Nintendo’s remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is out today on Switch 2, and most reviewers think it does right by the original. It’s listed at $84.99 on Nintendo’s Canadian store. If you want a physical copy tonight, see our guide to the Best Buy launch events.

What the critics say

  • VGC: 5 out of 5. Andy Robinson’s review says “smart updates and beautiful restorations ensure this must-play Zelda stands the test of time.” His one complaint: the new English voice acting won’t suit everyone. Read the review
  • Engadget: “A masterpiece reborn.” Sam Rutherford writes that “the magic of the original is fully intact while looking and playing better than ever,” but says it can “feel a bit simplistic,” and he isn’t a fan of how the water looks. Read the review
  • MobileSyrup: the dissenting view. Its review calls the game “a solid but unexciting remake of a masterpiece”, safe rather than surprising.

What’s new

According to the reviews and Nintendo’s developers:

  • You can jump. The original jumped for you automatically at ledges. Now you jump on command, which Nintendo says was the biggest change. Producer Eiji Aonuma told Nintendo’s Ask the Developer series the team’s first reaction was “Are we sure about this?”, because jumping anywhere meant redesigning around new player behaviour, VGC reports. The Water Temple was reworked partly as a result.
  • A friendlier Water Temple. VGC says the infamous dungeon is now “less mazy.”
  • Modern controls. A Breath of the Wild-style item wheel, quick-swapping masks and boots on the D-pad, gyro aiming for the bow, a fully adjustable camera and a sprint.
  • A quest tracker. Engadget says a new “Threads of Time” tracker helps you keep tabs on side quests, and Navi talks less.
  • New look and voices. Fully redone graphics and voiced cutscenes.

Why it’s worth your time: This version removes much of the friction that makes the 1998 original hard to go back to. If you’ve never played it, this looks like the version to start with. If you have, the reviews suggest it’s faithful enough that you’ll know your way around, with a less painful Water Temple.