Eiji Aonuma, producer of The Legend of Zelda series, explained the artistic direction for the remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The team adopted a new style inspired by puppet theater, aiming to enhance the impact on players through unexpected visual expression.
After the gameplay was first revealed, the highly detailed Link contrasted sharply with the relatively simple designs of non-player characters, surprising some players with this art style. Aonuma stated that The Legend of Zelda titles often undergo significant visual changes; the team primarily considers which expression best suits the specific title and development goals, rather than changing for the sake of change.
For The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, which share a connected story, the team could maintain a similar visual style; when such connections do not exist between titles, they seek unique expressions better suited to each individual work. Aonuma believes that if the final result fully meets player expectations, the work may miss the opportunity to create an impact.
Aonuma also acknowledged that the development team might have been surprised when they first saw the new style, but gradually adapted to it and came to understand why this design fits the work. VGC gave the remake a five-star rating, noting that the game does not completely overhaul the original but introduces modern adjustments where appropriate; this rating reflects VGC's subjective opinion.