Since its launch last year, the Switch 2 has proven itself to be a portable powerhouse, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake may just be the best game to show off its capabilities. The upgraded version of the timeless adventure looks even better when compared to the original N64 game that first debuted in 1998, as Nintendo has leveraged the Switch 2 hardware to create the definitive version of the game, blending atmospheric design with imaginatively designed character models.
And if you want to see just how gorgeous that glow-up is, click the video below for a guided tour of Hyrule across two eras of Nintendo hardware. No commentary, just comparisons.
For this video, we captured footage using an original NTSC 1.0 N64 cartridge running on an Analogue 3D with de-blur enabled. While there are a couple of Nintendo 64 emulators on the market, the Analogue 3D is generally considered to be the best of the lot. It’s designed to capture the essence of a CRT TV display through various effects and filters.
Ocarina of Time on the N64 was a game that had to work creatively around the limitations of the console and its cartridge system, at a time when the gaming industry was embracing CD-ROMs. Limitations do breed creativity, and the game is still fondly remembered for being a visual tour de force from an era when 3D games were making impressive strides. As for the Switch 2 version, the footage speaks for itself. It’s crisp, the text is sharp, the extra effects are nice little touches, and the art direction has a Studio Ghibli feel to it.
For more on the technical wizardry behind it, you can read our big The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake interview with producers Eiji Aonuma and Hidemaro Fujibayashi, as they spoke to GameSpot about what it took to modernize a classic game and keep its soul intact. “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a reverent remake with stellar presentation, letting the original greatness shine through,” Steve Watts wrote in GameSpot’s Ocarina of Time remake review.