Marc Deschamps has been writing about video games and popular culture for more than a decade. A reporter at GameRant, Marc has also been published at sites like IGN, Nintendojo, and ComicBook. Gaming is one of Marc’s oldest loves, and he specializes in covering franchises like Pokemon, Zelda, and Mario. However, he also has a deep background when it comes to comics and movies. In addition to being a published comic writer, Marc is a Rotten Tomatoes-verified critic that has reviewed movies and interviewed directors, actors, and actresses.
Nintendo has confirmed that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake has several changes to the Water Temple, an area that caused significant frustration for players when the game was released on N64 in 1998. While many aspects of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remain highly-regarded among fans, the Water Temple is an infamously irritating part of the game. Nintendo has long been aware of that fact, as the 3DS version of Zelda: Ocarina of Time also made changes to the Water Temple to make it a more enjoyable experience.
How Nintendo Updated the Water Temple in Zelda: Ocarina of Time
In an Ask the Developer interview conducted by Nintendo, the makers of Zelda: Ocarina of Time have offered new details about the Nintendo Switch 2 remake. Eiji Aonuma has been a pivotal part of the Zelda franchise for decades, and his history with the series began with the N64 version of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Aonuma is serving as the producer on the remake, while HokWai Ng is the game’s director. In the interview, the two offered details about how they approached the Water Temple, including ways they tried to make it more enjoyable for players.
Aonuma: I had some overdue homework: I wanted to do something about the Water Temple I created 28 years ago. (Laughs) Since it became well known for its difficulty in the original game, I had the team make some adjustments in this version. When I designed the Water Temple all those years ago, I wanted to create an experience where simply being underwater was fun. It was a time when there were very few 3D games that even let players go underwater. I enjoy freediving, and what I find fascinating about being underwater is how different everything feels. The sounds change, and it feels like you’re in a completely different space. I wanted to create a place where players could experience those sensations. However, with the dungeon’s complex structure and a lot of item toggling involved, you often had to open the menu screen repeatedly, making it hard to keep track of where you were and which way you were facing. We addressed those issues in this version.
Ng: In this version, we’ve made item toggling much easier. We also changed some of the walls that made it easy to lose your sense of direction to lattice-style structures, making it possible to see the rooms beyond them and get a better sense of the overall space.
- Released
-
November 5, 2026
- ESRB
-
Everyone 10+ / Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
-
Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
-
Nintendo
