Ocarina of Time Remake Hasn’t Revealed, Ranked

I recently wrote a piece on how I felt Nintendo might have been revealing too much about the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake ahead of its November 5, 2026 Switch 2 release, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it has revealed everything. In fact, some of what I, and I’m sure many others, would consider the N64 classic’s biggest moments have yet to be seen anywhere in the remake’s final marketing cycle. Now, with the Ocarina of Time remake’s launch just right around the corner, it’s doubtful we will actually see these things revealed until we get our hands on the game.

However, that’s probably for the best. When I say the “biggest” things Nintendo has yet to reveal for the Ocarina of Time remake, most of what I’m referring to are moments that would arguably be best preserved for release anyway. Some could probably find their way into the game’s marketing material and it would be fine, but there are definitely a few that I know I would personally rather witness for the first time once I’m playing the game myself. Even having played the original N64 Ocarina of Time more times than I can count, that just means I’m familiar enough with it to know when a moment is a big one, and I can understand why we haven’t seen it yet in the game’s final previews.

7

The Three Goddess Spells

Link’s Most Powerful Magic Still Hasn’t Had Its Full Showcase

• Din’s Fire, Farore’s Wind, and Nayru’s Love each give Link a unique magical ability.
• The remake has yet to fully showcase how all three spells look and function with its updated gameplay.

At the bottom of this list are the three goddess spells that adult Link learns later in Ocarina of Time, but that doesn’t make them inconsequential to the game in the slightest. Din’s Fire, Farore’s Wind, and Nayru’s Love are three magical spells bestowed upon Link by the Great Fairies in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and while they’re not necessarily tied to the game’s narrative in a significant way, they’re bound to put the Switch 2’s unprecedented power to the test with their visuals. So far, though, they haven’t appeared in Nintendo’s marketing footage for the remake, and I personally think that’s for the best.

Each of these spells, when cast, has a unique effect that can be used as damage, utility, or both. Din’s Fire, for example, creates a large expanding sphere of fire around Link that can damage nearby enemies or light objects like torches on fire. Farore’s Wind, however, is a utility spell that lets Link set a warp point inside a dungeon room and later teleport back to it or dispel it. Finally, Nayru’s Love encases Link in a blue diamond-shaped crystal shield that makes him invulnerable to damage for one minute. It’s no surprise that Nintendo hasn’t shown these spells off in official marketing footage for the Ocarina of Time remake, given how satisfying it can be to find and use them, and I’m personally looking forward to experiencing them for the first time once I’m on the sticks.

6

Biggoron’s Sword

One of the Game’s Most Iconic Weapons Is Still Missing in Action

• Biggoron’s Sword is an optional two-handed weapon that deals twice as much damage as the Master Sword.
• Its lengthy trading quest is one of the original game’s most memorable optional adventures.

Biggoron’s Sword is one of the most iconic (and most interesting) items in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, simply because it effectively replaces the legendary Master Sword as the best weapon in the game. While the Master Sword has long been considered unmatched in power and efficiency, Biggoron’s Sword deals twice as much damage as the Master Sword per normal strike. It also has a longer reach and can make certain fights easier—including the boss encounter against Ganondorf. The only downside is that Link is unable to use his shield while Biggoron’s Sword is equipped, as it functions similarly to a two-handed Greatsword in one of FromSoftware’s Soulsborne games, and it’s also impossible to fully defeat Ganon with it.

Thus far, Nintendo hasn’t revealed Biggoron’s Sword in its marketing footage for the remake, and it makes sense why, although I could see one tiny glimpse of it hyping up newcomers about the game’s optional equipment. But the truth is, Biggoron’s Sword is one of the most famous items in Zelda history, due to its power and the long path it takes to get there. In Ocarina of Time, the Biggoron’s Sword quest line is unique, in that no other quest line in the game offers such a substantial reward. What really sets it apart is how it compares to the Master Sword, as the legendary blade is basically handed to Link, while Biggoron’s Sword is something players have to earn. That makes finally getting it and using it a reward in and of itself.

