05 November 2026
by rawmeatcowboy0
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is now available on Switch 2, and those who’ve played the original game will most likely find it very familiar yet quite different at the same time. All the locations you remember are here, as are the characters, puzzles and more. With that said, the game’s music has been completely overhauled, visuals have gotten a major refresh, there are quality of life features, revamped controls and so much more. It really is a great blend of classic an modern-day.
While much of what you recall from the N64 title is there, a few specific things have been removed in the Easter egg department. You might remember Mario-related portraits being in Zelda’s courtyard, but those have been yanked for the Switch 2 remake. The same goes for the Skyward Sword art that was included in the 3DS version of Ocarina of Time. In an interview with Nintendo’s Eiji Aonuma, we learn why those nods were pulled, and why the team was told to stay away from references to other Zelda games in general.
It’s funny because the staff would sometimes ask me about the possibility of including nods to the timeline or references to the other game, and I actually, at the time, would say, “No, let’s focus on this game. Let’s make this the best version of Ocarina of Time that we can.” So, the timeline was in the back of our mind, but we didn’t consider taking an approach to this game where we actually, explicitly included references like that.
Certainly, at the time, when we put those there (the Mario-related portraits in Zelda’s courtyard), I don’t think anybody thought it was too big a deal. Maybe there was a more carefree or comfortable approach to that sort of thing. But looking at it now, like if a player is coming through that area, and given the overall way that we’re, you know, creating this world and giving the player that form of expression, if they look up and they think, “Why is Yoshi there?” We don’t want that moment to interrupt their experience of the world in that way. So we’re feeling a little bit differently about it this time.
I do remember at the time the designers on the 3DS version were really interested in placing Easter Eggs like that throughout the game, and the timing of the release of Skyward Sword was such that it was perfect to go ahead and include that. So I said, “Okay, sure.” But like earlier when we were talking about in the courtyard sequence with the Yoshi portrait. You know, you don’t want to interrupt the player’s experience by seeing something that’s unrelated to what they’re currently doing in the game. So for that reason, we decided not to go that way.
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