“A grower and a show-er?” – Gavin Lane
Image: Nintendo
Glimpsing the game on a phone screen while jogging to a departure gate was a suboptimal way to get a first (proper) look at it, and, as pretty as it is, I absolutely get the ‘Unreal Engine mod’ takes. The granular details on the leather braided belts and Epona’s hair are impressive, but everything looks exceptionally shiny. Link and Saria’s faces felt off initially — the former too angular and the latter too soft — and Saria’s voice sounded gratingly cutesy.
But after nearly 30 years of internalising this world and these characters, any new interpretation will be jarring at first. ‘What!? There are big stone slabs in Kokiri Forest?!?!’ My mind scrutinised every last detail and threw up various questions. Having rewatched the trailer multiple times, though, Link’s design and the approach in general are growing on me. I’m enjoying the porcelain doll quality of his features. They’ve got the silhouettes right, too, so the detail isn’t overwhelming or confusing.
I’d have liked them to lean into a less obvious style (imagine it looking like Coraline) — something less ‘safe’ — but there’s a nice injection of BOTW-esque grandeur without just aping that game’s look entirely. Ollie mentioned yesterday that it feels like the Space World 2000 GameCube tech demo finally realised, and he’s not wrong. And the music did a lot to tap into that nostalgia Aonuma mentioned, for me; it absolutely sounded like Kokiri Forest and Hyrule Field, and you could have mistaken Inside the Deku Tree for the original ambient track.
Will this be a grower and a show-er? That’s my feeling right now, though I was hoping for something weirder and unique-looking. It’s essentially Nintendo’s Switch 2 playbook distilled into an art style — ‘more and higher fidelity’ — and the right call for the widest possible appeal. I’m eager to see more, as we all are.
“Do I hate it?” – Jim Norman
Image: Nintendo
‘Do I hate it?’ That was my first thought as the gameplay reveal started, and honestly, I’m still not completely sure where I land.
I cried a lot during that Direct — show me Hyrule Field in any art style and play some of my favourite music ever, and I’ll be weeping — and there is no doubt that I am going to completely adore this game.
But still, there’s something about the hyper-detail of it all that just doesn’t sit right with me. Maybe it’s because those locales are so eternally etched in my memory, but the drop in readability and general busyness of the screen left me a little cold.
Like Gavin says, it’ll grow on me. I know it will. Catch me on launch day calling it “the best remake ever”. But I need a little more time to digest it all for now. It’s a lot to take in!
“It looks like a fairy tale” – Ollie Reynolds
Image: Nintendo
Going into the Direct, I was utterly convinced that we’d be in for a 1:1 remake with minimal changes to the gameplay or structure. That’s pretty much what we got, but I still wasn’t quite prepared for how stunning it all looks. I can understand some of the hesitation around the character faces and the sheer amount of shiny detail on display, but I’m all on board.
It looks like a fairy tale; a perfect encapsulation of the original’s approach and vibe. I know there are a lot of “hire this man” comments floating around right now, but I think what Nintendo has accomplished here is a lot more ambitious than a basic Unreal mod. The spirits floating around Kokiri Forest, the gnarly look of the Deku Tree, the blades of grass swaying in the wind… It all works for me.
I’m curious to see whether additions like sprinting and jumping at the press of a button make much of a difference to the gameplay, and I’d love to see if Nintendo is willing to sneak in some references to more recent games that take place earlier in the timeline.
Crucially, will this game be good enough to replace the original? In my mind, probably not, but you never know.
Image: Nintendo
So, what were your thoughts on Zelda: Ocarina of Time now that you’ve had some time to mull it over? Share them with a comment down below.
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Nintendo Life’s resident horror fanatic, when he’s not knee-deep in Resident Evil and Silent Hill lore, Ollie likes to dive into a good horror book while nursing a lovely cup of tea. He also enjoys long walks and listens to everything from TOOL to Chuck Berry.