The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Switch 2 remake launches on Thursday 5 November as a full remake of the 1998 Nintendo 64 classic. Ahead of release, Nintendo published a four-part Ask the Developer interview with producer Eiji Aonuma, director HokWai Ng and the core team. Here are the biggest changes they confirmed, and what has deliberately stayed the same.
Ocarina of Time Switch 2: the team’s guiding rule
In Part 2, Ng explained that the team rebuilt the game with today’s technology, guided by one principle: “the visuals may change, but the experience does not.” One sign of that approach is the world structure. Hyrule is not one seamless open world. As in the original, the team chose “separate maps for different areas” so that moving between them would feel like a natural break in the adventure.
The interview also named the core team: Ng as director, Hidemaro Fujibayashi alongside Aonuma, art director Aya Shida, program director Hiroki Taguchi and sound director Masato Ohashi (Nintendo Life and Vooks have summaries of the team).
7 changes confirmed by the developers
1. Auto-jump is gone
The original had no jump button, and Link jumped automatically at set ledges. In Part 3, Ng said the team “removed auto-jump” and made it possible to jump anywhere with a single button press, as in recent Zelda games. Aonuma admitted this meant redesigning environments to handle every kind of player behaviour.
2. Two ways to Jump Attack
The team first adopted Breath of the Wild’s two-step Jump Attack: press jump, then attack in mid-air. Aonuma said it “just doesn’t feel as satisfying as the original”, so the team added a single-button option as well. Both control schemes are in the game.
3. Hold to dash
You can still roll your way across Hyrule Field, but you can now also dash by holding down the Roll Attack button.
4. A free camera
The N64 camera was fixed at certain points. On Switch 2 you can rotate it freely. Taguchi said that raised a new problem, players losing their sense of direction, so the team made various adjustments to keep it clear where you are heading.
5. The Water Temple has been reworked
Aonuma called it his “overdue homework”: he wanted to do something about the Water Temple he created 28 years ago. Item toggling is now much easier, and some walls that made it easy to get lost are now lattice structures you can see through.
6. Clearer bosses
Gohma, the first boss, now guards its weak point with the two arms on its head whenever it cannot be damaged. That makes the right moment to attack far easier to read.
7. Threads of Time, plus new audio features
A new feature called Threads of Time unlocks illustrations and passages of text as the story unfolds, eventually forming a single picture-book tapestry. Ng said it was designed partly for parents who played the original to share with their children. In Part 4, Ohashi confirmed more than 150 pieces of background music recorded with a full orchestra, 5.1-channel surround sound and a real recorded ocarina. You can also hum or play songs into the Switch 2’s built-in microphone, and voice recognition will have Link play them.
Voice acting and help for newcomers
The cutscenes are now fully voiced. For the Japanese version, Nintendo held blind auditions with the actors’ names hidden. “As fate would have it, one of the actors we selected had actually voiced the same character in the Nintendo 64 version,” Aonuma said. The game also supports ZELDA NOTES, the companion feature already used by the Switch 2 editions of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, with extras specific to Ocarina of Time.
Why it matters
Ocarina of Time is one of the most influential 3D games ever made, and remaking it is a risk. Nintendo’s answer is to modernise controls, camera and presentation while keeping the original structure and dungeons recognisable. Whether that balance works is something players can judge from 5 November. For more console news, follow our Console section, or read about GoPlays11 and the gaming topics we cover.
Frequently asked questions
When does Ocarina of Time on Switch 2 release?
On Thursday 5 November 2026. It is a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive.
Is the new Ocarina of Time open world?
No. The developers kept separate maps for different areas, as in the original.
Can you still play the ocarina with buttons?
Yes. Voice recognition through the microphone is an extra option, and Aonuma said it does not make the game any easier.