5

Adult Princess Zelda

The Princess’s True Identity Is Still Being Kept Under Wraps

• Young Zelda and Sheik have appeared, but Zelda’s adult appearance hasn’t received a comparable reveal.
• Her reunion with Link is one of the original game’s most important story moments.

The fact that adult Zelda has yet to make an appearance in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake’s official marketing footage makes perfect sense to me, though I find it interesting that Nintendo chose to show off Ganondorf and not her. As a fan of the original N64 game, though, I can understand why. It’s likely not because Zelda is any more or less special to Ocarina of Time‘s story than she has been in any other Zelda entry, but because the game chooses to hide her identity from the player for quite some time in the adult Link era.

At this point, we’ve seen young Zelda (who was criticized for her appearance along with young Link for some reason) and Sheik, who happens to be adult Zelda in disguise. Again, it could be that Nintendo is wanting to keep Zelda’s true identity concealed from newcomers who may be playing Ocarina of Time for the first time with the remake, but I also don’t necessarily see the harm in showing at least a glimpse of adult Zelda apart from Sheik, especially since newcomers probably wouldn’t know they’re the same person anyway. Still, the fact that we haven’t seen adult Zelda yet just means it’ll be even more special when she finally reveals herself in the remake.

4

The Barinade Boss Fight

Jabu-Jabu’s Most Grotesque Encounter Has Yet to Be Revealed

• Barinade is the electrically charged boss waiting at the end of Inside Jabu-Jabu’s Belly.
• Its unusual design and frantic battle could benefit enormously from the remake’s updated visuals and combat.

Now, this is one that doesn’t really make sense to me, because at this point, Nintendo has given us a glimpse of all eight of the original Ocarina of Time dungeon bosses except Barinade, the final boss encounter of the Inside Jabu Jabu’s Belly dungeon. Of course, I’m not counting the Ganondorf and Ganon boss fights, as one can understand why those haven’t been revealed yet. As I said before, though, Ganondorf himself has already been shown off, even if his boss fight hasn’t. That says something, especially when Barinade, one of the game’s earliest bosses, hasn’t even been given a single frame.

It’s possible that Nintendo has redesigned Barinade somewhat for the remake, and that’s why it hasn’t shown us what it looks like yet. Perhaps Nintendo simply wants to surprise veterans with a redesign, and it would rather hold that surprise until players engage it directly. On the other hand, perhaps Barinade just isn’t that marketable of a boss compared to the likes of Queen Gohma, Volvagia, and Phantom Ganon. But what makes this more interesting is that Inside Jabu Jabu’s Belly has been shown off in the Ocarina of Time remake’s official marketing material, even if Barinade hasn’t, and Nintendo has already revealed the game’s other early dungeons and their bosses. It’s unlikely we’ll see Barinade before the game’s November 5, 2026 launch at this point, but in light of how it is the only major boss apart from Ganon that has been shown so far, I find it to be one of the more interesting exclusions.

3

The Bottom of the Well and Dead Hand

The Remake Has Yet to Show One of Zelda’s Most Disturbing Locations

• The Bottom of the Well is one of the original game’s creepiest areas, filled with hidden dangers.
• Dead Hand remains one of Zelda’s most horrifying enemies, making its redesigned appearance particularly intriguing.

The Bottom of the Well and Dead Hand is one exclusion that I understand perfectly, especially if Nintendo is trying to market the Ocarina of Time remake to younger audiences—which it most certainly is. When I played the original Ocarina of Time as an 11-year-old kid, The Bottom of the Well legitimately gave me nightmares. There is nothing quite as unsettling as this area in the entire game, and that includes Dead Hand, the mini-dungeon’s mini-boss. Were Nintendo to show off The Bottom of the Well and Dead Hand ahead of the Ocarina of Time remake’s release, I can almost guarantee it would be labeled a horror game, and it would likely turn off a portion of the potential audience from buying it.

