The Ocarina of Time Remake Again

NateTheHate has doubled down on an Ocarina of Time remake for 2026 in a podcast today, stating that this will truly be a remake and not just a remaster of the 3DS remake. And now this seems all but confirmed to the internet.

Well, it's what everybody and their mother wants to hear. Conveniently, he is also now talking about a new Star Fox game, right after Fox McCloud was announced to appear in the Super Mario Galaxy Movie for some reason. And I think that's the whole logic behind these so-called leaks. "They are putting Fox in the new Mario movie, so it makes sense for there to be a new Star Fox, right? They have released an Ocarina of Time LEGO set, so it makes sense to get a remake of Ocarina of Time, right? Why else would Nintendo do these things...?"

Maybe there is some wishful thinking in it as well. If you have the status of Nate, where a lot of Nintendo fans and video game journalist can't wait to hear your gospel, then you can throw out your predictions or your wishlist disguised as insider information. People will hear whatever you have in mind and then keep asking about those titles, which creates demand. And maybe one day Nintendo will actually give us the Ocarina of Time remake that everyone has been talking about for years...

I'm not claiming that it's truly like that, nor am I saying that a new Star Fox game or an Ocarina of Time remake are in no way possible for 2026. I'm just saying that we should be careful with such "leaks", because they have been often wrong in the past, which includes the stuff from Nate. Last year he claimed that we will be getting Kirby: Planet Robobot for the Nintendo Switch and I'm still waiting for that to happen... He is a reliable source for Nintendo Direct dates, though.

As for the actual likelihood of an Ocarina of Time remake, I keep saying the same thing: there is the big question mark of the developers. Who is going to remake the game? Who? Hmm? But so far none of the supposed leakers and insiders have said anything to answer this question. A good-looking remake for the Switch 2 will be quite the effort, so this isn't something that Nintendo or GREZZO will have done as a small side project.

So, either they have a different studio to take on this job, where this would require a huge amount of trust from Nintendo, or it's all just overblown speculation at this point.

Likewise, it's always a red flag when people talk about a new 3D Mario when we have just gotten Donkey Kong Bananza from the 3D Mario team last year. To be fair, Nate says that it's not happening this year, but this is after claiming that there will be a 3D Mario ready for Christmas 2026. And now he makes it sound like they have postponed this to 2027, but either way this is very questionable information.

LEGO: Ocarina of Time – The Final Battle Revealed

We knew that this was going to happen for a while, but this Friday Nintendo and LEGO have revealed their latest collaboration around The Legend of Zelda. This new set will focus exclusively on Ocarina of Time, depicting the game's final battle exactly as you would remember it – with Link leaping high through the air and Zelda shooting her laser pistol.

To be fair, I think the set is actually quite neat. Ganon looks impressive and you can change its pose like with an action figure. There are three custom mini-figures, where there is also one for Ganondorf, who you can hide under the rubble:

The price points looks to be even more expensive than the Deku Tree set, however. That one had 2500 pieces for 300€, while the new one offers 1003 pieces for 130€. There is probably some special stuff in there, like Ganon's blades, but I'm no expert on the matter and LEGO is generally known to be overpriced. In any case, I have yet to buy any of the LEGO stuff around Zelda and I'm not sure I ever will, mainly because I wouldn't know where to display it.

The animated trailer for this set had me thinking that they might also make a LEGO game based on the Zelda license in the future. There would even be lots of potential here if they were to explore the entire Zelda series, like they did with the newest LEGO Batman game, Legacy of the Dark Knight. It's not necessarily something I want, but I also wouldn't be opposed to it.

Dawn of a New Year – 2026

While it's technically just a change in date, there is something magical about looking forward to another year and what exciting things it may bring for your hobbies and passions, like The Legend of Zelda. And with the 40th Anniversary taking place from February 21st onward, there will certainly be something to talk about.

 

Expanding Worlds

The year starts with a small collaboration between The Legend of Zelda and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The 3.0.0 update for the game will launch on January 15th, in exactly two weeks, and contain a number of new features, including new amiibo-induced crossovers.

You will be able to obtain outfits, items and furniture based on the Zelda series, as well as two new villagers: Tulin and Mineru from Tears of the Kingdom. Sadly, the Zelda-themed villagers from New Leaf are not returning for this, but it's still better than nothing and will allow Zelda fans to make their islands feel a lot more special.

In general, updates and expansions like this one could become a strong point of interest in 2026. For example, Hollow Knight: Silksong will get its first free expansion, Sea of Sorrow. And it's possible that Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment may get further DLC. There are no shared plans so far, but there is certainly demand for playable Ganondorf and Sonia, where Koei Tecmo may follow up on that. It wouldn't be the first time.

Another game that sees a lot of demand for DLC is Mario Kart World. 200cc, more costumes, the Koopalings, or contents based on Donkey Kong Bananza are what first comes to mind, but for a major expansion they could return to the crossovers with other Nintendo franchises. Bring back Link and the Master Cycle (Zero), introduce Zelda as a driver, and have an island that represents Hyrule. And Samus is practically begging to make a guest appearance in Mario Kart with her newest toy, Vi-O-La.

 

40th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda

Super Mario Bros. was celebrating its 40th Anniversary last year, which was mainly used to advertise the upcoming Super Mario Galaxy Movie, where at the forefront was a two-in-one "port" of Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 for the Nintendo Switch.

Well, there is also a Zelda movie coming up, but it won't be part of the anniversary, since it's scheduled to launch in theaters on May 7th next year. Still, they will get the ball rolling this year and in the very least present us with a first trailer, while potentially using the anniversary to create some hype.

But a glimpse is also the best what we can hope for when it comes to a new Zelda game. The latest installments, Tears of the Kingdom (2023) and Echoes of Wisdom (2024) are still too recent for anything to be even close to finished. The next 3D Zelda game should be right in the middle of its development, where maybe Nintendo will present us a first teaser trailer.

