Nintendo's Ocarina of Time remake stays close to the 1998 original

Nintendo has released a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, a game first launched on the N64 in 1998 and still the highest-rated title on review aggregator Metacritic. In a review for BBC News, technology reporter Tom Gerken describes a faithful update that plays much like the original, and asks whether that faithfulness is also its main weakness.

A familiar game with modern presentation

The original helped define 3D action games, popularising features such as locking on to enemies, sword-and-shield combat and horse riding. Rather than rebuild that formula, Nintendo has kept the core experience largely intact and concentrated on presentation and controls.

The new version has a more cartoonish look than the N64 game. Series producer Eiji Aonuma said improved graphics and lighting made one of the original's darker areas, the Skulltula House, more frightening than intended. After play testers said it was too scary, the team adjusted it to restore the balance of the original.

The most significant gameplay change concerns the Water Temple, a dungeon long known for its difficulty. Aonuma said it was the part he most wanted to revise. Players can now switch the heavy boots item more easily and make better use of the camera. Free camera movement with a second stick, now standard in modern games, is described in the review as a clear improvement.

Questions over playing it safe

The reviewer found the return to familiar territory engaging, but noted that memories of the original made some puzzles and tasks too easy to solve. He suggested Nintendo may have been too cautious. Producer Hidemaro Fujibayashi said the team aimed to keep the essence the original developers wanted to convey. Several YouTube creators who played the game gave positive assessments, with one calling it a "love letter to the classic Zelda formula". The franchise's first film is due next year.

For people following software and digital entertainment, the release reflects a wider trend of studios revisiting well-known titles with current hardware and design conventions. It also shows how developers handle changes in visual fidelity that can alter the tone of older material, and how control schemes have evolved since the early days of 3D gaming.