Recently, Nintendo shared a ton of new footage for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Switch 2. This was mostly done via the Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct last week, but there was even more material released on the official site, social media site accounts and Nintendo Today.
But while the Direct pointed out many major changes in the game’s style and mechanics (like the new jump button or dash feature), there were plenty of others that sneakily slipped under the radar. So, in this article we’re gonna highlight them all. Whether they’re included in the Direct or trailer, official site or Nintendo Today updates, here is every intriguing detail and change we noticed in this game.
The List of Details
34. Doggy!
Starting with a simple one. In the video from the official Japanese site showing the effects of the Sun’s Song, you can see one of the dogs run past the camera to the left. Nice to know they retain their terrier esque designs from the original game!
33. That’s Ganon’s Castle Alright…
You can also get a quick glimpse of Ganon’s Castle in another video too. Indeed, one video has adult Link riding Epona across Hyrule Field, and you can see Ganon’s Castle in the background during the video. It’s not super clear given how far away Link is, but it sure looks imposing!
32. Is That a Ponytail?
Another amusing detail is that the Iron Knuckle enemies seem to have ponytails now. Or at least, this particular one from the trailer does:
So, why is this?
Well, as people have pointed out elsewhere, this Iron Knuckle seems to actually be the brainwashed version of Nabooru you fight before battling Twinrova in the Spirit Temple. And all the witches did was forcefully make the character wear Iron Knuckle armour rather than transforming them physically.
Hence the hairstyle seems like a subtle bit of extra foreshadowing here. Nifty!
31. The Hands of Doom
Another neat detail involves the Shadow Temple boss, Bongo Bongo. In the original game, he appeared as a shadow when he attacked Link and Sheik in Kakariko Village, but you see his glowing hands in the remake, foreshadowing his true nature.
30. They’re Glasses Now?
Speaking of the Shadow Temple, the Lens of Truth got a few tweaks too. Not only does it look like glasses (which heavily resemble Purah’s from the wild era games), but it appears like a giant eye that opens and closes when equipped. Spooky.
29. It’s a Tunnel
On a different note, the build-up to the Great Deku Tree has been altered a bit as well. While in the original game it was an open-air pathway with high walls and strange vertical Deku Babas:
In the Switch 2 version it’s a proper tunnel without a single Deku Baba in sight.
Definitely a visual upgrade for sure, though it does make us wonder if those weaker Deku Babas have now been cut from the game altogether…
28. A Pink Navi
There’s also an interesting design change with Navi too. Indeed, while she was blue in the original game and 3D, she’s now pink in the remake.
Kinda surprising really, given that said pink colour scheme was originally reserved for the wild fairies you’d find in dungeons and fairy fountains…
27. Dry Ice
Another visual update involves the treasure chests found throughout the game. Now, opening them seems to unleash a ton of dry ice too, given the opening sequence a visual flair not found in the original version:
Jeez, they sure made everything dramatic in this version!
26. A Visible Ocarina
Meanwhile Link’s current ocarina is visible on his back at all times, alongside his sword and shield. Nice to remind you it’s always there.
25. Stylish Area Names
There are also now area names which appear in the modern Hylian font whenever you enter a new location. It’s a bit snazzier than the original design, which appeared in the centre of the screen with the most generic font under the sun.
24. Navi Follows the Music
Another fun detail involves Navi reacting to your ocarina playing. Now, she’ll fly around in time with the song you’re playing. Cute!
23. That Ought to Hurt…
Ocarina of Time was always a more brutal game than its modern counterparts, with a lot of enemy death scenes that pushed things a little farther than the later 3D games.
But it seems to have been ratcheted up to eleven in this remake. Now, defeating an enemy will tear it to pieces in the most brutal way possible, especially with the likes of the Tektites and Stalfos. Yeah, seeing those pieces fly off is certainly a lot edgier than the enemy turning into smoke, isn’t it?
22. It Swings Both Ways
The Megaton Hammer can also be swung both vertically and horizontally now, doing damage and smashing rocks in both cases. Interestingly, it seems like some objects might only be breakable if it’s swung in one direction or another, since the official site shows Link smashing the columns by swinging the hammer horizontally and smashing rocks by swinging it vertically.
21. A Realistic Ocarina Player
On a less mechanical note, there’s also a neat difference in how Link’s ocarina playing is animated. Now, he seems to actually move his fingers and mouth to match how you’d move them when the song in question. It’s a lovely detail, and one which makes it easier to play along in real life.