So, we should not expect another 25th Anniversary, which was huge and revolved around the launch of Skyward Sword. The 30th and 35th anniversaries didn't coincide with a new Zelda game and therefore haven't brought much on the table (only some amiibo, an artbook, and a Game & Watch system).

Maybe this will repeat here. Or maybe they have something else in store, where the likeliest candidate is another remake. And you may already know where this is heading, since the rumor mills have been running for a while: Ocarina of Time.

It simply makes sense. They have remade or remastered all 3D Zelda games at least once, where now they can start it all over again. And this could also get fans of traditional Zelda excited for both the Nintendo Switch 2 and the movie.

If this is really a thing, the only question is who has been working on such a remake. The folks at Tantalus, the developers of Twilight Princess HD and Skyward Sword HD, are good with ports and texture updates, but not necessarily remakes. And the folks at GREZZO, who had developed Ocarina of Time 3D, have effectively taken over the top-down Zelda branch.

Speaking of, instead of Ocarina of Time, we could also be looking at a remake of Oracle of Ages & Seasons. This could have been developed in parallel to Echoes of Wisdom, where there are even some indications that this might have been the case, or at least that they were remaking the Oracle games at some point. The accessory system was clearly based on the Magic Rings and the return of Smog as a classic boss was rather curious... Make out of that what you will.

Alternatively, we could be looking at something else entirely, like a Shrine Maker based on Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. They have already been pushing both games with the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, where they got the first Nintendo Switch 2 Editions, and such a project could be the next step. However, it probably wouldn't be an official part of the 40th Anniversary.

In any case, they could release a 40th Anniversary Edition of the Nintendo Switch 2, just to annoy all the Zelda fans who have purchased a Nintendo Switch 2 already. That's a classic Nintendo move. 

 

40th Anniversary of Metroid?

Nintendo has yet to celebrate any of the anniversaries of their other Action Adventure series, but there is a first time for everything. To be fair, they had the perfect opportunity in 2021 with the release of Metroid Dread, but didn't seize it. In any case, it will have been five years since the last 2D Metroid release, so it's time for another remake or even Metroid 6. And theoretically it would have been possible for MercurySteam to cook something if they hadn't been busy with their latest 3D game, Blades of Fire... So, it's probably best to not expect anything.

Hero of Law

Usually, I'm not much into ROM hacks and randomizer stuff, because I hardly can keep up with the official releases, but this week I'm on a Zelda community gathering. And here I could witness this absolutely marvelous crossover between The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Ace Attorney.

It was made by Newer Team and you can find everything you need to know on the game's website. I can only advise to give it a try, where it's a short game and you will be in a for a fun evening.

Talon got killed and Princess Zelda found him on a visit of the Lon Lon Ranch, where it looks like Malon did it with a Poacher's Saw. Link in his finest Zora Suit becomes her defense, while Ganondorf Dragmire poses as the prosecution, which is absolutely hilarious.

Any fan of Ocarina of Time will immediately know who actually did it, but of course it's about delivering proof by using evidence and all given statements. Like in your regular Ace Attorney game. It's a bit weird to have Link talk as much, but he also often just delivers his thoughts, where a lot of it is funny.

Overall, this ROM hack is absolutely impressive. The soundtrack is also a banger. If nothing else, go download it for a treat, also on the Hero of Law website. 

Nintendo Music: Ocarina of Time 3D Added

Another month, another Zelda addition to Nintendo Music, this time with Ocarina of Time 3D. I already had speculated that we might see this when they added The Wind Waker, but with no link from or to The Wind Waker HD back in January. The reason is that these remasters / remakes got their own soundtrack CD release, which is what many of the albums in Nintendo Music are based upon. And that's exactly what we are getting here.

The differences between the Nintendo 64 and the Nintendo 3DS music are small, but you may notice some here and there, since the music for the Nintendo 3DS version was actually remade, as faithfully as that might be (Iwata Asks). The soundtrack does have less tracks (51 compared to 82), because it doesn't feature the "Get Item" melodies, for example, and also combines certain songs into one. But it comes with the orchestrated credits theme that was made for GREZZO's staff listing. That's from the good, old times, where these remasters still showed you the original development staff in their credits, as they should.

Anyway, it may feel a bit redundant, but this is nice to have nevertheless. I'm glad they added it to the library. Though, it's curious that they are prioritizing this over adding Majora's Mask. Maybe next month...

Got the NSO Nintendo 64 Controller

Since I became a subscriber to the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack thanks to Four Swords, I can also play Nintendo 64 games on my Nintendo Switch now. But using a Pro Controller isn't fully ideal here, because the button layout can be slightly confusing (it puts C-Left on the Y-button and C-Down on X) and you have to hold down ZR to get the proper C-button experience, or use the right stick like on previous systems.

Now, as part of Nintendo's Black Friday deals in Europe, they have offered a discount on the Nintendo 64 controller that you can get for your Nintendo Switch, so I thought that I should give this a try... Which I did today with some Ocarina of Time.

And it certainly gives you an authentic experience, maybe a little too authentic. The analog stick is the same old stiff twig as in the original, which will probably wear down if you do too many quick spins. And the motor for the built-in Rumble Pak is such a monster that you could use this thing for a drill hammer.

I never owned a Rumble Pak for my Nintendo 64, so I've only experienced this once or so before, but I don't feel like I missed anything back in the day... Well, finding all the secret holes without the Stone of Agony was certainly a challenge, but I had too much time to play this game as a kid anyway.

The backside of the controller also features the home and screenshot buttons, as well as a tiny ZR button, which is used for the cursor and applause during online sessions. And it can be charged via USB-C, where they provide with one of the same cables that also come with a Pro Controller.

As far as I know, the emulation does not support the Controller Pak as of now, which means that you have to rely on Suspend Points with games like Turok 2: Seeds of Evil that didn't have battery saves. But I'd rather have this than the monster rumble.

