The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake Review and Launch Highlights
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has secured a 96 metascore to become the highest-rated game of 2026, Top Gear reported.
IGN previously called the 1998 N64 release “the biggest game of the decade” when it launched, setting the standard for 3D games.
The Tech TL;DR:
- Nintendo launched its 4K Switch 2 remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Thursday, bringing updated graphics and 21st-century controls to the 1998 classic.
- The release revived midnight queues at retailers like Argos on Oxford Street, where fans waited up to four hours for physical copies and promotional items.
- Producers Eiji Aonuma and Hidemaro Fujibayashi designed the remake to help younger Nintendo developers learn from the original design principles while updating the game’s fidelity.
In a column for The Guardian, a reviewer described standing outside the Argos on Oxford Street on Thursday night alongside roughly 500 fans waiting for the midnight release. According to The Guardian, the physical launch featured a limited ocarina-shaped keyring and a replica 1998 N64 box.
Staff informed queuers that anyone missing out on the initial stock would receive the collectible box by post, an experience that included Nintendo executive Bill Trinen serving customers in San Francisco.
Speaking to the BBC, series producer Eiji Aonuma noted that the original Nintendo 64 release relied on limited technology to convey ideas, such as the human-spider hybrids in the Skulltula House. Ed King, known online as Zeltik to his 893,000 followers on YouTube, told the BBC that the Forest Temple remake leans into the surreal and uncanny nature of the original dungeon, describing it as a mysterious, haunted mansion in the deep woods slowly being reclaimed by nature.
Fellow YouTuber StrawHatMidas told the BBC it was the “perfect” way to “bring this classic back,” noting that it pays homage to the original while expanding on memorable elements.
Meanwhile, a fan named Mike told the BBC: I loved the original as much as the next person, but I don’t think I’ll be going back to it.
The BBC noted that the franchise’s first movie is scheduled for release next year.
In a separate interview with IGN, Aonuma explained that involving younger developers in the project provided a valuable opportunity for them to study the original work and build their own reinterpretation. Fujibayashi told IGN that the core of any Zelda game remains a combination of exploration and discovery, supported in this release by manual camera controls and jumping mechanics.
While London fans secured details for mailed boxes after four hours of queuing, the midnight release experienced friction elsewhere. IGN noted that the remake frames Link's journey as a retold legend, opening with a depiction of the people and places of Hyrule.
As technical capabilities have advanced since the original release, Nintendo balances nostalgia with modern visual standards in the remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.