Not sure if you’ve heard, but they’re remaking Ocarina of Time. Oh, you had? Exciting, isn’t it!
Given the enthusiasm for the return of the Links Young and Adult just over one month from now, your algorithm has probably been spitting a whole load of Zelda-related content at you recently.
One such video that cropped up on my feed just this week came from classical guitarist Josh Garofolo (@JoshGUITARofolo). And if it’s been a long week, or if you’re just in the market for a soothing weekend pick-me-up, may I recommend grabbing your preferred morning beverage, slipping on some headphones, and properly relaxing for the next hour-and-twenty-ish? Ahhh, restorative.
Combining various of his many, many classical gaming covers (including everything from Castlevania to Chrono Trigger, Hollow Knight to Hades, Super Mario to Sonic), this particular Zelda-focused compilation went live a couple of weeks ago, and it’s just fantastic.
Kicking off with that title theme before leading into a collection of Ocarina winners interpreted on his nylon-string, there are also arrangements from Twilight Princess, Breath of the Wild, Skyward Sword, Wind Waker, Link’s Awakening, and Tears of the Kingdom. Not a bad bunch of games, those.
Regardless of where they all rank in your personal Zelda list, surely we can all agree that Zelda soundtracks are uniformly excellent? There’s John Williams Star Wars levels of consistency and quality, whatever you think of the individual games. And with many of Ocarina’s tunes fitting this instrument’s tone beautifully, I’d highly recommend a listen, even if classical guitar isn’t your typical go-to.
However, if this week’s sales of Zelda 40th Anniversary concert tickets are anything to go by, odds are you are keen on a little classical. Given the demand and disappointment for many, hopefully Nintendo puts on more concerts, and in some different venues around the world. Several NL staffers got lucky, but some of us live in countries with no announced dates!
But we’re not here to gripe; we’re here to chill the beans right down with some great music. Naturally, Garofolo is on Spotify if you prefer audio-only, and for guitarists, he also has TABs for these arrangements available via his website and Patreon. So you too can have a crack at an epic classical rendition of the Shop Theme (see above; it’s very good).
So, nothing new to report here. Just a little Saturday morning suggestion to help you flush the feed and relax this weekend. Enjoy!
Gavin first wrote for Nintendo Life in 2018 before joining the site full-time the following year, rising through the ranks to become Editor. He can currently be found squashed beneath a Switch backlog the size of Normandy.