Nintendo Music Released

The next out-of-nowhere surprise is the launch of Nintendo's newest smartphone app: Nintendo Music. Not to be confused with Wii Music, this is effectively their own little Spotify, where members of Nintendo Switch Online get to listen to video game soundtracks without any additional costs.

I gave it a try right away this morning and this is quite neat. The interface is clean and the playlists are extensive for the given games. At first I thought that these are only a sound selection, but those are the "highlights" with only the most important songs and you can also listen the complete soundtrack with everything.

For example, the default playlist of Breath of the Wild contains 62 songs, where you have the opening, the shrine music, the villages, the Champion themes, and so on. But the app also has the complete soundtrack with all 211 tracks, which only was available in Japan so far, like most of the official soundtracks. This one contains every piece of music you might want to listen to, including the DLC stuff and the epic trailer themes. It's a blast, and you also get a unique screenshot or image for almost every track to spark your memories.

Well, I don't know why the Windmill Hut theme from Ocarina of Time isn't part of the highlights, but at least it's there... And there are also playlists based on characters, which may even span different titles. Like, there is the Great Deku Tree, where you get tracks from both Ocarina of Time and Breath of the Wild. That's good to have when you're building the corresponding LEGO set, I guess...

The only problem with this app is the same as with any of the NSO offerings: they are drip-fed. So far there are 22 soundtracks available and they will gradually expand this over time, because Nintendo wants to keep this thing in the news. I can think of a number of reasons why they don't release all their old games at once to the service, since they still need to be tested and potentially re-rated, and so on. But in this case it's only music...

The biggest effort at this point should be translating all the titles into English and adding screenshots for every song. That's still a good amount of work, don't get me wrong, but hopefully this will see additions on a more frequent and extensive basis than what they are doing with NES, SNES, and so on.

Here's what soundtracks are included in the app as part of the launch, with the gaming system and the number of tracks in parenthesis:

• Super Mario Bros. (NES, 16)
• Metroid (NES / Famicon, 12)
• Dr. Mario (GB, 8)
  
• Kirby's Dream Land (GB, 15)
• Donkey Kong Country (SNES, 26)
• Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (SNES, 26)
• Star Fox 64 / Lylat Wars (N64, 39)
  
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64, 82)
• Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade (GBA, 100)
• Metroid Prime (GCN, 36)
• Nintendogs (NDS, 50)
  
• Tomodachi Collection (NDS, 62)
• Wii Channels (Wii, 62)
  
• Super Mario Galaxy (Wii, 81)
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch, 211)
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch, 149)
• Super Mario Odyssey (Switch, 136)
• Kirby Star Allies (Switch, 213)
  
• Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Switch, 407)
• Splatoon 3 (Switch, 118)
• Pokémon Scarlet & Violet (Switch, 199)
• Pikmin 4 (Switch, 153)

The ones of bigger interest to this blog are highlighted, so Zelda fans will only get Ocarina of Time and Breath of the Wild for now, where they've started things with arguably the two most popular Zelda games. But we will certainly get more in the future, where The Wind Waker and Skyward Sword are already announced to come soon, among others.

However, let's hope that they will keep it simple and not bring the NSO Expansion Pack into this. It would be lame if you only could listen to the soundtrack of Tears of the Kingdom, for example, as long as you're paying for the advanced subscription.

But it would be compelling, because this is some very good value added to Nintendo Switch Online, where for me personally this is fantastic to have. I love listening to video game soundtracks, but I've gotten very lazy about managing MP3s on my phone, since there is Youtube and I rarely listen to music out in the wild. Right now I mainly have some indie game soundtracks on there, which I got from Steam: Hollow Knight, Death's Door, TUNIC, Dorfromantik, and some others. I also have some soundtracks from the Trine and Unreal series, where those are some great tunes.

As for Nintendo music, I have two MP3s from Spirit Tracks, the main themes, because that's the music you want to be listening to during a train ride, but that's really it. The other Nintendo-related albums on my phone are remixes, like Essence of Lime... So, having this app will fill a big gap for me and I love it.

In addition, you can create your own playlists, and shuffle things while hiding certain games as spoilers. You can also extend songs where applicable, so that they loop like they do ingame (which is very clever). They have thought of everything important and I highly recommend to check this out.

Great Deku Tree 2-in-1 LEGO Announced

 

Remember the Zelda LEGO leak from early 2023? As with the Nintendo Switch OLED Tears of the Kingdom Edition, which also got leaked around that time, this was the real deal and we finally have an official announcement now. There is going to be a LEGO set of the Great Deku Tree from both Ocarina of Time and Breath of the Wild.

Unlike the Super Mario stuff, which was made for toddlers, this is a lot more advanced and something for serious collectors and builders. But using The Legend of Zelda was without a doubt right choice to level up Nintendo's partnership with LEGO.

There are so many fantastic details with this. You have the Master Sword, Hylian Shield, Deku Shield and Ocarina of Time as items. You have figurines of the Hero of Time (adult and child), Champion Link, and the Zelda from Breath of the Wild. And there is a Sheikah Slate slate.

In the Ocarina of Time version you get Deku Babas, the Sprout of the Deku Tree, a Gossip Stone, and a part of the "Inside the Deku Tree" dungeon with a Skulltula and a treasure chest on the backside. There also seems to be a mechanic, which lets you drop the Skulltula on a rope. The Breath of the Wild version on the other hand has Hestu and many small Koroks, as well as Walton's spot on top of the tree, the Spore Store on the backside, and a terminal for placing the Sheikah Slate.

This is a 2-in-1 set, meaning that you can't build both simultaneously, it's either one or the other. So, if you want the other at some point, you will have to dismantle it all and then start building from scratch.

