What's New

    
                               

The Switch 2 version of Ocarina of Time is a full remake, built from scratch by Nintendo EPD for the series' 40th anniversary. The story, the dungeons and the order you play them in are the same as in 1998. Director HokWai Ng's team chose to keep the original pacing and structure and to put their effort into the visuals, music, controls and presentation. Here is what is different from the Nintendo 64 and 3DS versions.

Controls and Movement

  • Jump button: Link no longer jumps automatically when he runs off a ledge. You now jump yourself with a dedicated button, which is the biggest change to how the game feels. Some old shortcuts that relied on the automatic jump no longer work, and a few Heart Pieces now have to be reached the intended way.
  • Running: Link can now dash, and he swims faster than before. Rolling over and over to move quickly is no longer necessary.
  • Free camera: you can turn the camera with the right stick at any time. Z-targeting still works the way it always did.
  • Aiming: the Slingshot, Fairy Bow, Hookshot and other aimed items use an over-the-shoulder view, and you can aim with motion controls (gyro) or with the sticks.
  • Item shortcuts: items can be put on the directional buttons, and you can scroll through your items without opening the menu, much like Breath of the Wild. Gear you used to swap in the menu, such as the Iron Boots, can go on a shortcut.
  • Grapple points: many Hookshot targets are now clearly marked, so you are not left guessing which branch or wall you can latch on to.

The Ocarina

You still play songs with the buttons, but the Switch 2's built-in microphone also lets you hum, sing or play a real instrument, and Link plays the song in the game. The songs and what they do are unchanged: Zelda's Lullaby, Epona's Song, the Sun's Song, the Song of Time and the rest all work the same, and the Scarecrow's Song still lets you make up your own.

The World

  • Hyrule Castle Town is now a fully explorable 3D town. In the original it was a pre-rendered backdrop with a fixed camera.
  • Day and night now carry on everywhere. Time used to stop in towns and buildings; now a clock keeps running in Castle Town, Kakariko Village and indoors too.
  • Collectibles were moved. Several Pieces of Heart and Gold Skulltulas are in different places, so the old guides are not always right. For example, the Heart Piece that used to sit behind red ice in the Ice Cavern is gone, and a Business Scrub in Death Mountain Crater now sells one instead. See our Heart Pieces and Gold Skulltulas pages for the full lists, with every change marked.
  • Echo Gem: the House of Skulltula's 20-token reward is now the Echo Gem, which glows and chimes near Gold Skulltulas. It replaces the Stone of Agony. The wallet rewards also hold more Rupees than before.
  • Map counters: the map shows how many Heart Pieces and Gold Skulltulas you have found in each region.
  • Some areas still have loading screens, kept on purpose to preserve the feel of the original.

New Features

  • Threads of Time: a new quest log in the menu. It sums up the story so far and tells you your current objective, and its tapestry-style artwork fills in as you progress. If you put the game down for a while, check here first.
  • Hall of Fallen Foes: statues and notes on the enemies you have defeated, where you can fight the bosses again against the clock or take on three boss-rush trials. It takes the place of the 3DS version's Boss Challenge. See our Boss Rush Tips.
  • Fairy Thoughts: notes scattered across Hyrule with small bits of lore and hints. A couple of them point you to new Heart Piece puzzles in Hyrule Field.
  • Voiced cutscenes: the cutscenes are fully voice-acted and there is more dialogue. The music has been re-recorded with an orchestra.
  • amiibo: tapping Zelda amiibo gives you free items a few times a day. Young Link and Young Zelda amiibo coming in 2027 will unlock special masks.

What's Not Included

  • No Master Quest. The rearranged second quest that came with the GameCube and 3DS versions is not in the remake, and there is no Hero Mode.
  • There is only one save slot.
  • Reviewers found it easier than the original, with puzzles that are more clearly signposted.

Zelda Notes

Zelda Notes is a free companion feature in the Nintendo Switch App on your phone. For this game it adds an interactive map, progress tracking, an ocarina you can play on your phone and a Zelda quiz. It isn't needed to play.