When I was younger, there was a legend among the gamers of my generation. A rumor, almost a prophecy: Nintendo would never stop making new Zelda games until its greatest masterpiece had been surpassed. That masterpiece was The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo 64, still considered by most fans to be the best Zelda ever made.
Every game that came after it was doomed, with no way out, to be compared to it. Years and years of splendid new adventures went by, each one trying to reach the sky where Ocarina lived. Not even its direct sequel, Majora's Mask, made it that high.
And even though part of me always hoped that goal would never be reached, we all dreamed of something capable of surpassing such a magnificent work. Today, we finally have the answer: the only thing capable of surpassing Zelda: Ocarina of Time is Ocarina of Time itself. 🎶✨
Well. After many hours running across Hyrule Field, playing the ocarina at everything and getting jump-scared by ReDeads, it's time for the full review. Grab your Navi, because this one's long. 🧚✨
Chapter I
The basics
- Platform: Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive
- Release date: November 5, 2026, right on Zelda's 40th anniversary 🎂
- Price: R$ 329.90 on the Brazilian eShop (US$ 59.99 in the US)
- Language: text and voice acting in Brazilian Portuguese, a first for a Zelda game! 🇧🇷
- Performance: a locked 60 frames per second, both on the TV and in handheld mode
Chapter II
Hyrule like you've never seen it
The first time I stepped onto Hyrule Field, with the mist low on the ground and the sun rising behind Death Mountain, I had to stop and just look. It's exactly the Hyrule my childhood memory swore existed on the Nintendo 64. 🥹
Castle Town now has way more people on the streets, each with their own routine, and the place really changes when night falls. Kakariko got a new look and its villagers are much more memorable (there's even a bearded guy looking for other bearded guys around the village 🧔). And the details... Link closes his eyes when he plays the ocarina, people. I wasn't ready.
And yes, the ReDeads were redesigned to be even scarier. Thank you, Nintendo, I really needed some new nightmares. 💀
Chapter III
"Hey! Listen!" now with a voice (in Portuguese too!)
This is the first Zelda with voice acting and text in Brazilian Portuguese, and it changes everything. The cutscenes are longer and more polished, and some scenes we all know by heart got more screen time, like the first time Link pulls the Master Sword. Goosebumps. ⚔️
After 28 years of reading "Hey! Listen!" in a speech bubble, hearing Navi actually talk to us is an experience I didn't know I needed. 👂✨
Chapter IV
Link learned some new tricks
Gameplay is where the remake changes the most, and almost always for the better:
- Link can jump! Yes, JUMP, whenever you want, not just off the edge of a platform. In 1998 this would have been considered witchcraft. 🦘
- Free camera: you can finally look wherever you want, no more fighting the camera.
- Dodges and dashing: you can quick-step to the sides, backflip, and holding the roll button makes Link break into a faster dash.
- Third-person aiming: you can now walk while holding the bow or the slingshot.
- Dedicated shortcuts: the ocarina, the boots and the masks got their own buttons, and you can swap items without opening the menu.
- Song menu: every ocarina song is listed with its notes. Goodbye, sticky note on the TV. 🎶
- Threads of Time: a journal that reminds you what to do and where to go, and even shows how many Heart Pieces and Gold Skulltulas you've found in each region.
Chapter V
The dungeons (and my old trauma)
The path is the same as always, but several parts were redesigned. The Kokiri Sword puzzle changed a little, and sneaking into Hyrule Castle to meet Zelda became a brand new stealth puzzle. 🤫
And yes, the Water Temple is still there. But it was adjusted to be less of a headache, and the colored lights that show the water level (from the 3DS version) are still there too. It's not a cure for the trauma, but it's therapy. 💧🫠
The bosses are calmer too: Big Octo, inside Jabu-Jabu, no longer has the spinning spikes or randomly switches direction, and Phantom Ganon and Twinrova go easier on you. The bosses' new attacks are telegraphed well in advance, so you can dodge them calmly.
For those who enjoy suffering, there's also a mode to face the bosses again, now with their new look. It wasn't on the N64: it debuted in the 3DS version and was kept here. The rewards are decorations for the shelf in Link's room. Cute, but I wanted a bit more of a challenge. 👹
And the Forest Temple... well, let me show you. But only click if you don't mind spoilers, okay? 👻
⚠️ GAMEPLAY SPOILERClick to watch the video
Chapter VI
Did it get too easy?
A little, yes. With the jump, the free camera, the shortcuts and the softer bosses, anyone who played the original will breeze through several parts. And there's also the Business Scrub Seed, which summons a merchant on the spot so you can buy arrows and bombs wherever you are. Practical? Very. Challenging? Not at all. 😅
There's no Hero Mode (the one where you take double damage) and no Master Quest, the remixed version of the dungeons. I really wanted it! 😭 It's perfect for first-timers, but veterans will miss an extra challenge.
Chapter VII
Not everything is perfect 🥀
To be fair, there are a few things that could be different:
- Just one item button: the other one became a "put away" button, and each bottle takes up its own inventory slot. I miss having three items at hand. 🍶
- Just one save: it's one save file plus five autosaves per profile. If you want to replay without erasing your finished game, you'll need to create another profile on the Switch.
- Pacing: the longer cutscenes are beautiful, but every now and then they slow the game down.
- The new character designs are splitting people. Some love them, some find them strange. Me? I'm already attached. 💚
- The Biggoron Sword still comes with that huge trading quest, and you'll probably need a guide. Some things never change. 🗡️
Chapter VIII
Hyrule gallery 📸
I picked a few screenshots I took during my adventure. Click to see them big!
Chapter IX
Is it worth it?
It is. It REALLY is. 💚
Yes, it's a safe remake, it got easier and I wanted Master Quest. But it's the Ocarina we remember, just the way our memory always thought it was: beautiful, running smoothly, speaking Portuguese and without fighting the camera. For first-timers, it's the definitive way to discover Zelda's greatest classic. For those who played it in 1998, it's a trip through time, literally. ⏳
The legend said Nintendo would only stop once it surpassed Ocarina of Time. And in the end, the only thing capable of surpassing Ocarina... was Ocarina itself. 🎶🧚
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm heading out to Hyrule Field to chase the sunset with Epona. Navi's coming too, yelling in my ear, of course. 🐴🌅