The remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time brings back all the quirky characters from the original in one form or another. However, after a side-by-side comparison, the Kotaku author believes the remake is a mixed bag: some characters have lost the odd charm granted by the low-poly graphics, while a few have become more imposing due to adjustments in their animations and details.
This list was first compiled after the remake was announced, and the author re-examined each character upon the game's release. When stationary, ReDeads resemble slightly comical Halloween: The Game costumes, but they remain frightening when moving; another original character's appearance has become mundane, and their lines have been altered, which the author considers a clear step backward.
The Happy Mask Salesman's outfit is more intricate, and the facial shading has been praised, but the author doesn't believe these changes necessarily hint at an upcoming release of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. The Great Fairy largely retains her original characteristics, while the Deku Scrub Merchant has shifted from being strange to appearing more pitiable.
The new design for Dead Hand, paired with its twitchy movements, retains its original expressiveness. The face in the wall feels more threatening, but the clearer source of the scene's dialogue weakens the statue's eerie, whisper-like effect. In the author's eyes, Bongo Bongo has shifted from merely strange to purely terrifying; the frog-like design with rounder eyeballs is an improvement, and the skeletal spider character also received higher praise. These conclusions reflect the author's personal aesthetic and tonal preferences, not an overall assessment of the remake's quality.