The Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake Sounds Meaningfully Better Than the Original
News Source
β’Sat, 17 Oct 2026 18:00:18 GMT
π° What Happened
Nintendo's remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time arrives on Switch 2 next month. Early hands-on previews came out this week, and Polygon's Michael McWhertor called the game snappy, streamlined and polished.
Previewers said it feels smooth and reacts fast. The 1998 original ran at about 20 frames per second, which makes it feel slow today. The remake also adds a new feature called the Hall of Fallen Foes.
Nintendo also used the week to confirm it will keep supporting physical game cards on Switch 2, even as Sony prepares to drop discs.
π The Backstory
Ocarina of Time launched on the Nintendo 64 in 1998 and is still often named one of the best games ever made. Nintendo has remade it before.
The 2011 3DS version was handed to an outside studio, Grezzo, which also made the 2019 Link's Awakening remake. This time the job appears to have gone to one of Nintendo's own internal teams, and previews say the difference shows.
The article argues Nintendo usually keeps game budgets tight. Spending real money here suggests the company sees this release as a defence of its name, not just a quick rerelease.
π― Why It Matters
Players get a smoother version of a famous game, and newcomers get an easy entry point. For Nintendo, it protects a prized name while giving people a reason to buy a Switch 2.
Nintendo's remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time arrives on Switch 2 next month. Early hands-on previews came out this week, and Polygon's Michael McWhertor called the game snappy, streamlined and polished.
Previewers said it feels smooth and reacts fast. The 1998 original ran at about 20 frames per second, which makes it feel slow today. The remake also adds a new feature called the Hall of Fallen Foes.
Nintendo also used the week to confirm it will keep supporting physical game cards on Switch 2, even as Sony prepares to drop discs.
Ocarina of Time launched on the Nintendo 64 in 1998 and is still often named one of the best games ever made. Nintendo has remade it before.
The 2011 3DS version was handed to an outside studio, Grezzo, which also made the 2019 Link's Awakening remake. This time the job appears to have gone to one of Nintendo's own internal teams, and previews say the difference shows.
The article argues Nintendo usually keeps game budgets tight. Spending real money here suggests the company sees this release as a defence of its name, not just a quick rerelease.
Players get a smoother version of a famous game, and newcomers get an easy entry point. For Nintendo, it protects a prized name while giving people a reason to buy a Switch 2.