Ocarina of Time Remake New Features: Every Confirmed Change Explained

This page lists each change Nintendo has confirmed for the Switch 2 remake of Ocarina of Time. Each entry has two parts: what Nintendo (or the September 8 Direct) actually said, and what it should mean for how you play. Where a detail comes from press coverage of the Direct rather than from Nintendo’s own text, we say so. Prices and dates are on the release date page.

How do movement and controls change?

Dash. Nintendo: Link can “cover long distances on foot using the new dash ability.” In play: crossing Hyrule Field on foot before you have Epona should take less time. Reports from the Direct say the dash is mapped to holding A, and one outlet noted no visible stamina meter.

Free jumping. Nintendo: Link can “freely leap over gaps and obstacles.” Coverage of the Direct says a tap of A jumps. In play: this is the biggest change for anyone who knows the original. On Nintendo 64 and 3DS, Link jumped only when he ran off an edge. Platforming rooms that were built around automatic jumps may be easier. They may also be redesigned. Nintendo has not said which.

Motion aiming. Nintendo: aim “slingshots, bows and other tools with precision” using motion controls. In play: this works like gyro aiming in the 3DS version. The Fairy Slingshot and Fairy Bow puzzles, such as eye switches and distant targets, get faster to line up.

Quick item swapping. Nintendo: “conveniently swap between weapons and items on the fly.” In play: on Nintendo 64 you changed equipment such as the Iron Boots from the pause menu, and the Water Temple asks you to do that again and again. The 3DS version already reworked this for the boots. Faster swapping should cut a lot of menu time in the remake too.

Free camera. Nintendo: “modern camera movements” and “enhanced controls.” Press coverage says the right stick now rotates the camera freely. In play: you can look around corners and up at ledges without relying on Z-targeting to recentre the view.

What changes in the world?

Time passes everywhere. Nintendo: “Time passes no matter where you are in this game, and new faces – and foes – may surface after the sun has set.” In play: in the original, the clock stopped in towns and indoors. Now night can fall while you are in a town or a building. Nintendo has not said which people or enemies are new to the night.

Hyrule Castle Town rebuilt. Press: several outlets report that Castle Town, a fixed-camera area on pre-rendered backgrounds in the original, is now a fully explorable 3D space with added areas and minigames. In play: expect more to do in the market, and possibly new side content. Nintendo’s own pages list Castle Town among the locations but do not describe these changes.

Overall layout. Press: Direct coverage says the overall structure broadly follows the original, with areas still loaded as separate scenes and some loading screens kept. In play: the dungeon order in our full walkthrough is likely to hold. Room-by-room details still need checking once the game is out.

What is Threads of Time?

Nintendo: “Consult the Threads of Time to recap the story so far, see your current objectives and admire a grand tapestry.” In play: the original had no quest log. If you put it down for a week, you had to rely on Navi’s hints or your memory. Threads of Time is the fix. It should matter most in the adult half, where you move between several temples and two time periods.

How does the ocarina work now?

Nintendo: “Play the right notes using button controls, or try humming the song into the built-in microphone of Nintendo Switch 2.” Nintendo’s Chinese product text adds that you can also play a real instrument into the microphone. In play: the button method stays, so the microphone is optional. It suits handheld play in a quiet room more than a noisy living room.

Two accessories use the same sound recognition:

What changes in sound and presentation?

Voice acting. Nintendo: “fully voiced cutscenes” and “expanded dialogue.” Press: Link himself remains silent, and characters such as Zelda, Saria, Darunia, Ruto and Ganondorf are voiced. In play: story scenes take longer, and new lines may clarify hints the original only gave in text boxes. The voice cast has not been announced.

Orchestral music. Nintendo: “symphonic orchestral music.” In play: this changes how the game sounds, not how it plays. Songs you play on the ocarina still work by their notes.

Display and audio options. Nintendo: HDR and VRR output on compatible TVs, and linear PCM surround sound. Frame rate and resolution have not been announced.

What do the amiibo and Zelda Notes add?

Young Link and Young Zelda amiibo. Nintendo: scanning either figure unlocks “special in-game masks that evoke a retro graphical style.” Both figures release in 2027, after the game. The US store also lists support for existing Zelda amiibo, but Nintendo has not said what they do.

Zelda Notes. Nintendo: the phone service adds a daily play log, photo-based location quests, free ocarina playing on your phone, and a quiz with more than 2,000 questions. In play: none of it is needed to finish the game. See the Zelda Notes guide for how the service works.

What has Nintendo not confirmed?

These are all unannounced as of September 28, 2026:

• Master Quest, the 3DS Boss Challenge mode, and 3DS-style hint videos
• Difficulty options
• Frame rate and resolution
• Whether any dungeon rooms, puzzles or collectible counts changed

For a side-by-side view of what the earlier versions had, read Remake vs N64 vs 3DS. If you are new to the game, the beginner tips cover what stays the same in every version.