20. Check Your Song Book
The ocarina also seems to have a song book option. This seems to be based on the 3DS version (which also had a sub menu showing the songs you could play), but we’ll have to wait and see to know for sure.
19. A Split Magic Meter
The magic meter has also seen a bit of a tweak too. Indeed, while the original game had the magic meter as a single unbroken bar, it seems to be divided into segments in the Switch 2 version.
Presumably, this is to make it easier to calculate how much magic is currently available, and how much will be drained whenever you use a spell or magic enhanced attack.
18. Separate Tunic Designs
Link’s tunics have been altered too. While the original game’s tunics were all just recolours of the standard one from the start of the game, the Goron and Zora Tunics in the remake have noticeably different materials than the Kokiri one, reflecting their choice of designer.
Nice touch!
17. Third Person Owl Flights
Another interesting change are the flights Link can take with Owly McOwlFace Kaepora Gaebora. In the original game, these were in first-person, while in the Switch 2 version they seem to be third-person instead.
They also seem to have slightly different paths too, with Link clearly getting his feet wet when dragged through Lake Hylia. Huh, guess these flights will be a tad more hectic this time around!
16. Retranslated Enemy Descriptions
There are also new descriptions for enemies when you have Navi tattle them too. For example, while the original game used this description for the Deku Baba:
Deku Baba
Hit it when it lunges at you, and it will stand upright. Cut it quickly to get a Deku Stick!
And the 3DS one uses this one:
Deku Baba
If you hit it when it lunges at you, it will stand upright. Cut it quickly to get a Deku Stick!
The Switch 2 version has a much more detailed description instead:
Deku Baba
Oh watch it! That’s a Deku Baba.It disguises itself as foliage then strikes when you least expect it.
Finish it off with a blow to the head to get a Deku Nut. Hitting its stem gets you a Deku Stick!
Presumably, everything’s getting reworded to make enemy strategies a lot clearer to understand, and to provide more detail than was ever possible with a single text box.
15. The Water Temple’s 3DS Pathing Returns
In the Ocarina of Time 3D version of the Water Temple, one of the biggest additions were a set of glowing lines that pointed you to the places where you could raise and lower the water level. It was a way to make the dungeon less confusing to navigate, and likely helped new players quite a bit as a result.
And, it seems that those lines are present in the Switch 2 remake too. They’re a tad more muted than in the 3DS version, with colours more fitting for the darker, more realistic aesthetic of the remake…
But they’re present nonetheless. So, yeah. Seems like Ocarina of Time 3D’s quality of life fixes are making the jump.
14. A Bigger Starting Wallet
What isn’t just a returning feature from Ocarina of Time 3D though is your wallet capacity. No, the Switch 2 version significantly expands Link’s rupee carrying capabilities compared to either the Nintendo 64 or 3DS games.
Indeed, while the original game had three types of wallets:
| Wallet Type | Rupee Capacity |
|---|---|
| Wallet | 99 Rupees |
| Adult’s Wallet | 200 Rupees |
| Giant’s Wallet | 500 Rupees |
The Switch 2 version seems to let Link carry 200 rupees from the start of the game.
So, it seems the wallet sizes have been adjusted here, perhaps to make things more affordable than before.
13. Beam Reflecting
You can also reflect more attacks with the Mirror Shield too. Indeed, while the original game made it fairly limited in its usefulness, with the only reflectable attacks being Twinrova’s beams and one of Ganondorf’s magic attacks…
The Mirror Shield in the Switch 2 remake can also reflect Beamos beams as well. So, it seems you’ve now got another way to deal with those pesky laser turrets!
12. Swim Dashing. Neat.
There’s also a new feature when swimming too; the ability to quickly dash forward to swim faster. This seems to be another returning addition from the wild era games, and acts as yet another way to make traversing the world quicker and more efficient than ever before.
11. Ocarina Songs Can be Skipped
Another new feature seems to be the option to skip ocarina songs, as shown by this button in the bottom right corner.
10. Easy Boot Switching
You can also assign equipment to the D-Pad, and use that to switch between it on the fly. So, taking on and off the Iron Boots doesn’t result in repeated trips to the inventory anymore.
9. A Different Kakariko
On a much more interesting note, a few locations seem to have been tweaked quite a bit here. Most notably, Kakariko Village.
