It's official: Nintendo showcased the complete gameplay for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Switch 2 during the franchise's 40th Anniversary Nintendo Direct. The game was presented in a 15-minute session led by producer Eiji Aonuma, displaying Kokiri Village, Hyrule Field, and the surrounding world with visuals significantly upgraded from the 1998 Nintendo 64 original.
According to Nintendo, the remake preserves the classic's essence while delivering "overhauled visuals." Key changes include new controls: Link can now jump and dash via dedicated button inputs, unlike the original where these actions occurred automatically. Modern free-rotating camera systems and new dialogue were also added.
Additional features include continuous day-and-night cycles (which no longer pause in towns as they did originally), the ability to play melodies Link has learned on the ocarina, and modernized combat mechanics similar to those found in Breath of the Wild, such as weapon-switching menus. The game introduces a feature called "Threads of Time" to track story progression.
The remake launches on November 5 exclusively for Switch 2. A special The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary console arrives on October 29, alongside a themed Pro Controller and dedicated amiibo. Nintendo confirmed the game's digital file size is approximately 27GB.
