When The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time comes to Switch 2 later this year, it will be the second time the all-time classic was remade. Ocarina of Time 3D revamped the N64 game for the 3DS, upgrading its graphics and making a variety of gameplay tweaks and quality-of-life improvements. For the most part, it’s an improvement on the original version, even if it’s not the quintessential experience.
There are, however, a handful of missteps in Ocarina of Time 3D. Nintendo has a chance to make a new definitive version of the game on Switch 2, but in order to do so, some of 3D‘s changes will need to be reverted. Some are gameplay issues, while others are simply visual design mishaps.
Remove Navi Suggesting It’s Time For A Break
I’m a Navi apologist. I think people tend to exaggerate how annoying Link’s companion is (she’s nowhere near as bad as Fi in Skyward Sword). Toning down the frequency of her saying, “Hey! Listen!” in the remake might be beneficial, but for people going in blind, Navi is a key component in understanding where to go. But a couple of Navi features went overboard in Ocarina of Time 3D.
If you play the 3DS version for an hour straight, Navi will chime in and suggest it’s time for a break. Nintendo’s done this with the best intentions, but it’s quite unnecessary, especially when people already think Navi is annoying. Even worse, whenever Link’s fairy has something to say, her name just flashes across the bottom of the 3DS’s top screen. A flashing icon is distracting enough, but “Navi” flashing in plain white text is even worse.
Bring Back The Stone Of Agony
In Ocarina of Time 3D, the Stone of Agony item, given to Link after he kills 20 Gold Skulltulas and returns their tokens to the House of Skulltula in Kakariko Village, was replaced with the Shard of Agony. The Stone of Agony makes an N64 Rumble Pak vibrate when Link is standing near a secret grotto; this had to be changed because the 3DS doesn’t have rumble capabilities. The Shard of Agony instead makes a noise and flashes on-screen.
The Switch 2 has HD Rumble (Nintendo’s name for haptics), so this is no longer an issue, and the Stone of Agony can be fully reimplemented. Keeping its original shape—that of an N64 Rumble Pak adorned with a Triforce symbol—would also be a great Easter egg, a nod toward Ocarina of Time‘s legacy.
Find A Better Hookshot Aiming Reticle
Ocarina of Time has never had a good Hookshot reticle—now that I think about it, the game struggles with reticles in general; the Fairy Slingshot and Fairy Bow don’t even have one. But the Hookshot’s red circle stamped in the middle of the screen isn’t much better, and it’s somehow even worse in Ocarina of Time 3D. The 3DS remake gives the Hookshot a laser pointer.
Laser pointers look cool in a first-person shooter, but why, in Hylia’s name, would the Hookshot have a laser in Ocarina? Nintendo, please just give us a little crosshair on Switch 2. Keeping an indicator that you’re aiming at something the Hookshot actually interacts with is fine, but please just give us a normal, non-intrusive crosshair.
Remove The Bright Red Lava From Dodongo’s Cavern
In the first incarnation of Dodongo’s Cavern, there’s really only one room with bright red lava: the boss room where you fight King Dodongo. This was changed in the 3DS version—check out the comparison images below (click to enlarge). In the N64 version, the rest of the temple has very muted lava, mostly black because it’s stagnant.
The bright red, glowing lava in 3D completely transforms the vibe of Dodongo’s Cavern, for the worse. These kinds of environments have become synonymous with the Gorons in later Zelda games, but in Ocarina of Time, they live in Goron City, and go into Dodongo’s Cavern to mine the rocks they consume. The eerie green glow of the original Dodongo’s cavern fits much better with the dungeon’s ambient soundtrack, and helps set it apart from the Fire Temple, which is dominated by bright orange and red colors.
Restore The Super Mario Portraits In Hyrule Castle
One of Nintendo’s most famous Easter eggs can be found very early in Ocarina of Time. When Link sneaks through the castle gardens to meet Princess Zelda for the first time, you can peek through windows in the courtyard and find portraits of Super Mario characters: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, and Bowser.
In Ocarina of Time 3D, the Easter egg is still there, but it’s more generic imagery from the New Super Mario Bros. games, which was the new SMB subseries at the time. It’s not as fun seeing the Mushroom Kingdom’s green pipes as it is seeing portraits of other Nintendo characters. The Switch 2 remake could adopt the Super Mario Bros. Wonder art style—it doesn’t have to be the original portraits—but getting to go, “Oh, look, there’s Mario!” is an Ocarina of Time tradition that should be passed on to a new generation of fans.
Make The Deku Stick Jump Slash Do Its Original Damage
Here’s a funny little soapbox I’ve found myself on, lobbying for sticks to do more damage. In the original game, Deku Sticks have double the damage output of the Kokiri Sword, which makes them as powerful as the Master Sword. The trade-off is you can’t have a shield out, and they are destructible—whack something with a Deku Stick, and your stick goes away. But because they’re so powerful, a Deku Stick jump attack does about four times as much damage as a regular Kokiri Sword slash.
It’s hilariously unfair if you know what you’re doing. Make sure you’re stocked up when you enter a dungeon, and none of the child-era bosses stand a chance. Ocarina of Time 3D nerfed the Deku Stick’s jump slash specifically. It arguably keeps the game’s intended difficulty intact, but where’s the fun in that? It’s a single-player game, so who cares? It’s an endearing quirk of how a degradable item works, let people have their fun in the Switch 2 version.
Give The Ice Cavern Its Original Walls
I’m obsessed with these dang weird walls. Why are they like that? I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure they’re like that on purpose. I’ve written extensively on this single room before. It’s Ocarina of Time‘s weirdest, and holds my favorite scene in the game (click that link if you want to read my thoughts on why the walls might look so trippy). But Ocarina of Time 3D ruined it. Instead of this incredible fractal constellation, it looks like a boring old ice cave in 3D, full of frozen stalactites and stalagmites.
It’s the perfect example of higher fidelity not necessarily being better. Sure, the 3DS version has more polygons, but the entire atmosphere is ruined. Link has spent his time as an adult up to this point revisiting all the places he has only recently discovered and now finds them destroyed. Sheik teaches him a song about the unceasing passage of time in this room and the mysterious, stylized walls really help drive the emotion home. My biggest wish for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Switch 2 is for Nintendo to find a way to restore this Ice Cavern room to its original design.
- Released
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2026
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
- Number of Players
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Single-player