Between The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and its predecessor Breath of the Wild setting the stage for a new era of the series, Nintendo might want to consider take a look back at some of its classic Zelda titles. Most notable among these older titles that could use a new makeover would be Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo 64, and possibly even its successor Majora's Mask.
While many of the classic titles have seen remasters and 3D updates for the 3DS in the past, these still feel a bit weak in comparison to the stunning visuals found in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on the Switch. However, Ocarina of Time shows its age in more than just visuals, even in the remaster, and so it could use a rework through the more modern Zelda engines and combat designs.
Ocarina of Time as an Aging Masterpiece
It can't be understated how much of a groundbreaking game Ocarina of Time and its sequel were during the Nintendo 64 era, as they set the template for nearly every Zelda title to come. The popularity of the first 3D titles in the series even managed to spawn a host of similar Zelda-like games of the time like Dark Cloud and more recently indie hits like Tunic and Death's Door. However, as influential and beloved as Ocarina of Time is, it hasn't aged gracefully in all departments.
Many of the controls feel antiquated, even in the most recent remasters and ports of Ocarina of Time to Switch, and the world design is nostalgic, but minimal in comparison to the much newer Tears of the Kingdom. This is the fate of all games, even ones that feel timeless to diehard fans, as new technologies and quality of life norms start to overshadow the older, archaic designs. As a result, a game as impactful and influential as Ocarina of Time deserves to get the remake treatment in order to bring the classic style of the first 3D Zelda into the modern era of gaming.
Function over Form to Enhance Ocarina of Time's Gameplay
To be clear, a Zelda remake would be more than just adding some extra polygons to the environment and character models and calling it a day. Similarly, it shouldn't just transpose all of Ocarina of Time's dungeons and towns directly onto the map of Hyrule from Breath of the Wild and make it a one-to-one for the new series. Instead, the approach should start from the ground up, beginning with a design philosophy that Nintendo has previously seen success from the 3D Mario games. Simply controlling Link, no matter the environment, should be engaging and fun.
For Ocarina of Time, this would mostly come down to the ease of access of Link's tools, as well as the flow of combat. Specifically, combat should resemble Tears of the Kingdom more than it does Ocarina of Time, where players have options between overwhelming guarding opponents, dodging their attacks, or parrying for a counterattack. This would replace the more stiff combat of Ocarina of Time, where players weren't able to get through the enemy's defenses without waiting for the opportunity after an attack.
One aspect that shouldn't change, however, is the more linear nature of Ocarina of Time. Where freedom of exploration in Tears of the Kingdom is the new title's strongest feature, Ocarina of Time succeeded with a much more linear progression, as new locations offered Link new tools to overcome previous obstacles. It's a progression model that could then be enhanced with more hidden locations, characters, and side quests to interact with on a new map that stays true to the older title, while still updating the style to more modern games.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available now for Switch.