The Ocarina of Time version does have Link's house from the Kokiri Forest in addition, however, essentially as this small separate set, where I'm hoping that you can build this in any case. Because then you would have at least something to display the Ocarina of Time figurines and items, even if you have the Breath of the Wild Deku Tree assembled. But I'm not sure about that.

Well, I loved LEGO as a child, but unlike my love for Nintendo this didn't transition into adulthood and I haven't played with LEGOs for over 25 years. Basically, LEGO became uninteresting once I got my Game Boy and Nintendo 64 in the late 90s. But this really has me excited, I totally want this, where this will make three different periods of my life come together in one big nostalgia package.

You can find and preorder this set on the LEGO website. It's 2500 pieces and costs 299€, which is utterly insane. You can get a Nintendo Switch for that money... But if you're buying big, valuable figurines you will end up in this price category as well and this LEGO set is also something that you can put in a display cabinet once you're done.

It's an unreasonable purchase nevertheless, but at least I'm able to afford it, which would have never been the case back when Ocarina of Time was a thing. And from the looks of it, you're able to get these LEGO sets much cheaper from other stores and retailers, so it might be a good idea to wait a little while.

What I'm not going to do is buy two, where I had considered that after the leak, because then you can display both variants right next to each other. But certainly not for that price... And then you have a reason to rebuild it from time to time, which is part of the fun.

They know their target audience for this, though, which has certainly added to the price, alongside the license. It's people who grew up with both LEGO and Zelda, who are now "responsible adults" with more money than time, unable to resist such a blast from the past.

Ocarina of Time's 25th Anniversary

This blog rarely acknowledges the anniversaries of the individual Zelda games, other than the first, but Ocarina of Time always has been an exception, since the game is one of the biggest milestones in the Zelda series. For its 10th and 20th anniversaries we've looked at the game's accomplishments and legacy, so this time let's talk about the future of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

There lately have been rumors floating around that we might get something for Zelda other than Tears of the Kingdom in the year 2023, which led to some speculation about a potential remake of Ocarina of Time, which could be shadow-dropped in the same way as Metroid Prime Remastered. However, this would likely not become a proper remake, but rather a remaster of the Nintendo 3DS version, which was released in 2011.

The timing is also questionable, because Ocarina of Time is always tied to its direct sequel, Majora's Mask. Whatever they are to do with Ocarina of Time now, you would expect Majora's Mask to receive the same treatment later on. But the Nintendo Switch won't be forever, where we will see a successor at some point in the next couple of years. And then it will be preferable to get remakes of both Nintendo 64 Zelda games for that system, with much prettier graphics.

In any case, both Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask will see new remakes eventually. With the release of Skyward Sword HD in 2021, they have remastered or remade each classic 3D Zelda game at least once, where now it can begin all over again. Whether this will happen anytime soon or not, remains to be seen. (If we were to get one more remake on the Nintendo Switch, I personally would prefer Oracle of Ages & Seasons to follow up on Link's Awakening.)

A remake of Ocarina of Time should include all the improvements of the Nintendo 3DS version, naturally, but also come with more detailed maps, similar to what they have done for Majora's Mask 3D. Generally, it probably wouldn't hurt to modernize the interface and other aspects of the game a bit, while staying true to the original, like it was done with the remake for Link's Awakening.

But one nitpick I always had about the game, which finally should be fixed with a remake, is how you need the Fairy Bow at one point inside the Water Temple to get a key, right at the end of the winding tunnel full of vortexes. If this weren't the case, then you would be able to play the Forest, Fire, and Water Temples in any order, highlighting how open and non-linear Ocarina of Time already was, long before Breath of the Wild...

One thing that Nintendo also could do now, in order to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the game, is to add Master Quest to the Nintendo Switch Online library. Outside of Ocarina of Time 3D, this has never been re-released, even though it's technically only a modified ROM, where they potentially could have put this on the Wii Virtual Console. Maybe this would have left a sour taste, because you would have needed to buy the game twice to experience both versions. But that's not an issue any longer with the new subscription model, where you have access to all Nintendo 64 games as long as you're subscribed to the NSO Expansion Pack. So, this would be great timing to get the classic Master Quest back.

Tears of the Kingdom – Tear of Time?

After studying the different abilities in Tears of the Kingdom, we already could notice that Recall is different from the others. It glows in a golden light and it is represented by a stylized kanji, instead of the green Zonai magic and a straight-forward symbol used for Ascend, Fuse, and Master Hand. Well, and if we look at the tear that Zelda is holding in the last trailer, we can see that it has the Recall symbol on it, which stands for time:

We can also see how Zelda activates the same glowing light when she falls, probably to save herself (thanks to Zeltik's analysis for this one, I didn't spot this myself). Fans of the theory that the Goddess of Time mentioned in Majora's Mask and Hylia could be one and the same will certainly enjoy this connection.

We also have seen how Link obtains this glowing light at what appears to be the large temple structure that we saw time and time again at the large group of sky islands, which is probably the tutorial area.

Perhaps this is the final reward that you will obtain there, like the Paraglider at the Great Plateau, instead that this is given to you by Zelda, or at least left by her. And then you will move on to collect the remaining tears, where each of them will give you a new ability.

It would be the best of both worlds. You get a starting kit of abilities, like in Breath of the Wild, which are enabled by his Zonai arm. But the golden gauntlet he wears will let him use the tears in addition, and with them you will collect new "items" throughout the game, which will let you progress in different ways. And this could mean that these are more much significant than expected.

The "wind" ability for example most likely will be a replacement for Revali's Gale, where you obtain this from Tulin or together with Tulin. If these characters are truly the new Seven Sages, then these tears could be what the Medallions originally were originally supposed to be in Ocarina of Time. In earlier versions of the game you could assign them to the C-buttons and use them for abilities, where the Fire Medallion would have worked like Din's Fire for example. And perhaps now, 25 years later, we finally get to have this idea in action.

