9.4
Average Score (adjusted)
Confidence: High
Strong consensus
Reviews: 7
Top Review: gamesradar+ (10.0)
Spread: 1.0
IGN's verdict is that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is both an exceptional remake of an incredible game and a rich adventure that stands on its own, and it highly recommends this beautiful retelling. It praises the gorgeous, detailed art style and Koji Kondo's beautifully performed soundtrack, charming character reactions and expanded dialogue with enjoyable voice acting, modern controls with free dashing and jumping, motion aiming that makes the slingshot and bow far more viable, satisfying sword combat with readable enemy patterns, a dense and intimate Hyrule full of secrets, side quests and gossipy characters, the new Hall of Fallen Foes and boss rush mode, and intricate dungeons that remain a delight to unravel 28 years later. As negatives, it cites that the remake isn't very challenging with enemies not rising to match Link's improved controls, the lack of a harder hero mode at launch and the Business Scrub seeds feeling unnecessary, and streamlined dungeon changes that overcorrect by placing keys closer to locks, adding obvious guardrails and overly telegraphing item puzzles, which dulls the big aha moments.
GameSpot's verdict is that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake is superb, and shows that a masterpiece is ageless. It praises the gorgeous visual upgrade that makes it one of the best-looking Switch 2 games, new cutscene animations and well-performed voice acting that strengthen the emotional stakes, quality-of-life additions like the natural-feeling jump button, the Business Scrub, Threads of Time quest tracker and Hall of Fallen Foes, and the retention of the original's wacky charm alongside its heroic and darker moments. As negatives, it cites that the Sheik reveal doesn't quite work with voice acting, and that weaker elements of the original like the Gerudo Fortress and the Water Temple's water-level mechanic still stick out.
Game Informer's verdict is that the Ocarina of Time remake is a wonderful and incredibly impressive recreation of the 1998 experience, improving basically every element, though it stays firmly inside the lines. It praises the gorgeous visuals, the incredible reorchestrated soundtrack and accurate ocarina animations, more impactful dialogue and small story expansions, the timeless design of time travel, puzzles and combat, tweaked dungeons that remove annoyances, new swordplay effects, and the impactful full camera control and active jumping. As negatives, it cites stiff voice acting, that the game looks new but doesn't feel particularly new, some odd looks for child Link and Zelda, and jumping making some encounters feel trivial.
GamesRadar's verdict is that the Ocarina of Time remake is pure magic and the biggest, boldest remake the reviewer has ever played, blending the original's charm with more digestible gameplay and stunning visuals. It praises the breathtaking visuals and voice acting, the familiar charm with fresh changes including revamped dungeons and new puzzles, the active jumping and free camera, quality-of-life improvements, a story and characters that hit harder than ever, and challenging yet never grueling gameplay. Its only significant negative is a single active save file and no Master Quest version.
Eurogamer's verdict is that this Ocarina of Time remake is an astonishing, cast-iron masterpiece that rediscovers the original all over again and is still worth talking about. It praises the wonderful graphical update with standout locations like the Water Temple and Forest Temple, the modern camera and jump button, the trigger mini-menu and item swapping that transform the Water Temple's pace, reduced intrusions from Navi and the owl, and the time-travel mechanic's profound emotional impact. As negatives, it notes trade-offs like losing the original's fixed-camera sense, some visuals that no longer look specifically like Zelda, and strange character models.
Vandal concludes that the Ocarina of Time remake is one of the best remakes in history, a spectacular reimagining of one of the best video games of all time, scoring 9.3. It praises the spectacular visual and audio reimagining made with exquisite taste, the original design still being extraordinary nearly 30 years later, and the gameplay additions that make controlling Link a delight, including the free camera, jump button, running and the Breath of the Wild-style inventory. As negatives, it cites the lack of new content and surprises, especially for those who know the original by heart, and that the gameplay improvements make some challenges and bosses too easy, along with the absence of a Master mode from the start.
Full Review
⭐ 9.5 / 10
Wccftech's verdict is that the Ocarina of Time remake is a tantalizing tune-up of a timeless classic and the new high-water mark for video game remakes. It praises the breathtaking recreation of Hyrule, the charming puppet-style characters, cutscenes that bring new drama to the story, still the best constructed Zelda campaign, smoother and more intense core gameplay, carefully refined dungeons, a richer overworld, a genuinely moving orchestrated soundtrack, and flawless 60 fps performance. As a negative, it cites that some challenge has been refined out of the dungeons, along with a note that secondary item switching via a horizontal menu is the one area where the remake controls worse than the N64 original.