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The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time is widely considered to be one of the greatest games of all time. It pushed boundaries like never before when it originally came out in 1998, and without it games like Dark Souls and Elden Ring would have never been made. Ironically, the world has flipped and the Legend of Zelda series has been influenced by other franchises. The two most recent main-line games (Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom) have taken inspiration from more modern games like the aforementioned Dark Souls, Minecraft, and Skyrim. Given how critically acclaimed both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom were, how could Nintendo possibly go back to their roots with Ocarina of Time? Despite the changes brought on by most recent games, Ocarina’s timeless story, immense scale, and complex dungeons still hold up and a remake could allow new audiences to fall in love with the tale of the Hero of Time the way those who grew up with the Nintendo 64 did.
The one element that has been universally criticised about the post-Breath of the Wild era Zelda games are the dungeons. Rather than being sprawling temples, the dungeons in Breath of the Wild took place in contained puzzle box environments with relatively simple puzzles that could be solved with relative ease. Every temple amounted to this formula: board Divine Beast, retrieve map/control gimmick, activate a set number of terminals, and then fight a variant of one of Ganon’s spawn. For a first game in this new style having relatively simple dungeons wasn’t too big a deal, especially given the amount of shrines. Tears of the Kingdom added slightly more complex dungeons with the Lightning Temple being a major highlight. However, temples like the Water and Fire Temple suffer from the same constraints as the Divine Beasts, given that the puzzles are very easy to sequence break (especially with Ultrahand). Ocarina of Time on the other hand offers a wide variety of dungeons, each with varying levels of complexity and a unique theme. There’s a great curve in difficulty, with the first three dungeons not even requiring small keys and then the Spirit Temple at the end of the game being an impossibly large citadel that requires both child and adult Link to explore.
The atmosphere of these temples are super memorable, with the inside of the Great Deku Tree offering a disturbing vibe as the player dives deeper into its roots and fights off imposing skulltulas. The challenge with bringing back these dungeons is that because there is a set order to solve puzzles, it might discourage replay value for returning players. Part of what makes games like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom so loved is their replay value, as there are so many nuances to the mechanics and multiple ways puzzles can be solved. Modders and hackers in the Zelda Community have brought new life to Ocarina of Time by making randomizers for all of the dungeons which change items found in chests. Adding in a similar randomizer mode for the remake might help spruce things up and give players a reason to play multiple times over. Alternatively, the Master Quest version of Ocarina of Time that was first released in 2003 for the Gamecube could be expanded upon, with multiple variants of each of the dungeons for players to explore on different runs. The dungeons in Ocarina of Time are masterful, and there are plenty of options to help keep them fresh for modern gamers.
In addition to the rich dungeons, Ocarina of Time presents a timeless story about coming of age, overcoming adversity, and finding your place in the world. When the player first steps foot into the Kokiri Village they are bullied by the other inhabitants of the village for not having a fairy of their own, showing that they are viewed as a pariah in their home village. Upon retrieving the first Spiritual Stone from the Great Deku Tree before he dies, Link must abandon his forest home and head to Hyrule Castle to meet Princess Zelda. Hyrule Field is massive, and provides much more freedom to explore than Link’s quaint forest village. As he makes it to Hyrule’s Castle Town he is greeted by the hustle and bustle of the townsfolk, and the world he’s been sheltered from feels bright and colorful. After retrieving the other two sacred stones he comes face to face with Ganondorf, the powerful warlock who wishes to destroy the world. The sight of this man terrifies Link, and as Princess Zelda is whisked to safety by Impa the weight of Link’s responsibility becomes even heavier.
After being sealed in the Temple of Time for 7 years, Link wakes up as an adult to see the world that Ganondorf has taken over. The once bright and bustling town is desolate, with Re-Deads patrolling around the square. All of the towns Link has visited, including his home in the Kokiri Forest, have been invaded by Ganondorf’s forces and Link must summon his courage to restore balance to Hyrule. By the end of the game, Link battles with Ganon at the ruins of his castle and drives the Master Sword clean into his skull. The player has grown with Link as a character, getting to know his struggles living in a village as a pariah and then overcoming adversity to become the hero of Hyrule. In Breath of the Wild the player journeys with Link to restore his forgotten memories, which is intriguing in and of itself. What makes Ocarina special however is that the player feels like they grow older with Link as they play. Childhood friends Link makes like Malon and Zelda are fully grown once Link returns as an adult, showing a sense of progression with the story and world. Because the player visited towns like Zora’s Domain and Goron City as child Link, it’s likely they’ll be more attached to them as adult Link and want to save them from Ganondorf’s evil. Given the high graphical fidelity of the Switch 2, it’s likely that these settings will feel even more believable than ever. This game has the chance to feel new to players who fell in love with the original while also acting as a wonderful jumping off point for new players.
Despite the Zelda formula changing greatly over the course of several decades, the bones of Ocarina are mighty and don’t require a lot in terms of creative overhaul. The universal coming of age story combined with the intricate dungeons make Ocarina of Time a timeless classic worthy of a modern interpretation.
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