But fancy graphics have come at a price – a pivot away from realism into something a bit more cartoonish. Some might even be disappointed by this, given the N64 game had quite horrifying elements in places.
One was the Skulltula House, a room where people had been morphed into human-spider hybrids.
“Back when we created the original Ocarina of Time, the means to convey or express ideas was limited compared with what we have now,” series producer Eiji Aonuma – who worked on the original game – said.
“With regard to even the so-called scary elements, we strove to add a touch of the comical.”
But he told the BBC that enhanced graphics and lighting capabilities unintentionally exaggerated the already-spooky Skulltula House and its potential to strike fear into players.
“When we carried out the test play, the testers were telling us, ‘Oh, this is too scary’,” he said. “So of course, in the end product, we’ve made the necessary adjustments so that we can retain the same balance that we had achieved in the original.”
At times, the trip down memory lane was captivating. I knew where to go and what to do, thanks to a kind of muscle memory. However, on occasion that took away from the experience – with some tasks achieved too easily and some puzzles too quickly because I recalled their solutions.
Some people will love how similar it is, but I have to wonder if Nintendo has played things a bit too safe.
I don’t think the developers see it that way.
“Even if the game may look different, we’ve maintained the essence that the original developers wanted to and hopefully conveyed through the original Ocarina of Time,” Fujibayashi said.
Don’t get me wrong – the game has lots of changes and surprises, and I won’t spoil them, but I wish there had been more.
Then again, perhaps the best games leave you wanting more.
Or as Mike put it: “I loved the original as much as the next person, but I don’t think I’ll be going back to it.”
Fans will no doubt wonder whether this is it, or if there will be more Zelda on the horizon. With the franchise’s first movie coming next year, there’s certainly more to come in the short term.
And in the long term, I wondered if with 30 more years of technological advancements, Nintendo might consider remaking the game once again.
“I will be long retired,” Aonuma said, with a laugh.
