Nintendo’s much-anticipated remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is due to reach us tomorrow, and reviews have arrived today. And oh boy, they’re good. Like, really good. The Metascore at the time of writing is an epic 96, based on 48 reviews, none of which dips below an 8. And perhaps that’s not a massive surprise given it’s, well, Ocarina of Time, but what a nice relief to learn that Nintendo doesn’t seem to have broken a classic but possibly made it even better. It is, in fact, the highest rated game of 2026. At least for a couple of weeks, anyway.
Review embargoes lifted early this morning, allowing a waterfall of reviews to spill forth, each competing with the next for superlatives to describe the 2026 version of the 1998 original. Appropriately split across two time zones, the remake is deeply faithful to the classic Nintendo 64 version, albeit with a suite of quality-of-life improvements such a running, motion control aiming, and those pesky automatic jumps now being at the behest of a button. There are also embellishments, like how Hyrule Castle Town can now be explored, but reviews are saying nothing has been taken away in the process. (Kotaku did not receive a review copy, and we’ll be reviewing the game once it’s out.)
Eurogamer‘s Christian Donaldson describes both the original and this new version as a “masterpiece,” saying “this is more or less the game that people played back in 1998,” saying even dungeon guides from an old N64 magazine would still get you through here. Keza MacDonald in the Guardian agrees, describing it as “a dream come true” that updates the original game “into something that can stand alongside any modern masterpiece.” Game Informer chimes in on the theme too, Kyle Hilliard calling it “a wonderful recreation of the 1998 experience with improvements on basically every element.”
Perhaps one of the most surprising words that keeps being used in reviews is “beautiful.” Early glimpses of the game were met with some horror at the “Nintendo hired that man” impression of an Unreal Engine-looking reimagining of the 30-year-old game. But Gamespot calls it “gorgeous,” Nintendo Life “breathtaking,” and IGN “beautiful.” Really, the only significant criticism I’ve found so far is RPG Site‘s fury that there’s only one save slot (which is, to the site’s credit, idiotic).
Here’s what a selection of reviews are saying:
The Guardian
Despite all of this new sheen, Ocarina of Time retains its understated melancholy. There is an essential tragedy to this tale about a boy hero whose childhood is stolen by an evil king. It is a dark fairytale that begins with a nightmare and the death of a forest god, sometimes scary and, like all children’s tales that stand the test of time, totally unpatronising. It is preoccupied with the sadness and inevitability of the passage of time, and the alignment now between that story and the real-world circumstances of this remake is impossible to ignore. The first time I stepped into the Temple of Time and pulled the Master Sword from its stone, I was myself a child. Re-entering that place as an adult gave me shivers I can’t quite describe. It got me thinking very deeply about how we pass down our cherished stories to the next generation.
Gamespot
Ocarina of Time is still a wonder of game design and a thrilling adventure. This remake smooths over some rough edges, leaves others intact, and lets what was so special about the original shine through. It can be easy to forget after so many years, but the core structure and design ethos are as strong as they ever were. By approaching this remake with a degree of reverence and respect for the source material, Nintendo has shown that a true masterpiece can stand the test of time.
Eurogamer
Was it always this good? Were the dungeons always so complex and challenging, but also so playful, so coherent? Were the bosses always driven by interesting ideas and drama and humour rather than difficulty? Was the world always so rich with minor characters who linger in the mind – the accordion player in the windmill, the gravedigger who has his own tour he’d really like you to try out? It’s impossible for me to say at this point. This is Ocarina as it’s always been, as timeless and intricate, but it also has a vibrancy and clarity that makes it feel like it was just created last Wednesday. If you’re new to Zelda and you’re coming to this game fresh, you’re going to love it. Someone, somewhere, is about to play a game so special for the first time that they need to call up their friend and tell them all about it.
Game Informer
The biggest, most impactful changes are the new full camera control and active jumping. Swinging the camera around to take a closer look at the upgraded environments is genuinely stirring, especially in the locations that used to be pre-rendered. There is an undefined and exclusive-to-video games emotion I experienced often while trekking locations I thought I knew so well, only to realize I have never seen or looked at it in this way, and I chased and captured that feeling all over Hyrule. Jumping may seem small, but it made me a more active participant in exploration. It also has the benefit of making some encounters feel somewhat trivial (turns out being able to jump over Blade Traps really diminishes their threat), and I was just fine with that.
Polygon
What’s miraculous is how Nintendo is able to retain the grandeur of the world without scaling its locales up beyond recognition. Hyrule is compact by modern game standards, split into only a few tightly designed areas, but it still feels sweeping here. The open air of Hyrule Field is still breathtaking to take in, emphasized with more detailed grass instead of needless space-filling activities. Lake Hylia is just a round body of water, but the glistening light reflecting off of it makes it feel like a cool, serene getaway. Even Kakariko Village’s graveyard benefits from minor changes, with once low-poly headstones now detailed with embellishments that invite you to pull them to reveal the secrets buried underneath them. The only area that really loses some of its former aura is Hyrule Castle Town, as the pivot to smooth 3D camera controls does away with eerie fixed camera angles that were once so important to selling the village’s eventual decay.
IGN
Hyrule is filled with secrets that exist just to be secrets. Certain ocarina songs trigger interactions that have no purpose other than playfulness. Link can wear masks that change what people say, sometimes revealing shockingly dark secrets. You dive into underground caves to find hidden treasure, but sometimes there’s just a cow down there! You’ll hear rumors of alternative ways to kill enemies you’ll wonder how you ever lived without. There are conversations you can only hear at very specific points that feel really special when you manage to catch them. Ocarina of Time does not care if you miss some of its secrets, which makes stumbling into them all the more impactful. I’m sure it’s hiding some things that are still a secret to everybody.
VGC
Perhaps the Ocarina of Time remake’s biggest triumph is how it brings a new sense of depth and spectacle to an adventure already rich in cinematic flair. Few games have used the passage of time as emotionally effectively as Ocarina of Time. Returning to familiar places like Lon Lon Ranch or Hyrule Castle as adult Link and discovering what changed in your absence remains a powerful storytelling device, and the remake’s cinematic presentation makes those moments even more affecting.
GamesRadar
The dungeons and puzzles are only the icing for me, though – the story and writing here are the cake. I mentioned the voice acting and visuals already here, but they all combine to add a weight to a story I never previously realized was so moving. Everything is so heightened. From scenes of genuine peril, to quiet moments of haunting loss even amid celebration… I sob. Something about this Ocarina of Time remake moves me like its predecessor didn’t, and I can’t put my finger on why… It must be everything about the remake, both its old and new qualities.