Tears of the Sages

That final trailer for Tears of the Kingdom, which is just super addicting, is talking in riddles about what's happening in the game, but it's showing us so much at the same time that Zelda fans sure will put the pieces together.

Well, I'm a fan, and to me it looks like we're getting a scenario very close to that of Ocarina of Time. Link and Zelda found Ganondorf as the source of the Malice. Reawakened he takes over Hyrule Castle and reigns with terror over the land. To defeat him it needs the Blade of Evil's Bane, as well as the power of seven Sages, where each of them is holding on to a tear, which looks a bit like the Amber and Dusk Relics from Skyward Sword with that yin and yang form.

We have seen a couple of these potential sages in the trailer, all equipped with such a tear at some point:

• Zelda
• Riju
• Sidon
• Tulin
• The Zonai figure
  

About the last one, his name is mentioned in the leaked artbook. Diving enthusiastically back into the Zelda community after the new trailer, I happened to pick up this info by "accident"... And his name actually gives away quite a lot. You don't have to read the following if you don't want to:

He is Rauru. Yes, you've heard right. And if you look at the mysterious figure on the carvings, it does look a bit like an owl, doesn't it? But this essentially confirms that they are going with the idea of the sages here.

It's also nice that Rauru is now a Zonai, presumably, so that each sage comes from a different tribe, while in Ocarina of Time there were two Hylians as sages with Zelda and Rauru. Of course in that game you weren't meant to know that Zelda is the final sage until the very end...

Anyway, there is certainly going to be a Goron sage, where we already could see someone with Daruk's Boulder Breaker in the trailer. It's likely Yunobo, but for some reason Nintendo doesn't want to reveal this character yet.

And naturally the last sage is probably going to be a Sheikah, where I would place my bets on Paya, who is basically a young Impa. If Riju could learn how to properly fight since Breath of the Wild, then so can she.

Well, but what do the tears mean? They don't have them from the beginning, where you first can see Sidon without it and later with it. But it seems that some of these sages have faced a loss in the recent past. With Tulin it's likely that something has happened to his father, Teba, or else we probably would be accompanied by him instead. And Sidon will seemingly lose his father during the game as well, because not only has he this tear on his hand, but also the Zora crown on his head, making him the new Zora king. Maybe these tears represent their grief?

The only thing that Riju has lost so far is her hair, which is sad enough, but certainly not on the same level. But with what's happening in Gerudo Desert, she might have lost her home... (As long as it's not Patricia, it's fine, because they will need that secret weapon of mass destruction.)

And if Paya is truly one of the last sages, then this probably won't bode well for Impa, but this is getting very hypothetical at this point. Of course, this doesn't mean that something bad has to happen to these characters, because they are the sages. But it might be that their grief is ultimately what lets them become sages in the first place.

Maybe Ganondorf is even targeting certain individuals, because he is afraid that they will become the sages that he still knows from the past. In that case Impa would certainly be one of those targets, because it wouldn't be the first Impa to cross him... It does make sense and would make for a much better villain.

Zelda, Link, and co. have little knowledge about Ganondorf and what has happened in Hyrule prior to the Great Calamity. But Ganondorf knows everything. He knows about the Triforce, he knows about the Goddesses, he knows about the sages, and so on. And he will hopefully use this knowledge to his advantage to become the respectable villain that he is supposed to be.

If you look at the artworks, you can see that the tear on his forehead is red. Naturally, Ganondorf is not one of the sages, but what if he is hunting for the tears himself? The red tear might be related to the Gorons, where he took this from Death Mountain. Perhaps it's even the reason why we haven't seen the Goron sage yet, because something terrible might have happened to him after a confrontation with Ganondorf.

Reviving my Nintendo 64

While I have a collection of older Nintendo consoles and games, I'm not much of a retro gamer. I still have my Wii U hooked up to my TV, where this is as "retro" as it gets at the moment and I mostly stick to my Nintendo Switch and the PC for gaming. My older systems rest somewhere in boxes, but from time to time I feel the need to check everything out to see if it still works.

Now, there is the problem that I don't have a tube TV any longer, not even a TV with a SCART input. So, I did get an adapter from Kaico (from my own money, so I'm not sponsored or anything), which gets put into the Nintendo 64 directly, converts the signal to HDMI, and even upscales it to 1080p. I already had the same item for my old Xbox, where I was quite happy with it and now decided to get one for my remaining consoles without HDMI.

There are also a variety of SCART to HDMI adapters available, but such a native adapter felt more natural to me and it also doesn't need an extra power source, you just plug it into your console and then use any HDMI cable. It's very simple. Of course a SCART adapter can be used on pretty much all the old consoles, but this thing also works with your Super Nintendo and GameCube, since they have the same output port. So, this really covers the rest of my old consoles, which were the Nintendo 64 and the GameCube. But I've only tested my Nintendo 64 so far and the result was quite satisfying...

My first test was with Turok: Rage Wars, because that's my only Nintendo 64 game that didn't make make it on PC or a later Nintendo system. This was also my first Arena Shooter and is therefore still quite dear to me, where I was immediately happy to see that the 100% save game on my Controller Pack is still alive. It won't be that way forever, since everything for Nintendo 64 relied on batteries, where I probably should make a back-up soon, as long as it's still possible...

Both my save files for Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask are also still there, which is quite incredible, given how it's been over 20 years. Most of my Game Boy cartridges have dead batteries by now, however, where it's only a matter of time for the Nintendo 64 stuff to meet the same terrible fate. But since I have all of these games on later systems it's not really critical... Only the above save from Turok: Rage Wars would be a bit of a loss.

The two Nintendo 64 Zelda games don't look as good, where the graphics appear a lot more pixelated and the picture is a bit too bright. The Temple of Time now really looks like it was supposed to be the Temple of Light:

Well, it looks much better on the photo, because this is making things darker as well, but in reality I can hardly read the "500" in the bottom left corner, because the backdrop is simply too bright. Of course it stops to be a problem once you leave the Temple of Time...

