The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time returned on Nintendo Switch 2, and I keep coming back to the ocarina. The remake brings back the songs that once let you interact with Hyrule in a way no other item could. This version even lets you hum a learned melody into the Switch 2 microphone and have Link play it in the game, which is awesome. The usual button controls are still there, but I like that Nintendo found a new way to use such an old idea.
Ocarina of Time also reminds me how much I miss playable music in Zelda. I really do like where the series has gone, especially the freedom of its newer games. Being able to approach a problem however you want is a huge part of their appeal. But I also used to enjoy learning a tune and keeping it in mind until I found somewhere to play it. There’s something satisfying about making a song do something in the world, and the remake has made me want that back.
Ocarina of Time Made Music Part of the Game
In Ocarina of Time, songs weren’t something you learned and forgot about. Epona’s Song called your horse, while the Song of Storms brought rain when you needed it. Other melodies opened the way forward or helped me get around the map. They gave you a reason to lock in whenever someone taught Link a tune. Using the ocarina took a little more effort than selecting an ability, and that was part of the appeal. I was the one playing the notes, and I got to see the result.
Put the consoles in the correct order.
Other Zelda games kept that idea going without simply copying the ocarina. Majora’s Mask gave songs a major role in how you deal with time. The Wind Waker swapped the instrument for a conductor’s baton, but music still had a purpose beyond the soundtrack. You didn’t need to know anything about music to enjoy those moments. You just had to learn the melody and try it when the game gave you a reason to. Zelda lets you experiment with almost everything now, but it no longer lets you make music. Of all the things the older games have left behind, that’s one I really want back.
Zelda lets you experiment with almost everything now, but it no longer lets you make music.
I’m a big fan of both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. They’re easily my favorite Zelda games, and possibly my favorite Switch games ever. I’ve spent hours wandering off course because something caught my eye, and I love finding my own way around a problem. I wouldn’t trade that freedom for a return to the old formula. Still, I do feel the music is missing in these games. I know their quieter soundtracks are a deliberate choice, and that approach works for the worlds Nintendo built. But I miss the stronger melodies from earlier Zelda games. I can remember the old songs years later because I actually played them. I don’t get that same connection from hearing a few piano notes as I walk across a field.
That doesn’t mean the newer soundtracks are bad. Breath of the Wild uses its quieter music well, and Tears of the Kingdom has some brilliant musical moments. Nintendo has explained that it wanted sound to sit further in the background in these games. I understand the thinking, but listening is still different from playing. Breath of the Wild even has a musician whose songs lead you to secrets. Let me join in! The games let you do so much with your surroundings, yet music has become something you can only listen to.
The Ocarina of Time remake is a good reminder that an instrument can still feel at home in a modern Zelda game. The microphone feature is a small change, but it’s the sort of change I really appreciate. You can sing a tune and hear Link play it back without having to memorize the button presses. Anyone who prefers the original controls can keep using them. I don’t want the next Zelda game to recycle all of Ocarina of Time‘s songs, though. The series has moved on, and its musical mechanics should move on with it. I’d rather have an instrument that fits the freedom Nintendo has spent years building into Zelda.
A song that changes the wind, for example, could have more than one use. You might play it to move a boat across the water, then discover that it also helps during a fight. Another tune could attract animals, with different results depending on where you play it. I’d enjoy figuring that out on my own rather than being told to use a specific song at a marked spot. Tears of the Kingdom already encourages you to mess around with the tools you’re given. Music could work the same way. If Nintendo let you experiment with melodies instead of treating them as keys for particular locks, I’d spend a lot of time seeing what I could get away with.
Zelda Should Bring Back the Joy of Playing Music
I don’t want the next Zelda game to play exactly like Ocarina of Time. I’m glad the series has changed, and Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are two of my favorite examples of what it can do. There is room for playable music alongside that freedom. An instrument doesn’t need to replace the newer abilities or slow the game down. It could just give you one more way to interact with Hyrule, and it’s a way I’ve missed for years.
The remake has reminded me how fun it is to play a song and see the game respond. I want that feeling in a new Zelda game, with an instrument I can use because I’m curious about what will happen. Nintendo has done plenty to make Hyrule a place I can experiment in. Now I want to make music there again.
- Released
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November 5, 2026
- ESRB
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Everyone 10+ / Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
