Aonuma and Fujibayashi explain Ocarina of Time remake choices

This is a new development in a story we reported earlier: Hands‑on previews show Switch 2 Ocarina of Time remake’s updated controls and puzzles. Earlier in this story: Nintendo reveals Switch 2 Ocarina integration in Ocarina of Time remake trailer.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake launches on Nintendo Switch 2 on November 5, 2026. The remake costs $60 and is exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2. It is the first Zelda title developed for Switch 2 hardware, apart from Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment.

Series producer Eiji Aonuma discussed the remake in Volume 24 of Nintendo’s Ask the Developer series. Aonuma said remaking Ocarina of Time gives younger Nintendo developers historical context for future Zelda games, and he let younger staffers choose what needed to be changed. He also said, “No, let’s focus on this game. Let’s make this the best version of Ocarina of Time that we can.”

Hidemaro Fujibayashi said he “took a step back” to let the team’s younger talent shine.

Many people working on modern Zelda games did not work on the original Ocarina of Time, and some were children when it came out. Aonuma wanted to see what conclusions younger staffers would reach about changes based on their own work and understanding of the Zelda series. He consciously handed change decisions to younger team members to see what conclusions they would draw from their own understanding of the series.

CNET’s reviewer said all graphics in the remake were redone and surpass the visual splendor of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. The reviewer called it the best-looking game on Switch 2 yet, while noting that the scope, story, and challenges remain nearly unchanged, making the game feel intimate despite its large scale.

The remake adds a manual jump button and lets players look around with a trigger button instead of relying on the original’s auto-jump and Z-targeting. The original Ocarina of Time released in 1998 on Nintendo 64.

Finding the first sword in Kokiri Forest and portions of the dialogue differ from the original. CNET described these as early examples of small changes that gradually overwrote the reviewer’s memories of the 1998 game.

CNET’s reviewer said the story is told more directly than in recent Zelda games, with laid-out goals and a faster pace, and that he got lost in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom at times.

Nintendo changed several boss fights in the remake by adding new attacks and animations. Mashable’s Alex Perry said the alterations add novelty to the adventure and made him grin whenever familiar bosses surprised him, though he avoided specifics because the game had just launched.

The hookshot can no longer attach to Kakariko Village rooftops. Most grapple points remain intact, but many were changed from natural features such as tree branches to marked targets, reducing how Link moves through the village. Perry explained the original hookshot expanded usefulness with extended targeting range and attachable surfaces such as wooden treasure chests and Kakariko rooftops, but that philosophy has not been entirely maintained.

Players cannot aim in first person with items such as the hookshot, bow, or boomerang; the camera stays behind Link with optional gyro aiming. Mashable said the over-the-shoulder view may suit younger fans of Breath of the Wild but removes the ability to zoom in and inspect details such as a stick drawing on Link’s Kokiri Forest treehouse.

Every major story cutscene has full voice acting for all characters except Link. The voice acting is cartoonish and sometimes cheesy, and voiced cutscenes last longer than the original’s text-box sequences.

Great Fairies demand hundreds of rupees for upgrades that were free in the original Nintendo 64 game. In the original, players needed 40 rupees to bypass an early-game obstacle, and the game doled out arrows and health potions generously enough to make buying supplies unnecessary. Rupees were not totally superfluous in the original because they were needed for mini-games and an early obstacle. Nintendo added incentives to hoard rupees and collect Gold Skulltula tokens to expand Link’s wallet, encouraging players to engage with optional content.

The day/night cycle in the remake is longer, applies everywhere including towns, and makes non-player characters move between day and night positions in real time. The original had a short cycle and turned it off in towns and cities. The original N64 game had a short cycle in which players could hardly cross Hyrule Field on foot before sunset and skeleton monsters emerged. In the remake the Hyrule Field drawbridge no longer rises at night, and waiting for certain times of day is somewhat more tedious where necessary.

Masato Ohashi, the music lead and sound director, crafted new chilled-out nighttime versions of some of composer Koji Kondo’s iconic area themes. The longer cycle gives Ohashi the chance to create nighttime arrangements of Kondo’s classic area themes.

Alex Perry reports that the Switch 2 version is a reimagining of the 1998 game containing many major and minor changes of uneven quality. Perry said he wants to highlight differences he noticed while playing, ranging from fun to frustrating to uncategorizable.

CNET’s reviewer said Nintendo’s trend of updating classic games over the last year or so started with Star Fox, continued with Switch Sports Resort, and returned with Ocarina of Time. Nintendo brought Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask to the Nintendo 3DS, and the reviewer said remaking Majora’s Mask for Switch 2 now seems inevitable.