Since well, quite a few buildings seem to be have moved around. The Cucco pen is in a different place, the unfinished house seems to have been moved, etc. You can see this pretty clearly on this mini map (from a quiz in Zelda Notes):
Wonder what other towns are getting a shake up this time around?
8. There’s a Camera Mode?
Either way, onto Zelda Notes now. In the footage shown of the app in the Direct, you can see an option for a ‘Photo Studio’.
However, here’s the thing. Ocarina of Time doesn’t actually have a camera mode. There’s no Pictobox in either the N64 or 3DS games, nor any way to pause the game to take pictures.
So, the existence of this mode indicates such a feature must exist in the Switch 2 version, similar to how it does in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Exciting!
7. Fallen Foes
There’s also a mystery option for a ‘Hall of Fallen Foes’ too. It’s illustrated with an icon of Kaepora Gaebora, and has no description in the Direct or official website.
So, what it is? What’s actually going to be included in this mysterious feature?
Well, it’s impossible to say. We would say that an enemy counter could be included here (like in the Zelda Notes app for Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom), but that doesn’t really make a lot of sense. The Ocarina of Time version already has Play Data available, which would presumably include things like the number of enemies defeated in game.
Hence the possibilities are endless. Perhaps it activates a boss rush in game, letting you refight the bosses. Perhaps it connects to an in game one, doing things like timing your fights and giving you medals for a job well done.
Or perhaps it just lists the enemies and bosses defeated with a picture and a description. As of right now, we can’t say.
6. You Can Jump Now?
No, we’re not talking about jumping at any time, that was mentioned in the Direct.
Instead, we’re talking about climbing. Now, it seems Link can jump up vines and ladders to scale them much more quickly, like he could when climbing in the wild era games. Seems like a good way to speed up traversal!
5. Hyrule Field Looks Different…
Another interesting change can be seen in the layout of Hyrule Field, and the world design there in general. Now, there’s a whole marsh like area leading up to Lake Hylia, more ruins scattered around the area, and a much more natural looking river with banks and waterfalls. It’s certainly a lot more varied than its N64 equivalent, that’s for sure!
4. A New Castle Room
Another interesting change is where you end up when you sneak through the sewers into Hyrule Castle. While in the original game it drops you straight into the Castle Gardens, in the remake it puts you in a sewer area with a ladder leading out.
Seems like the world has been expanded with new rooms in a few areas.
3. Another Bottle?
Either way, onto items now. And while we don’t have a full list of every item in the game, a bit of guesswork indicates that an extra bottle has been added to the game.
That’s because there’s now another slot where one would fit on the inventory screen. Assuming the screen looks like this, you can tell there’s space for another bottle in the list.
Huh, wonder what sort of quest could give you this one?
2. Who are You Exactly?
There are also a few characters we don’t recognise in the videos as well. Like, this female NPC leaning over the fountain in Hyrule Castle Town:
She’s not Malon, despite a few design similarities.
Nor does she seem to be a replacement for anyone else in the area. The beggar is still there. The jugglers are still present. Professor Shikashi is still walking around as usual, and the folks jostling for items at a market stall are all present and accounted for.
So, she seems to be a new NPC. Or maybe a retooled version of the scrapped ‘Aria’ NPC from the Spaceworld 97 prototype:
Wonder who else has been added in this remake?
1. Was That Wall Always There?
Finally, let’s look an interesting change in the Water Temple. This wall.
Yeah, this bombable wall. Seems normal right?
Well, it would, except it’s not there in the original game. There’s no corridor there at all.
So, it’s clear that dungeons are getting a few layout tweaks. Especially given that the Spirit Temple also has this room where a Beamos has been added where one wasn’t previously present:
Or the Great Deku Tree has that collapsing bridge that again, wasn’t present in the original game.
Wonder what else has been changed this time around…
Regardless, those are some of the neat extra changes we noticed in the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake for Switch 2. They’re a mix of big and small changes, with everything from design tweaks to new mechanics being listed, so we hope you found them interesting to read about in this article.
Still, what do you think? Are there any interesting changes we missed here? What new features and additions are you most excited for in this game?
Tell us your thoughts in the comments below, on social media, or over on our Discord server today!
Sources:
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Switch 2 Trailer (YouTube)
- Eiji Aonuma Plays the Ocarina of Time Remake (YouTube)
- The Legend of Zelda: 40th Anniversary Direct (YouTube Livestream)
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake Official Site (Japanese)
- Zelda Wiki Page for the Ocarina of Time Remake on Switch 2
- Nintendo Today App