Ocarina of Time on Switch 2 feels rebuilt from the ground up. CMoney calls the day-one remake a legitimately beautiful experience.
Verdict Play It Now
I sat down with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Nintendo Switch 2 the day it dropped, and I was locked in from the jump. This remake is not a soft polish pass. It looks rebuilt. It feels rebuilt. And once Link is moving through Kokiri Forest with Navi buzzing at his shoulder, the whole thing hits like a brand new adventure instead of a museum piece.
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The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time RAW IMPRESSIONS: A Legitimately Beautiful ExperienceThis is legitimately a beautiful experience.
CMoney, OnPoint 4 Gamers
What Ocarina of Time is on Switch 2
This is Nintendo’s ground-up remake of the 1998 classic, exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2 and out November 5, 2026. You are Link, pulled into a quest to stop Ganondorf, with Navi as your fairy companion, dungeons to clear, puzzles to crack, and Hyrule waiting past the forest gate. Digital sits at $59.99. Physical is $69.99. The package brings overhauled visuals, voiced cutscenes, expanded dialogue, symphonic orchestral music, and modern camera and movement controls. I played the full day-one release on Switch 2 with a physical cartridge.
Even early, the presentation flexes. Clothing detail. Floor texture. Hair and hat reacting when you move. Little plant lanterns glowing inside Link’s treehouse.
The grass, the fog, the vibe
I kept getting stuck on the world itself. Look at the grass. Look at the fog settling on the ground during training. Water sounds clean. Forest light cuts through the canopy in a way that feels soft and thick at the same time. I am a presentation guy. When a game goes this hard on atmosphere, I notice.
Controls feel really good. Range of motion is excellent. You can ease into a jog, crank the pace, side jump, back flip, and own every step. I love when a remake trusts your hands instead of trapping you in stiff old movement. The Jump Attack clicked hard once I had the Kokiri Sword. Spot on. Clean. The kind of special move that makes you want to do it again just because it feels right.
Kokiri Forest still has that pull
The early stretch is classic Zelda setup with a modern coat of paint. The Great Deku Tree summons you. Saria is there. The forest feels bigger and softer than my brain remembered from screenshots and clips. I spent real time just walking, looking at reactions, watching Link put his hands up, watching eyes move, watching clothes respond.
Getting the Kokiri Sword, learning the Jump Attack, and talking your way past the fairy gate with Navi all landed. When the Great Deku Tree asks you inside, the tone flips from cozy forest tour to real dungeon business.
Then the dungeon got me
Inside the Great Deku Tree, the remake’s mood work gets mean in the best way. Dark spaces. Creepy enemies. Hidden secrets that pop as soon as you start looking. I got scared. Hundred percent. A Skulltula sequence got me more than once, and I said it out loud because that is how locked in I was. This is still an adventure game first, but the dungeon tension is real.
Finding a Compass in a chest with light pouring down felt like a little victory lap. Getting back outside with the Kokiri Emerald felt better. Then the Great Deku Tree’s farewell hit. Kind of beautiful. Heavy. Link turning away looking determined sold the whole beat for me.
Coming out into the wider world sealed it. Hyrule Field under warm light, castle in the distance, fog in the low grass. Idyllic. Pretty. Threads of Time progress tracking is a smart modern touch. And through all of it, the game just feels fantastic in the hands.
Verdict: Play It Now
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The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Nintendo Switch 2 is a day-one remake that earns the word remake. Nintendo rebuilt the look, tightened the feel, and kept the adventure magic intact. Grass, fog, dungeon scares, Jump Attacks, and that quiet Hyrule Field stretch all worked on me. It feels like a brand new game without throwing away what made Ocarina matter.
It is out now on Nintendo Switch 2. If you have been waiting to live this adventure in a modern package, do not sleep. This is legitimately a beautiful experience.
What's working
- Ground-up Switch 2 presentation with fog, grass, lighting and character detail that pop
- Movement and Jump Attacks that feel great in the hands
- Kokiri Forest atmosphere that makes you want to look around
- Dungeon tension that can actually scare you
- Story beats around the Great Deku Tree that still land
- Hyrule Field vistas that sell the scale of the remake
What needs work
- Some early forest busywork if you just want the dungeon immediately
- A remake this faithful still asks you to learn systems the old way
- If you only care about Xbox hardware, this one stays on Switch 2
Platform played: Nintendo Switch 2
Screenshots captured by OnPoint 4 Gamers from gameplay. Featured image: OnPoint 4 Gamers (Thumbnail Artist), built for this RAW IMPRESSIONS piece.
