Ocarina of Time, rebuilt for Switch 2

Some games you recommend. Some games you hand to a person and say nothing at all, because the title does the talking. Ocarina of Time is the second kind, and Nintendo has just rebuilt it from the ground up for the Switch 2.

The remake launched on November 5, and it is the same adventure — Kokiri Forest, the Great Deku Tree, Hyrule Field, the Water Temple — with everything around it made new: fully voiced cutscenes, a score recorded by a symphony orchestra, and controls that finally let Link jump, sprint, and look around with the right stick.

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The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo Switch 2)

The 1998 classic rebuilt for Switch 2, with voiced cutscenes, an orchestral score, and modern controls. Physical edition.

$69.99

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Prefer to skip the box? The digital edition is $59.99 on AmazonOpenAdd to list.

What actually changed

This is not a fresh coat of paint on the old game. The environments and characters were rebuilt, the camera and movement were reworked, and a few things that used to be fixed are now yours to control: a jump button, sprinting, a free camera, and a quest log to keep track of where you were going. There are new minigames, including one where you make music on a virtual ocarina, and a Hall of Fallen Foes where you can rematch bosses.

The early word from hands-on previews was warm — the new jump button, the extra detail, and the orchestral score all landed. The one thing to know before you buy it for someone: it is a Switch 2 exclusive. There is no version for the original Switch, so the console is part of the gift.

The full Zelda experience

If the remake is the front door, these are the rest of the house. Breath of the WildOpenAdd to list threw the old formula out and gave Link an entire Hyrule to wander — climb anything, go anywhere, and let curiosity do the guiding. Tears of the KingdomOpenAdd to list kept that world and added sky islands above it and depths below it, plus the freedom to build whatever contraption gets you across.

Played in order — Ocarina, then Breath of the Wild, then Tears of the Kingdom — they make a complete arc: the classic that defined the series, and the two games that reinvented it. For someone who played the original in 1998, the remake is a return trip. For someone who has never played a Zelda game, it is the best possible first one.

Edit: If you’re a Costco member, check CostcoOpenAdd to list first — the digital code is $54.99 there, five dollars under the eShop’s $59.99, when it’s in stock.

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