15 Things The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Remake Changes From The Original On N64

Is it November already? I’m currently overloaded with games to play, but I also really want to play Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake. It will be released for Nintendo Switch 2 on November 5, 2026, which is just over a month from now, and that’s just not soon enough for me. I can’t stop thinking about it!

Ocarina of time is still fresh in my brain. I actually played it for the very first time last January, and aside from the fact that it was clunky and old to control, I really enjoyed it! So I’m pretty excited to give it a second chance, but with modern, smooth, shiny controls, as well as some of the new updates introduced with this remake.

Because there are changes, beyond just the visuals. And I’ve been watching the trailers a lot and thinking about them with friends, and I think I’ve managed to identify what I consider the 15 greatest. Some of these were pointed out directly by Eiji Aonuma in the gameplay presentation, but others are significantly more subtle. Let’s think about it, shall we?

voice acting

While the original Ocarina of time There were some grunts and screams and other little voice cues that played when characters spoke, the remake has fully voiced cutscenes.

Jump button

Link can jump now, at the right time! No need to line up while sprinting at the edge of a cliff for its auto-jump to work properly; you can just control it now and even jump to all kinds of other places.

Swimming

Link can also swim now, properly this time, with a small speed boost with the press of a button, and underwater too! He has a short stamina bar that depletes when underwater, so he can’t sink forever, but you no longer need to do weird maneuvers with the Iron Boots to stay underwater.

Free camera

You can now rotate the camera freely rather than having to rely on a mix of a complicated targeting system and putting the camera behind Link to see what’s going on. This is also the case in areas that once had a fixed camera, like Castle Town, so you can see a lot more of those areas, including places that were never visible before.

Sprint

Like before, Link can do a small roll, but if you hold the A button while rolling, he will start sprinting and move even faster than before.

Mechanisms

Many very intelligent people have pointed this out Ocarina of time seems to have changed some of the dungeon mechanics so that while they remain the same for the purposes of the game, the way they work is a little more in line with a world in which actions have a proper cause and effect. The most commonly cited example is this room, where instead of a floating platform, there is a log bridge collapsing beneath Link. Then, once he has the slingshot, he pulls a switch that makes two stone panels move and releases a ladder. Before, Link had just shot some webs and the ladder seemed to mysteriously fall from them. It’s a little more credible!

Hyrule Field

The topography of Hyrule Field is different than it used to be. Link walking towards this amazing view of the field isn’t a thing in the original simply because of how elevations work. Lon Lon Ranch no longer appears to be on a plateau. There’s also an interesting little swampy area in one corner of the map that was previously just empty land. These are all pretty subtle changes, but I think most of the ones I’ve seen help make Hyrule Field feel vast and make good use of the improved draw distance, recognizing the fact that players now expect more than just big, blank swathes of green field.

Lively castle town

It is path more people than there were originally in Ocarina Castle Town. Neat!

Time continues

Not just on the ground like before, but time will also pass in towns like Castle Town. This means we will be able to see the city go from night to day, and vice versa!

City provisions

In general, some city provisions appear to have been changed or have more details added. The most obvious example is the location of construction works in Kakariko village; it’s not in the same place as in the original. There is also a new area in Hyrule Castle, accessible when Link crawls through the tunnel to the courtyard: he finds himself in a sort of sewer. It’s unclear why this was done, but it can make finding what you’re looking for a little more difficult if you rely too much on your memories.

Iron Boots

You can just map them to a button now. This was present in the 3DS version of Ocarinatoo, but it’s just SO It’s nice to see him come back.

Lens of Truth

Is it a pair of glasses now? I guess that makes sense. Previously, using the lens would simply show a small view on the camera for the player to see through, and would not actually show Link using the magnifying glass. Now Link will just put on the glasses, which looks a little more realistic.

A bigger wallet?

I’m not 100% sure about this one, but some people have pointed out that in the trailer Link appears to have a cap of 200 rupees. In the original Ocarinahe starts the game with a cap of 99 rupees, and anything above that cap goes… nowhere. You can upgrade your wallet through quests, and I suppose it’s possible that in the version of the game we’re looking at, Link has already done this in some way, even if it seems like he still is at the very beginning. But a higher cap to start with would be welcome.

Loading screens

In the gameplay preview, Eiji Aonuma pointed out that the team wanted to keep the loading screens between main areas to maintain the same feel as the original game. But above all, there seems to be No loading screens when entering buildings like shops, making exploring an individual area much smoother. We haven’t seen what form this takes in Castle Town, but it at least seems true in Kokiri Forest.

Play the ocarina

In addition to pressing the correct button sequence to play your OcarinaYou can also hum, sing, or play a real instrument into the microphone, and the game will record it as a song. So if you’re like me and can hum all the songs without remembering the buttons, this version of Ocarina of time it will be much smoother!