Nintendo Releases Ocarina of Time Remake for Switch 2, Updating a 1998 Classic

3 articles · Updated · slantmagazine · Nov 14

November 5 brought Nintendo’s Switch 2 remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, a near-identical structural retread that sharply refreshes the 1998 game’s visuals, controls and pacing.
The biggest gains come from movement and combat: on-command jumping, snappier swordplay and more aggressive enemies make the adventure feel faster and more playable while preserving its atmosphere and spatial design.
That restraint also limits the overhaul, with condescending guidance, straightforward puzzle logic and item-locked dungeon structure largely intact; when puzzles change, they are usually made clearer rather than deeper.
Visually, the remake trades the N64 original’s abstraction for handcrafted detail without chasing realism, presenting Hyrule as a deliberate reinterpretation rather than a definitive replacement.
The result is a strong in-house Nintendo remake by the main Zelda team—technically impressive and affectionate, but also a sign of an industry still leaning on familiar classics.