The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remaster will launch on Switch 2 on November 5, 2026. Pre-release trailers and gameplay showcases revealed several design changes from the original, including voiced cutscenes, voluntary jumping, and freely rotatable camera.
New Gameplay Video:
Kotaku editor first played the original game this January. He found the controls somewhat clunky but still enjoyed the game, which made him particularly attentive to the control experience in the remake. In the gameplay footage, Link can jump voluntarily, accelerate while swimming and briefly dive underwater; a roll can also be followed up with a sprint.
Some dungeon puzzle mechanics have also been adjusted. The author cites an example where a previously floating platform has been replaced by a collapsing wooden bridge, after which players must shoot a switch to release a ladder. Environmentally, he observed changes to the terrain of Hyrule Field, layouts of certain towns, and scene details, with more people present in Castle Town.
The passage of time within towns and the loading method when entering buildings were also included in the author's comparison. He also mentioned that the Iron Boots can be mapped to a button, the Lens of Truth appears as goggles, and players can hum, sing, or play melodies via the microphone to play the Ocarina of Time. Some of these comparisons stem from the author's observations and judgments of the showcased footage and have not yet been individually confirmed by the developers.
