Ocarina of Time Remake Reviews Are In: Critics Hail a Switch 2 Return to Hyrule, With Caveats

The Ocarina of Time remake has landed on Switch 2, and the first wave of reviews from Polygon, Engadget and IGN suggests Nintendo has handled one of gaming’s most protected legacies with care. All three outlets published on November 4, 2026, and all three come away admiring the game. They differ on how much the new voice acting and modern polish help or hurt.

A remake that keeps the story and changes the feel

The reviewers agree that Nintendo has not rewritten the adventure itself. Polygon’s Giovanni Colantonio notes that the sequence of events is the same as in the 1998 original: a young Link, a fairy companion named Navi, and a quest to stop Ganondorf. Engadget’s Sam Rutherford contrasts this with the Final Fantasy VII remakes, saying Nintendo left the story and core gameplay largely alone. IGN’s Logan Plant puts it between the two extremes. He calls it neither a one-to-one remake nor a complete reimagining, but “a modern interpretation” that adds depth through its art style and expanded dialogue.

The biggest change is presentation, and that is where opinions start to split.

The visuals win over the skeptics

When the game was first teased, some fans worried Nintendo was swapping its storybook charm for flat, realistic graphics. The reviews suggest those fears were overblown. Colantonio says the early backlash is “destined to age like Lon Lon Milk” and calls the remake highly stylized and stunning in motion. He singles out Kokiri Forest, with light streaking through its leafy canopy, as a sign of the tone to come.

Rutherford says the remake replaces the original’s blocky polygons with high-resolution models and gives the game a nostalgic look that recalls films like The Dark Crystal. He points to art director Aya Shida’s stated goal of rebuilding Hyrule while keeping the feel of the original, with touches borrowed from puppet shows and practical film effects. His complaints are small. Young Link’s huge eyes and the characters’ oversized noses look odd in isolation, and he dislikes how the water leaves a slimy cast on characters and creatures.

Plant goes furthest, saying that from the moment he entered Kokiri Forest he was sure this is the best Zelda has ever looked and sounded. He cites details such as Link’s finger movements while playing the ocarina, Bombchus drawn as wind-up toys, and reactions borrowed from Breath of the Wild, like Link overheating in Death Mountain Crater. He also reports a solid 60 fps almost throughout, docked or handheld. He praises the audio too, including Koji Kondo’s score performed by a small group of musicians.

Where the Ocarina of Time remake draws criticism

The most pointed reservations come from Polygon. The remake adds fully voiced dialogue in place of the original’s sparse text boxes, and Colantonio finds it a weaker fit at first. He says an early exchange between Navi and the Deku Tree loses its moody texture in a bright cutscene where a squeaky-voiced Navi delivers the exposition. He compares the effect to the way Nintendo’s cinematic treatments can resemble an animated kids’ film. He also says the opening hours are more tutorial-heavy, with players repeating actions in practice sessions before reaching the first dungeon. Those changes, he writes, make for a shaky first impression.

He does praise the new storybook-style narration, which frames the game as a legend passed down like a fable. In the end he argues that the remake’s soul survives the changes.

Rutherford raises a different concern. Some players may feel developers should have done more, and the game can feel simplistic at times. He turns that into a strength, calling the straightforward combat and puzzles a welcome on-ramp for younger players, as the original was for 1990s kids.

Quality-of-life upgrades and staying power

Rutherford highlights several practical changes. These include a fully adjustable camera, a revamped quick item menu, a sprint triggered by holding A after a roll, and a new Threads of Time system that helps newcomers and returning players track quests and objectives. He also says new battle animations, particle effects and low-lying dungeon fog give places like the Forest Temple and Death Mountain a stronger atmosphere.

Plant stresses that the traditional Zelda structure still works. Players find a dungeon, unlock a key item, beat the boss and use the new tool to open up more of the world. Alongside that are secrets, side quests and gold spiders, and the game’s switching between child and adult Link remains compelling. He spent about 30 hours on his first playthrough and started over immediately after the credits to hunt for more secrets. In his personal top 10 Zelda list, the remake lands fifth. The 1998 original sits second, behind only Tears of the Kingdom.

The verdict so far

Across the three reviews, the Ocarina of Time remake comes out as a respectful modernization rather than a radical rethink. Its strengths are art direction, audio, performance and thoughtful quality-of-life changes. Its weak points are a slow, over-explained opening and a new voiced tone that may not suit everyone. The excerpts available here do not include all of the reviews’ conclusions or any final scores, so readers who want the full verdicts should check the complete write-ups. The broad message is that the remake keeps the spirit that made the original a landmark. Whether that is enough for longtime fans may depend on how they feel about hearing Navi speak.

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File photo: Nintendo Switch 2-Konsole IL 20250606.png by PantheraLeo1359531, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.