Originally taking the world by storm back in 1998, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is still regarded by many as one of the best games of all time, offering up a large open-world, an endearing story, and a mix of brainteasing puzzles and exhilarating combat. It has gone on to influence hundreds of games in its wake and grow the Zelda franchise into one of the medium's most revered staples.
First spotted by Nintendo Life, YouTuber Brian Tate shared how to get the game running smoother than it ever has before, showcasing a combination of mods that up the title's frame rate and visuals. The result is a version of Ocarina of Time that looks and runs better than ever, boasting 4K, 60 FPS gameplay.
To highlight the change, Tate takes a trip to some of Ocarina of Time's most iconic locations with both mods enabled, navigating through Kakariko Village, the Temple of Time, and Hyrule Castle Town. The change is immediately recognizable, with the game's enhanced frame rate providing a much faster pace to the original Ocarina of Time and the 4K visuals offering a more modern lens to view Hyrule through. The version of the game used with the mod is the 3DS remaster, so it already boasts improved visuals, while the two mods are implemented through an emulator known as Citra.
The first of the two enhancements was developed by a modder who goes by Henriko Magnifico on YouTube and is titled "Henriko’s Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D HD Texture Pack." As Tate mentions in their description, the mod upscales and enhances the visuals to 4K, providing a more visually impressive take on the classic Legend of Zelda title. The second mod was developed by YouTuber Zora Eggs, who links their Citra build to the game in a video description for players to download. It allows the player to toggle the same 60 FPS gameplay Brian Tate showcased through their video.
All in all, Brian Tate's combination of mods offers a wholly new way to play one of Nintendo's most iconic titles. The YouTuber even confirms that the 60 FPS mod doesn't result in any unforeseen bugs and that the whole game is beatable with the enhanced frame rate enabled. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has received plenty of mods in the past, with one group of developers even recently making an entire game in its engine. Titled The Legend of Zelda: The Missing Link, it's a fan-made continuation of The Hero of Time's journey, offering new gameplay and a fun story.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is available now on Nintendo 3DS
Source: YouTube - Zora Eggs, YouTube - Henriko Magnifico 2, Nintendo Life