Ocarina of Time Remake Officially Confirms Brand-New Feature

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is THE highest-rated game of all time, making any remake or re-release of it be held to a higher standard than most, and it seems Nintendo wants to modernize the game with new features for modern audiences. To some degree, that could mean losing the world, exploration, puzzles, and dungeons of the OG Zelda: Ocarina of Time, as it often expected players to figure things out for themselves. Many “modern” features have streamlined games in ways not all fans agree with.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake is also being rebuilt specifically for Nintendo Switch 2, which gives Nintendo an opportunity to rethink parts of the experience beyond simply improving its visuals. The remake features completely overhauled graphics, expanded dialogue, enhanced controls, and a modernized camera. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is consequently shaping up to be much more than a simple visual upgrade to the classic Nintendo 64 game.

Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake Connects to the Nintendo Switch App

Nintendo has now officially confirmed another new feature for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and it involves the company’s Zelda Notes service. According to the official Zelda of Japan Twitter account, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time will be compatible with Zelda Notes through the Nintendo Switch App on smartphones. Nintendo says the feature includes various functions designed to let players enjoy the game more deeply, with the options including access to Zelda: Ocarina of Time’s map, quests, a record log of what players have done, a profile, the Trails of Time feature, amiibo options, an option to play the Ocarina of Time, and a game quiz, among other options.

Scratch & Peek

Identify the cover art while scratching off as little foil as
possible.

Zelda Notes is designed specifically around helping players with the franchise’s latest games, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time will be joining the supported games like Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom with its own functionality. The addition is particularly notable because The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is being rebuilt around a game that originally came from an era when smartphones, companion apps, and constantly available online guides simply did not exist.

Nintendo has already confirmed features such as the quest log-like Trails of Time for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Zelda Notes pushes the remake’s modernization even further. In other words, it does seem a modernization attempt is in full swing, perhaps stopping just short of yellow paint.

Zelda Notes adds another modern feature to the upcoming remake, so it will be interesting to see exactly how Nintendo uses the smartphone companion once the full game is in players’ hands. For a game originally designed around sitting in front of a Nintendo 64 and figuring things out with a controller, it’ll be interesting to see how OG fans receive new content like Zelda Notes in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.