Nintendo revealed the first gameplay of the Ocarina of Time remake at yesterday’s dedicated Zelda 40th anniversary Direct, showing off the shiny new graphics and gameplay modernisations introduced for new audiences. Best of all, it also revealed the release date of the game, and there isn’t long left to wait until it hits Nintendo Switch 2 on November 5, 2026.
Completely remade from the ground up, the 15-minute gameplay demo showed off the brand new art style for Ocarina of Time, with characters taking on an almost plasticine-look paired with almost photorealistic lighting and textures. As Link moves through the Deku Tree to Hyrule Field and Hyrule Castle Town, it’s an impressive showcase on the Nintendo Switch 2.
While plenty of gamers were pleased with how Ocarina of Time looks and feels, there were just as many naysayers online who weren’t quite as impressed with what Nintendo had to show.
Spend a few minutes on social media and it doesn’t take long to find plenty of comparisons to those fan-made Unreal Engine 5 mockups of other games that are often used to take the mick out of modern video graphics. One such video compares Ocarina of Time to an Unreal Engine 5 video of Po from Kung Fu Panda walking down a hyper-realistic street, while another shows a fan-made 3D Mario project – also in a photorealistic mock-up in Unreal Engine 5.
Meanwhile, other memes make fun of how damp Link looks in a lot of shots, despite it not actually raining.
Even the voice acting isn’t safe from scrutiny.
Others take aim at Nintendo’s entire approach to the remake. “And this is exactly why I was hoping Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake wouldn’t be 1:1, biggest map in the game & it’s tiny in 2026,” reads one tweet.
“It looks like a fan project made in Unreal Engine from 10-15 years ago.”
Despite the online naysayers, the Ocarina of Time remake is still likely to be one of 2026’s biggest games. With it almost going head to head with GTA 6 this November, it looks like gamers will be eating good this Christmas no matter which genre of games they’re into.
What do you make of the Zelda Ocarina of Time remake?
