It has been a week since the Nintendo Switch 2 remake of The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time released. I felt that now was time to somewhat combine a first impression alongside a look back at my own journey with the game, with its various editions over the years.
Originally released for the Nintendo 64 back in 1998, The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time was the first fully 3D game in the franchise. The action-adventure game took the world by storm and soon became a firm favourite for many The Legend of Zelda fans.
Over the years it still remained popular and saw a resurgence of both new and existing players when it made its way to the Nintendo 3DS in 2011. It was a full remake of the game ready for the 3DS console, which included higher-resolution textures, ran at a smooth 30 FPS and updated character models, to name a few changes.
However, the years ticked on, and even after all this time, the game remained popular among Nintendo fans. However, a teaser for the franchise’s 40th anniversary, a new, full remake, would be released for the Nintendo Switch 2.
Now, a week after its release here, I am reliving that magical childhood nostalgia once again on a brand new journey through Hyrule.
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The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Nintendo Switch 2 Trailer
So, how about we quickly look back at the trailer for the Nintendo Switch 2 edition of the game?
The Start of my Legend of Zelda Journey
My very first experience of The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time was when I was around 11 years old. In fact, this was my introduction to Nintendo games in general. It was at my childminders in the playroom where myself and another couple of kids would sit and watch a couple of the older ones play through various games, including Ocarina of Time. I was curious to see how their playthrough went. I didn’t really understand the story or what was really happening, but it was fun just watching.
Every now and then they would let a few of us just ride around Hyrule field with Epona just to say that we’ve played a bit of the game. When they started a new playthrough, they also let us play some of the early stages of the game while teaching us how to play.
Fast forward quite a few years, and I finally decided to make the move to the Nintendo 3DS. A pre-owned green one from my local GAME store. I picked up several games however, I was especially excited to pick up the Nintendo 3DS version of The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time. Needless to say, I was lost in the world of Hyrule, experiencing it properly for the first time myself from start to finish.
During this time as well, I scored one of the best bargains ever, which was a pre-owned Nintendo 64 on sale in my local Gamestation. Along with that, a handful of games. You guessed it, Ocarina of Time was one of those games.
While you can guess how that played out, I lost a good few hours between the two versions, slowly making my way through each of the games. Same game, same story, but different experiences in a way.
The Nintendo Switch 2 Era
Now we are up to 2026, and a full remake of the original game was heading to the Nintendo Switch 2. Needless to say, I was incredibly excited by this news, and better still, it’s out now.
The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time has given me plenty of memories over the years, and when I first stepped back into the world, I felt that childhood magic and nostalgia began to return. Walking around the Kokiri Forest again for the first time in a few years, seeing familiar faces and locations but all from a new perspective.
Re-exploring the game again has been wonderful. Picking up on bits within the game I’ve missed or forgotten about. Discovering new things I hadn’t noticed before and just re-experiencing the game over and over again.
While I’m still fairly early on in the game, I’m thoroughly loving it so far. Not only because The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time is a great game but also because of the work the team put into the game to bring it to life on Nintendo Switch 2. I will admit I was a little worried about the art style of this particular remake when I first saw the reveal. However, being hands-on and playing it for myself, I can’t see any other art style that would portray the game the way this does. It brings the whole world to life and is just so immersive. So many finer details in the way the world looks, the characters, the voice lines and the music. Everything comes together perfectly, and there’s still plenty more to discover.
I have to say, I’m happy to have picked this up recently. Between childhood nostalgia and just being excited again for one of my favourite games, it has been wonderful lately. I have a long way to go before my journey with Link, Zelda and a whole host of characters is over, but for now, I’ll be somewhere in Hyrule!
Whether you are a long-time The Legend of Zelda fan or diving into the franchise for the very first time, then The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time is certainly a great place to introduce you to the wonderful and mysterious franchise!
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I agree 100% – re-discovering things and bringing back nostalgic memories has been my favourite part of playing through this on Switch 2! And it looks great, of course. There’s just so much in the game that I forgot about and plenty of secrets, too, that I don’t even know if I found them back when I played it on N64! XD
Oh, definitely! It’s just everything I hoped for and more. The childhood magic but then rediscovering parts of the game I’d forgotten about as well as discovering things for the very first time!