It probably helps that Turok: Rage Wars was quite dark by default and got also made for split-screen multiplayer, where they kept the graphics clean and simple to keep the performance up. But for whatever reason the image doesn't fill the screen, while it does for the two Zelda games. So, it's not perfect by any means and I can't 100% recommend it, but for my purposes this adapter turned out to be a good and simple choice.

Tears of the Kingdom – Ganon's Castle?

In the new trailer and artwork we can see Hyrule Castle once more floating above a hole of sprawling Malice. This was already shown at the end of last year's trailer from a different angle:

Back then this could have been just another intermediate shot, so it wasn't sure sure how high up Hyrule Castle would go eventually. But the new material suggests that may be the end of it, where the Malice / Ganondorf has some power to keep it afloat, but not on the same level as the other sky islands.

Now, what's stopping Link from simply flying over to the top of the castle from one of the many sky islands high up? Well, maybe there isn't anything... Maybe Tears of the Kingdom follows a similar design concept as Breath of the Wild, where the game gives you the option to go straight into the final dungeon and face the final boss if you dare. As long as you got to the sky islands, this may be possible.

Of course this possibility suggests that Hyrule Castle will be once again the final dungeon in the game. And Age of Calamity has already done the "cover it with even more Malice" twist, where they need to come up with some new ideas. Or an old idea that is presented in a new light:

A floating castle detached from a deadly abyss is something that we have already seen in Ocarina of Time with Ganon's Castle. It's an unforgettable moment and perfectly showed the amount of destruction that Ganondorf is capable of. This really made him feel like a massive threat to Hyrule.

And with this in mind, it would be interesting if Hyrule Castle were to be slowly transformed into Ganon's Castle over the course of the game. It's visible from many places in Hyrule and it's very much visible from the sky islands, so you will always have a good view on Ganondorf's progress. And this could create a sense of urgency, something that is usually lacking in a Zelda game, unless there is a timer running somewhere on the screen.

In Breath of the Wild it didn't really matter when you faced Calamity Ganon. You could run straight to the beast right from the Great Plateau or you could collect all 900 Korok Seeds before you take on the fight. The final boss battle will become significantly easier, though, if you clear the Divine Beasts first, because this removes the Blights from Hyrule Castle and reduces the energy of Calamity Ganon. So, the stronger you get, the easier the game make things for you... Which doesn't really feel right.

With Tears of the Kingdom they could create some sort of compromise. You can try your luck early in the game where Ganondorf is still weak. Or you can power up, repair the Master Sword, get all the things to make you feel ready, but meanwhile Ganondorf has fortified himself in his new edgy castle.

Of course the level scaling in Breath of the Wild, like with the continuously upgrading Lynels, wasn't very enjoyable and is something that should be best avoided in the sequel, because it takes away from your progress. You became strong and confident enough to finally face those Blue-Maned Lynels you saw at the Oseira Plains, but they have become White-Maned Lynels now and kick your butt. That's just demotivating, at least for first time players who are still learning the game.

Now, if the final dungeon were to work similarly, it also wouldn't be great. You might end up banging your head against a wall that keeps getting thicker. At the same time it would be an incentive to keep trying, to really go there as early as possible, before things get too bad. And once you feel more comfortable later in the game, you can go try the harder version(s). But there needs to be a very good balance here that doesn't make it seem like you're totally missing out either way.

However, there is the Master Sword, which is usually needed to defeat Ganon(dorf). In Breath of the Wild the system worked, because you were essentially not facing the real deal with Calamity Ganon, but some monstrosity, which was probably born from Ganon's Malice. So, you could destroy it with a tree branch if you wanted to, but the real Ganondorf would just probably get distracted and that's all. However, this might be where the replacement blade comes in that we can see in the game's logo. You can go try it with the "patched" Master Sword or you can aim at restoring it to its former glory.

Needless to say that these are just ideas based on the hypothesis that Hyrule Castle will be the final dungeon again, which might not even be the case...

Majora's Mask @ Nintendo Switch Online

The Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack has been a mixed bag, where the only exclusive thing so far are the Nintendo 64 games, but the emulation efforts were a new low for Nintendo. The input lag is quite high, the games look(ed) weird, there is no button remapping, and it all just doesn't feel like it's worth the extra 20€ per year.

Now, last Friday, on February 25th, Nintendo has added The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask to this list, but also updated the Nintendo 64 application to version 2.0.0. This video by ZFG provides a good overview of what was done, where Ocarina of Time now looks much closer to the original with certain effects, like the fog, restored, while the input lag was also reduced a bit.

This is great, in some aspects the games are now even better than on Wii (U), where certain textures have been improved, like for example the flames. But overall this still seems to be the worst option for replaying the Nintendo 64 classics. As of now, I would only recommend the Expansion Pack to people for whom the Nintendo Switch really is the only way of playing these games.

Still, with the release of Majora's Mask, porting over The Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD feels all the more inviting, because then we would have a collection of all 3D Zelda games on the Nintendo Switch.

Nintendo Switch Online's Nintendo 64

This week was the release of the "Expansion Pack" for Nintendo Switch Online, which makes your membership cost double in Europe and even more in North America, while it only comes with the three following items:

• Nintendo 64
• SEGA Genesis
• Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Happy Home Paradise

The latter can also be purchased separately as normal DLC and is probably only worth it in family memberships, where everyone plays Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Otherwise you're better off to just buy this normally. The SEGA Genesis games are also available in collections on cartridges with SEGA Genesis Classics and again you're better off to just get this instead.

So, for most people this will leave the Nintendo 64 as an incentive to get this, which is what most Nintendo fans should be interested in anyway, but it appears that Nintendo doesn't cover itself in glory with this one. At first at seemed like the 60Hz could be an incentive for everyone in Europe to get this, because we only always had the 50Hz versions, but the emulator comes with even more issues than usual.

