The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time almost single-handedly revolutionized how developers approach adventure and exploration. After years in the rumor mill, the recently announced Ocarina of Time remake has brought the game back into the spotlight like never before. Some players are excited to relive the classic adventure, while others haven’t been able to get past the somewhat uncanny redesigns. Once the discourse settled down, one big question was left behind: Does a game as acclaimed as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time need a remake?
Sure, Ocarina shows its age through dated visuals and occasionally clunky controls, but both of these can be solved in a remaster rather than a full-scale remake. Ocarina of Time has remained accessible through remasters and virtual consoles, so newer generations have never had to worry about missing out. Half the appeal of Ocarina is coming of age alongside Link, and a new coat of paint threatens to wash away the inherently nostalgic experience. Link’s Awakening stands as the gold standard of what a Zelda remake can accomplish, and The Legend of Zelda has no shortage of games that deserve another chance at life.
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The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
An All-Time Classic for 2D Zelda
Often considered one of the best games in the series alongside Ocarina, A Link to the Past is hardly in need of any more praise. On the other hand, it does have more room to improve than some of the modern games. Despite only being the third entry in the series, it’s aged just as well as any modern Zelda game. If anything, A Link to the Past feels much better to return to than some of its top-down contemporaries.
Guess the games from the emojis.
Developers could apply some of the exact lessons learned from remaking Link’s Awakening, all without needing to brush up on much of the game’s timeless level design. Remakes tend to be at their best when they seek to patch any gaping holes in the original title, but if Nintendo really wanted to focus on an unimpeachable classic, it’s hard to find a better candidate than A Link to the Past.
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The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
Multiplayer Zelda Would Thrive Today
From the dominance of games like Among Us during the COVID-19 pandemic, to more recent titles like Peak, the ironically titled “Friendslop” genre has reigned supreme for the last several years. Marrying A Link to the Past with Wind Waker, and wrapping it all in a multiplayer package, Four Swords Adventures was simply ahead of its time.
Series Producer Eiji Aonuma felt that sales were disappointing due to the limitation of every player needing to purchase a Link Cable. The days of the Link Cable are long behind us, meaning a remake of Four Swords Adventures could finally unleash the full potential of couch co-op Zelda. With an all-new online mode in the mix, the Nintendo Switch 2 could very well have the last word in today’s casual multiplayer arms race.
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The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Unique Mechanics Deserve a Second Chance
Although it was positioned as a direct sequel to A Link to the Past, and released over two decades later, A Link Between Worlds isn’t quite so timeless. For better or worse, A Link Between Worlds is a 3DS game through and through. Despite receiving overwhelming acclaim, and in part due to design constraints left by the handheld console, A Link Between Worlds has never received so much as a port.
This is quite a shame, as the mechanic of merging into walls allows for a dose of side-scrolling puzzle-solving that blends perfectly with the standard 2D Zelda top-down exploration. Some aspects of the game, such as the item rental system, have even gone on to influence how recent games like Tears of the Kingdom allow for a more open-ended experience. If Nintendo wants to continue allowing players to customize their adventure through Hyrule (and Lorule), then revisiting A Link Between Worlds for the first time could be the best next step.
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Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
The Black Sheep of The Series Deserves a Chance at the Spotlight
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
- Released
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December 1, 1988
- ESRB
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E For Everyone Due To Mild Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo R&D4
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
Ever since its release, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link has lived in infamy as the most controversial game in an otherwise beloved series. Naturally, this has led to a host of hot takes. Some players still plead to reframe The Adventure of Link as a misunderstood masterpiece, while others pan it for being frustratingly difficult and inexplicably clunky. Both sides of the debate generally circle back to the same point: that Zelda II is unlike anything else in the series.
Zelda II is unlike anything else in the series.
Zelda II is a side-scrolling action platformer, a genre that was untrodden ground at the time, and which the series has never fully returned to since. Recent years have seen a boom in interest for games that reimagine Zelda II‘s contemporaries in the genre, such as the recent revival of Castlevania. After years spent as the hotly debated black sheep of the family, a remake from the ground up would give The Adventure of Link one last chance to settle the debate for good.
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The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages
In Desperate Need of a Definitive Edition
Which Zelda game deserves a remake is ultimately subjective, but it’s difficult to argue that any entry in the series truly needs a remake more than the Oracle duology. While not quite as controversial as Zelda II, the Oracle games are no less experimental. Comprising Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, this was the Zelda series’ first and only foray into a Pokemon-esque dual-version release.
Pokemon comparisons break down pretty fast, though, as the Oracle games go much deeper with their differences. This became a blessing and a curse, as having to buy a whole second game is undoubtedly a bigger roadblock than even a Link Cable. Despite positive reception and multiple digital re-releases, it’s unlikely that the average Zelda fan has gotten the chance to dive into either game, let alone both.
Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages deserve a chance to be remembered. Ocarina of Time is already unlikely to ever be forgotten.
One natural way to solve this would be to remake the world presented by both games into a single package, with a sprawling adventure that unites the dual narratives into a single experience. Think Pokemon Platinum, or for a more recent example, the four simultaneous routes of Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave. It would be an ambitious undertaking, but one that is very much in the spirit of how Zelda has constantly tried to reinvent itself. More importantly, Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages deserve a chance to be remembered. Meanwhile, Ocarina of Time is already a game unlikely to ever be forgotten.
