I grew up with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I loved playing the adventures of the Hero of Time, collecting all those Skulltulas, and trying to win the race against the Running Man.
We probably all tried. Until we found out that one was hard-coded. Screw you, Nintendo.
But what makes a game that came out almost 30 years ago so special? A game that already got a full remake on the Nintendo 3DS, and a harder, reworked version called Master Quest on the GameCube? And why would anyone care about another remake when you can play the original right now through Nintendo Switch Online?
A special place for a lot of us
Ocarina of Time holds a special place in the hearts of a lot of millennials like me. For us, it was the first time we could dive into a fully 3D adventure as Link.
No other game before caught us in front of the screen with such intense storytelling. How the world was created, the turn into a dark Hyrule, Ganondorf becoming Ganon, the soundtrack, or just the atmosphere of the various temples. We had to constantly switch between an adult and young Link to unlock new mysteries or complete certain quests.
And we were collecting merch. So much merch, official and unofficial. I have an Ocarina myself and even learned to play the songs back in the day.
The game holds plenty of childhood memories. I still remember one day, a friend and me, a thunderstorm hammering against the windows, and we were finally working our way through the Shadow Temple. To this day I am not sure what was scarier, the dungeon or the storm outside.
Quick side question: what was your favourite temple? Mine is the Forest Temple, closely followed by the Spirit Temple.
The game that shaped the lore
Ocarina of Time is the game that shaped Zelda lore into what it is today. The whole split timeline, all the time travel shenanigans, it all branches out from right here. Three branches, actually. One where Link is defeated, one where Zelda sends him back to his childhood, and the adult one, where the Hyrule he saved is eventually swallowed by a great flood.
It is complicated and it gives headaches.
And even if Ocarina of Time was very dungeon-focused, the setup gave us a sense of open world. I personally preferred that over Tears of the Kingdom.
The rumours we invented ourselves
Spinning this even further, I would go as far as saying I have never seen so many rumours around one single game. Hidden rooms, secret songs, unfinished levels, a Triforce you could supposedly still collect.
People swore you could reveal it by playing a secret ocarina song before drawing the Master Sword. Others said you just had to tilt the cartridge the right way. Honestly, I never believed much of it, and I sure wasn't going to risk my game to find out.
Still. The game gripped us so hard that we started inventing more of it ourselves. Be it those technical tricks or endless fan fiction.
So why another remake?
Why are people so hyped about yet another remake or re-release? For me it is not replaying it, we can already do that. What many actually want is to feel it again, the way we felt it the first time.
And a port simply can't give us this.
It is not even the first time Nintendo went back to Ocarina of Time. The 3DS version in 2011 was lovely, sharper and smoother, but under the hood it was still the same game. Just with a better dress. What is coming to Switch 2 is something different. It is not a remaster, they seem to be rebuilding it on a new foundation.
Imagine a new engine, a rebuilt world, controls that don't require a third hand, even though the N64 controls were great for their time. This upcoming remake can be more than just fresh paint on an old building. Nintendo might be giving us a chance to walk through Hyrule like we have never seen it before.
And honestly, a part of me hopes this reminds Nintendo how well that focused design worked. The way games like Twilight Princess or Majora's Mask built on Ocarina of Time. Dungeon-driven, with just enough open world around it.
The part that might matter more
There is a second thing, maybe even one more important than the feelings of a whole bunch of millennials.
A whole generation never touched the N64, and now gets to meet this game without its age getting in the way. They will find out for themselves why some of us still can't shut up about Ocarina of Time.
What we actually know
As of August 2026, Nintendo has confirmed almost nothing. We know it is coming to Switch 2 in late 2026, and the game has already been rated, which usually means a release date is not far off. Everything else, a holiday launch, a special Zelda edition of the console, a price, is still rumour.
I would bet we see more during the next Direct, and my guess leads towards a holiday launch with special edition hardware. And plenty of scalpers.
A confession
I don't even own a Switch 2 yet. But a rebuilt Ocarina of Time and matching hardware would be the trigger for me to buy one, and I have the feeling I am not going to be the only one.
Maybe that is the answer overall. Not giving us millennial gamers a little treat, but having something to pull people into the Switch 2 environment.
What about you? How do you feel about Nintendo's announcement and Ocarina of Time?