This video by ZFG goes over these issues quite nicely using Ocarina of Time as the example, so take a look. But here is a summary:

• Input lag got even worse.
• The control stick is even more sensitive than it used to be on Wii and Wii U.
• You can't change the button layout and the right C-button is awkwardly mapped, either by pressing the right stick to the right or by pressing ZR + A, where holding ZR turns A, B, X and Y into the C-buttons. While this is a nice idea, there really should be options for these things. If you want simple controls, you'll need the new Nintendo 64 controller from the My Nintendo Store.
  
• The fog has been removed for some reason and the visuals just look different overall, where a lot of the original atmosphere is gone.

So, no, this doesn't look like something you want to get. If I ever want to replay the Nintendo 64 Zelda games, I'll probably stick to the Nintendo 3DS versions, until we get some (U)HD remasters at some point (probably not on the Nintendo Switch). Hopefully those will take the complaints about the Nintendo 3DS remakes into consideration and get everything right.

Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack Announced

If a Nintendo fan hears "Expansion Pack", he/she probably thinks of the Nintendo 64 and its RAM update. And finally the Nintendo Switch Online service really sees an expansion in the form of Nintendo 64 titles, as well as Sega Mega Drive. You will even be able to purchase the respective controllers via the My Nintendo Store, similar to NES and SNES before.

However, it's literally an "Expansion Pack", because you have to upgrade your membership. This is somewhat disappointing, considering that the service simply put a paywall in front of the peer-to-peer online gaming, something that used to be completely free on previous Nintendo systems. That still has a sour taste to it and while the service is quite cheap, it's mainly justified by the extras, like these classic game libraries, where there hasn't been all that much. Some free games, like Tetris 99, and the NES and SNES libraries. That's about it.

So, will we have to get yet another expanded membership, should they decide to add GameBoy titles? Or will any future classic game library be part of the Expansion Pack? Will they still add more to the basic membership from now on? Questions over questions about all of this...

Anyway, Ocarina of Time will be part of the Nintendo 64 launch titles and Majora's Mask will come to the service later on. This brings two more Zelda games to the Nintendo Switch, where now something like a "3D collection" feels much less likely. It would still make sense to put The Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD together on Switch, but it will most likely come without the Nintendo 64 games now, because Nintendo wants you to pay for the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. At the same time, this also makes a "Nintendo 64 Mini" feel less likely.

Ideally, they will also add Master Quest later on. This never found its way to the Wii and Wii U Virtual Consoles, but Nintendo likes to add some specialties to the Nintendo Switch Online libraries, like Star Fox 2. And we're actually getting Banjo & Kazooie back for the first time, so that's something and should certainly make some fans happy.

Ocarina of Time's 20th Anniversary

20 years ago, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time got released in Japan, creating a new era for the Zelda series and gaming as a whole. The game's 10 Anniversary was one of the first highlights on this blog, where at the time we already looked at what made the game so great and how it positively influenced the success of the Zelda series with many titles to follow. I took the liberty to update said post (fixed some spelling and markup), so go check it out.

Now, let's continue the list from the original post with all Zelda releases since the 10th Anniversary of Ocarina of Time to see how its legacy continued in the last 10 years:

• 2009
  Majora's Mask (Wii VC)
  Too Much Tingle Pack*
  Ripening Tingle's Balloon Trip of Love*
  Spirit Tracks (NDS)
  
  
• 2011
  Link's Awakening DX (3DS VC)
  Ocarina of Time 3D (3DS)
  Four Swords: Anniversary Edition (DSiWare)
  Skyward Sword (Wii)
  
  
• 2012
  The Legend of Zelda (3DS VC)
  Zelda II - The Adventure of Link (3DS VC)
  
  
• 2013
  Oracle of Ages (3DS VC)
  Oracle of Seasons (3DS VC)
  The Legend of Zelda (Wii U VC)
  Zelda II - The Adventure of Link (Wii U VC)
  The Wind Waker HD (Wii U)
  A Link Between Worlds (3DS)
  A Link to the Past (Wii U VC)
  
  
• 2014
  The Minish Cap (Wii U VC)
  Hyrule Warriors (Wii U)
  Hyrule Warriors: Master Quest (DLC)
  Hyrule Warriors: Twilight Princess Pack (DLC)
  
  
• 2015
  Hyrule Warriors: Majora's Mask Pack (DLC)
  Majora's Mask 3D (3DS)
  Hyrule Warriors: Boss Pack (DLC)
  Ocarina of Time (Wii U VC)
  Tri Force Heroes (3DS)
  Phantom Hourglass (Wii U VC)
  Spirit Tracks (Wii U VC)
  
  
• 2016
  Twilight Princess HD (Wii U)
  A Link to the Past (New 3DS VC)
  Hyrule Warriors Legends (3DS)
  My Nintendo Picross - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (3DS)
  Hyrule Warriors Legends: Master Wind Waker Pack (DLC)
  Majora's Mask (Wii U VC)
  Hyrule Warriors Legends: Link's Awakening Pack (DLC)
  Hyrule Warriors Legends: Phantom Hourglass & Spirit Tracks Pack (DLC)
  Hyrule Warriors Legends: A Link Between Worlds Pack (DLC)
  
  
• 2017
  Breath of the Wild (Wii U / Switch)
  Breath of the Wild: The Master Trials (DLC)
  Breath of the Wild: The Champion's Ballad (DLC)
  
  
• 2018
  Hyrule Warriors - Definitive Edition (Switch)
  

*in Japan only

This is certainly a big list, though a big part of it is made out of spin-off titles, DLC, re-releases and also remasters. The latter started with nothing less than Ocarina of Time 3D on the Nintendo 3DS, which gave the Nintendo 64 classic a pretty overhaul. Thanks to this version the game is still very enjoyable today.