At the same time, The Bottom of the Well is one of the most memorable areas in Ocarina of Time due to just how disturbing it actually is. It’s likely that those of us who played the game when we were kids and are now much older going into the remake won’t find it to be quite as disturbing as it once was, but many of us will probably still have plenty of leftover PTSD to navigate as we make our way through the area. For me, it was the atmosphere that made me not want to take another step forward, and I have no doubt that the Switch 2 remake will crank that atmosphere up to 10. For those who experienced The Bottom of the Well so long ago, I don’t really need to explain why Nintendo has intentionally left this part out of Ocarina of Time‘s marketing, and for those whose first experience with it will be in the remake, you’ll just have to see for yourself—if you’re brave enough.

2

Hyrule After the Seven-Year Time Skip

The Full Devastation of Ganondorf’s Rule Remains a Mystery

• Ganondorf’s reign transforms Hyrule, leaving once-familiar locations devastated and overrun by monsters.
• The remake has shown Adult Link, but the full extent of Hyrule’s transformation remains largely unseen.

As we approach the number one spot on this list, I can’t leave out the fact that Nintendo has neglected to really show off Hyrule after the seven-year time skip in the Ocarina of Time remake. We have, perhaps unknowingly, seen a few very minor glimpses of it in the game’s various footage, but nothing extensive enough to show just how horrific it is. Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask are known as horror-adjacent games for a reason, and the adult Link Hyrule experience is a perfect example of why. The devastation is palpable, the jump scares can be real, and it’s all-around one of the most depressing worlds Nintendo has ever created—in the most effective way.

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I recently convinced a good friend of mine to play through the original Ocarina of Time (before we knew the remake was official), knowing he’s quite the skittish guy. To be fair, I warned him ahead of time about The Bottom of the Well and the entire kingdom of Hyrule after the seven-year time jump, repeatedly emphasizing just how difficult it can be to get through at times. As I expected, he confirmed they were, in fact, some of the more disturbing experiences he had in the game, and he was even so unsettled by it all that he’s not overly interested in playing the remake. If that doesn’t explain what Ocarina of Time‘s future time period is like, then I don’t know what will, but it’s at least evidence

1

The Final Ganon Boss Fight

The Remake Is Saving Its Most Terrifying Transformation for Later

• Ganondorf’s transformation into the monstrous Ganon creates one of the original game’s most unforgettable moments.
• While Ganondorf has appeared in promotional footage, the climactic battle against his beast form remains largely under wraps.

At the top of the list is none other than Ocarina of Time‘s final boss encounter: Ganon. This is one thing that I don’t want spoiled for anyone, including myself, as I am personally looking forward to the moment when Ganondorf transforms into the monster that he truly is and grants Link a boss encounter worthy of its placement at the end. Mechanics aside, preserving the visuals is what is most important here, because while Ganon certainly looked terrifying in the original Ocarina of Time, I’m sure that will be even more true in the upcoming remake.

And Nintendo knows just how precious this encounter is to the community, although it would make sense for any game not to spoil its final boss encounter ahead of launch. But for me, it’s not just about keeping the final boss a secret. It’s about preserving the moment when Ganondorf, having already been defeated by Link, transforms into something far more terrifying than anything we’ve faced up to that point. The original game already made that reveal unforgettable with its atmosphere, flashes of lightning, and Ganon’s towering silhouette, and I can only imagine what Nintendo has done with it on Switch 2. Even though I’ve experienced that moment countless times before, it’s one of the things I’m most excited to see in the remake, and I’d much rather experience it firsthand than have Nintendo spoil it in a trailer. After everything the company has already shown, I’m glad it’s apparently saving its biggest surprise for November 5.

Systems

Released

November 5, 2026

ESRB

Everyone 10+ / Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence

Developer(s)

Nintendo

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

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