For the most part, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Switch 2 retains all extra additions from the 3DS version. The lit-up Water Temple paths are still present, as is the ability to switch boots with the press of a button. The boss rush mode has been expanded upon with the Hall of Fallen Foes, with mini boss rematches now thrown into the mix. And things like fully rendered environments, updated music and gyro controls have been retained and improved as expected.
However, there’s one thing still missing from the game. Master Quest.
Added as an extra mode in the GameCube rerelease for the game and made an unlockable extra in Ocarina of Time 3D, this mode is a retooled version of the cut URA Zelda plans Nintendo had in the 90s, with remixed dungeons and content meant to make the game more challenging.
But while it’s not in the remake as of this moment in time, it seems Nintendo have plans for it. Or at least, had plans for it at some point in time.
That’s because according to dataminers, there are a bunch of unused flags in the game relating to the mode. These are tagged ‘MQ’ (for obvious reasons), and cover things like doors being unlocked and puzzles being solved in the game’s dungeons. Take a look:
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— MrCheeze (@mrcheeze.github.io) 6 November 2026 at 14:23
Yeah, that seems pretty clear to us. Nintendo’s got multiple sets of flags for the game’s dungeons, with one set correlating to the Master Quest version of the area. Presumably, the plan was to treat it like Master Mode in Breath of the Wild, and have it as an alternate save on your main profile. Which is kinda how the 3DS version handled things too now we think about it.
There are also some other references there too, with variables like the following being present in the game:
- HasMQ
- IsMQModeExist
- NewGameMQ
- ReleaseMQ
The only question remaining is whether those flags are evidence of Master Quest being added in a future update, or whether it means the idea was simply scrapped during development. That’s always the challenge with modern games. It’s hard to tell what’s unused and what’s simply planned content anymore.
We’d personally guess it’s probably meant as part of a future update for the game (since Ocarina of Time is still super recent and Nintendo is clearly going to want to update it at some point down the line), but it’s impossible to be sure as of now.
Still, what are your thoughts here? Are you happy to see that Nintendo might have plans for Master Quest down the line? How do you hope it’s handled save wise?
Leave your thoughts in the comments below, or on our Discord server today!
Source:
Post by Dataminer/Glitch Hunter MrCheeze on Bluesky