Anyway, the previous list back in 2008 ended on the notion that hopefully the next game will have the same impact as Ocarina of Time, which didn't came true with titles like Spirit Tracks and Skyward Sword. But by now, ten years later, we can finally claim that Zelda found its next big milestone with Breath of the Wild in 2017, which quickly became the most successful Zelda game by now and really made the franchise fresh and exciting again.

With that it even feels difficult to go back to the older 3D Zelda games, including Ocarina of Time, because they feel so very limited in comparison. For example, you can't freely explore the world anywhere you go, so you can't just climb the hills around Kakariko to look what's behind them. Or the combat feels very clunky and enemies are rarely found...

But at the time Ocarina of Time was the Breath of the Wild of its generation. In 1998 you've never experienced an open world like that and the game was ground-breaking in almost every aspect. Compared to the world of Breath of the Wild, the Hyrule Field in Ocarina of Time might feel dull, but back then it cleverly created a never before seen sense of freedom in video games. It created a feeling that there's always something to discover behind the horizon and for the longest time the Zelda series struggled to capture the same sense of freedom (except for the Wind Waker), until Breath of the Wild finally came along.

Still, there are a couple of things, where Ocarina of Time outshines Breath of the Wild, like the dungeon design, or the music, and use of ambient sounds. So, it's not like everything has been surpassed yet and like there's absolutely no reason to return to Ocarina of Time, ever.

Also, you can't dismiss the influence that Ocarina of Time still has on the franchise, even today. Despite its innovations for the series, even Breath of the Wild wasn't able to fully move out of its shadow and builds upon the nostalgia that Ocarina of Time brings. It already starts with how you visit the ruins of the Temple of Time early in the game, a constant reminder of the days of the past.

Afterwards you find your way to Kakariko and while the village is vastly different from the old windmill place in Ocarina of Time, you still have some influence here like a minigame, where you have to bring a number of Cuccos back into their stable. And this is a part, where Ocarina of Time is still a lot more fun and rewarding in comparison.

And one of the biggest things that Ocarina of Time established were the different tribes of Hyrule: the Sheikah, the Gorons, the Zora, and the Gerudo are still very prominent in the new Hyrule after all this time and make a big part of the story, where especially the Zora storyline reminisces in the tales from Ocarina of Time.

At least Breath of the Wild managed to get away from the timeline that Ocarina of Time had created. By looking at the classic Zelda timeline you quickly realize how important Ocarina of Time was to the series even in story, since it's essentially the pivot point of the timeline. It's probably one of the reasons why they set Breath of the Wild loose from the old timeline. But it still didn't manage to entirely escape Ocarina of Time's shadow, which just shows how the N64 classic is still important to the series after all this time...

Super Smash Bros. Zelda Stages: Gerudo Valley

If you count Hyrule Castle, this is one of two stages that originated from Ocarina of Time. But Gerudo Valley was without a question more strongly inspired by the source material, diving into one of the favorite parts of the game, mainly because of the amazing music.

Like Bridge of Eldin, this is another stage essentially based on a bridge, where both ends let you walk off into the blast zones. The stage has a little bit more to it, however, with platforms on each side and a bridge that can be destroyed. Koume and Kotake will haunt the stage afterwards, leaving either the west side burning or the east side freezing. The Song of Time will then later repair the bridge.

As some nice details, you can spot the Gerudo Fortress in the background, as well as some targets from the horseback archery range. Overall it will be nice to see this stage in HD for the first time in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Super Smash Bros. Zelda Stages: Hyrule Castle

With Super Smash Bros. Ultimate absolutely all stages from The Legend of Zelda are returning for a total of nine different stages, including the new Great Plateau Tower stage. It's the first time that really all past Zelda stages are featured in one single Super Smash Bros. game and we will celebrate this by going through each of the stages one by one, talking a little bit about them.

The first one is Hyrule Castle, which originated in the very first Super Smash Bros. game on the Nintendo 64:

It's based on Hyrule Castle from Ocarina of Time, however, the stage itself is labeled as a generic "The Legend of Zelda" stage in the stage select screen of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, while both the Bridge of Eldin and Skyloft got labeled as stages from Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword respectively. So, it's not necessarily an Ocarina of Time stage like Gerudo Valley, but if you count it as such, Ocarina of Time would be the only Zelda game that has gotten two different stages in the Super Smash Bros. series.

The castle itself was one of the more special stages in Super Smash Bros. 64 and is probably best know for its "Greenhouse", the little room on right side, where it's easy to combo opponents for a lot of damage. The stage also features tornadoes, which are reminiscent of the tornadoes in the first The Legend of Zelda game, despite being dangerous and not a helpful warp tool. But it could also be a throwback to the first BS The Legend of Zelda game, where tornadoes actually were used as an obstacle, which throws the player off the screen...

This stage didn't return in the series for quite some time, until it became DLC for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS & Wii U. With that it suddenly became one of the most recurring Zelda stages, being featured in four different Smash Bros. games by now, much like Temple.

Ocarina of Time 3D Nintendo 2DS Bundle Announced

Wrong bundle, Nintendo! This is not a Nintendo Switch, nor Breath of the Wild! And it doesn't even it look good! You're doing it wrong!

Jokes aside, with a 80$ price tag this is really a good deal for anyone, who wants to dive into classic Zelda. Breath of the Wild certainly spawned some new interest in the series, where both Ocarina of Time 3D and A Link Between Worlds would be my recommendations to anyone, who wants to get into Zelda. My only problem would be the missing 3D, because the 3D effects in both games are excellent and a good reason to own an actual Nintendo 3DS, instead of a Nintendo 2DS model.

And the green color isn't that appealing... But it doesn't get any cheaper than that. Considering that the game alone costs 20$, you get a 60$ Nintendo 2DS system here.