One of Nintendo’s most legendary adventures is preparing for a major comeback. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is getting a full remake for Nintendo Switch 2, bringing the 1998 Nintendo 64 classic to a new generation with dramatically updated visuals.
Nintendo previously gave players a brief glimpse at young Link following the remake’s announcement. Now, a newly released trailer has shifted the spotlight toward adult Link, while also revealing several familiar locations and moments from the original adventure.
Adult Link Takes the Spotlight
The latest trailer confirms that the remake will retain one of the defining elements of Ocarina of Time: Link’s journey across two different periods of his life.
Players begin the adventure as young Link before eventually obtaining the Master Sword. Link then awakens years later as an adult and discovers a Hyrule transformed under Ganondorf’s rule.
Rather than changing this fundamental structure, the Nintendo Switch 2 remake appears to be embracing it.
The new footage provides the clearest look yet at how adult Link has been redesigned for the remake.
Epona Returns
One of the most recognizable moments shown in the trailer features adult Link riding Epona.
Horseback exploration became an important part of Ocarina of Time once Link reached adulthood, allowing players to travel across Hyrule Field significantly faster.
Epona would later become one of the Zelda franchise’s most recognizable companions, appearing alongside Link in several subsequent games.
Her appearance in the new trailer provides another glimpse at how familiar elements are being recreated for Nintendo Switch 2.
Link and Sheik Play the Ocarina Together
The trailer also features Link playing the ocarina alongside Sheik.
Sheik plays an important role throughout the adult portion of Ocarina of Time, frequently appearing during Link’s journey and teaching him songs needed to reach different locations across Hyrule.
These encounters were relatively simple scenes in the original Nintendo 64 release. With the remake’s visual overhaul, Nintendo has an opportunity to give these moments considerably more detail and cinematic presentation.
The ocarina itself naturally remains a major part of the game.
Music isn’t simply part of the soundtrack in Ocarina of Time. Players actively use different songs to interact with the world, travel between locations and progress through the adventure.
The Water Temple Is Back
Yes, the Water Temple is returning too.
The infamous dungeon makes an appearance in the latest trailer, with adult Link shown swimming through its underwater environments.
The Water Temple remains one of the most discussed dungeons in Zelda history. Its original Nintendo 64 design became notorious for its navigation, changing water levels and constant need to equip and remove the Iron Boots.
Nintendo already addressed some of those frustrations with the Nintendo 3DS version of Ocarina of Time.
A full remake provides another opportunity to modernize the dungeon while preserving its original identity.
However, the new trailer primarily focuses on its updated presentation rather than revealing whether substantial gameplay changes have been made.
A Massive Visual Upgrade Over Previous Versions
Perhaps the biggest difference is simply how much Ocarina of Time has changed visually.
The original game launched for Nintendo 64 in 1998 and became one of the most influential 3D adventure games ever released.
Ocarina of Time 3D later gave the game a substantial graphical upgrade on Nintendo 3DS, improving character models, environments, textures and several interface elements.
The Nintendo Switch 2 remake goes considerably further.
Characters, environments, lighting and effects have received a much more substantial overhaul, while recognizable locations remain clearly based on the original designs.
Seeing adult Link also gives players a better opportunity to judge the remake’s artistic direction. His portion of the game contains some of Ocarina of Time’s darker environments, which should provide a significant contrast with the brighter areas encountered during Link’s childhood.
Nintendo Is Slowly Revealing Both Eras of Hyrule
Nintendo’s marketing approach also appears deliberate.
The initial reveal concentrated heavily on young Link, establishing how the beginning of the adventure has been rebuilt. The latest trailer moves forward by introducing adult Link and several locations associated with the second half of the game.
That approach mirrors Ocarina of Time itself.
Instead of immediately showing every redesigned character, dungeon and location, Nintendo is gradually demonstrating how different parts of Hyrule have been recreated.
There is still plenty left to reveal.
Ganondorf, additional temples, bosses and some of the game’s most recognizable locations could provide Nintendo with plenty of material for future trailers.
Ocarina of Time Returns Later This Year
More than two decades after its original release, Ocarina of Time remains one of the most important games in Nintendo’s history.
Its transition into 3D helped establish mechanics and design ideas that influenced not only later Zelda games, but action-adventure games throughout the industry.
Now, Nintendo is preparing to introduce that adventure to another generation.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake is scheduled to launch for Nintendo Switch 2 later in 2026.
With young Link already revealed and adult Link now taking center stage, players are finally getting a much better idea of how extensively Nintendo is rebuilding one of Hyrule’s most famous adventures.
