: 5 Things I Want to See in an Ocarina of Time Remake on Switch 2

Ocarina of Time is the most important title in the Legend of Zelda series, full stop. The action-adventure brought the franchise into 3D, and its gameplay innovations inspired the mechanics that would later appear in the Dark Souls, Grand Theft Auto, and The Witcher franchises. Plus, Ocarina of Time’s place in the convoluted Zelda timeline is a paramount nexus point, as all future stories splinter from the Hero of Time’s fate. To remake one of the most impactful video games of all time is a tall order.

Yet, the question isn’t if Nintendo will remake this game, but when. Ocarina of Time is almost 30 years old (it came out in 1998). Factor in an upcoming Legend of Zelda movie, and it’s hard to imagine Nintendo isn’t planning to rerelease it in a big, big way. So, let’s analyze where Nintendo can expand or improve upon the classic in a Switch 2 remake.

1. Give It a Distinct Graphical Style

Ocarina of Time was remade once before, by Nintendo and developer Grezzo for the 3DS. In fact, your Ocarina of Time memories may be based on that release instead of the original, blocky N64 title. The game looks good, but it’s 14 years old. In 2025, gamers want remakes to knock their socks off. A slick example of how Nintendo should approach an Ocarina of Time visual overhaul lies in the fan-made video space.

Close to a year ago, a YouTuber published an Ocarina of Time video featuring a Studio Ghibli film style. It’s beautiful. Nintendo likely wouldn’t duplicate that, but the company should leverage the same creative knowledge that birthed other eye-catching Zelda titles, such as Breath of the Wild, Skyward Sword, and Wind Waker, to give a new Ocarina of Time a stunning cel-shaded or painterly aesthetic.

2. Improve the Combat Animations and Options

Ocarina of Time’s influential 3D combat pioneered locking on to an opponent and strafing. However, the fighting is the gameplay element that’s aged the worst. It’s slow, and you must wait for easily telegraphed openings or glowing weak spots before spamming sword strikes. Though slightly fleshed out by the items you find during Link’s journey, those additions don’t add much spice to enemy encounters.

So how can Nintendo build upon the battle mechanics while staying true to Ocarina of Time? Update the animations to make them more impactful. They should have less obvious tells, keeping you on your toes as you look for counterattacks. A heavier emphasis on items would make combat more dynamic, too. Ocarina of Time already does this a little bit. For example, you can stun enemies with Deku Seeds and exploit their weak points with well-aimed arrows. What if every enemy had a unique response to an item?

In my envisioned Ocarina of Time remake, the hookshot would pull shields or armor from enemies, and boomerang hits would knock one Stalfos into another. Implementing a rock-paper-scissors approach to battles goes beyond sword-and-board fighting, making even lesser encounters more puzzle-like—similar to how Ocarina’s boss encounters work.

How to Make a Classic N64 Zelda Look Like a Modern PC Game

3. Add Hollywood-Style Pizzazz

Ocarina of Time is a classic good-versus-evil tale with colorful characters and incredible dramatic moments. Ganondorf chasing Zelda and Impa from Hyrule’s castle, Saria’s emotional goodbye in the Lost Woods, and Link pulling the Master Sword from its pedestal are all movie-quality scenes. However, it can use fresh direction.

In 2025, Nintendo can enhance those seminal moments to make them even more impactful. Link can remain silent per usual, but voice-acted lines from other characters would make this world crackle with new energy. Likewise, I want movie-quality shots, including close-ups, character-focused moments, and frightening bosses with imposing personalities. A possible remake must feel as epic as we remember it. A fully orchestral score would help, too.

4. Make the World More Interactive

In 1998, Hyrule Field was a massive adventure—but not so much by today’s standards. Worse yet, it feels empty. The series’ recent entries filled out Hyrule’s lands with puzzles, collectibles, subterranean shrines, and local folk to interact with on your journey. The solution to Ocarina of Time’s problem is to add Tears of the Kingdom-style shrines to the overworld.

It would be a radical move requiring Nintendo to change the shrine’s fantasy-sci-fi aesthetic. However, adding caves or micro-dungeons would expand the sense of mystery and discovery, ultimately enriching Ocarina of Time’s world.

5. Bring Back the Master Quest

Ocarina of Time isn’t a difficult game. It’s easy if you’re a newcomer and really easy if you’ve been playing it for almost 30 years. That’s OK! Ocarina of Time isn’t Dark Souls. That said, it should bring back the Master Quest mode that remixes the dungeons, making them more challenging. The last time you could play Ocarina of Time’s Master Quest was on a Zelda collection that came as a preorder bonus for The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, a game from 2003.

Today, that’s still the only way you can play that version of the game. Nintendo included a mirror mode in the 3DS remake, but the dungeons were identical to the original. A remake of Ocarina of Time needs this legendary hard mode for us elder millennial sickos.

Admittedly, this is all speculation. Hopefully, the Nintendo Direct on April 2 makes these dreams come true. For more, check out the Switch 2 games and features we want most.

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