As a reader tries to predict the launch line-up for the Switch 2, he suggests that a remake of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time is the logical choice for Nintendo.
All the summer showcases are over and we’re getting to a point in the year where a Switch 2 announcement could happen at any time. Literally, given how unpredictable Nintendo is. I’ve seen lots of very sensible ideas about what the launch games could be but there’s one theory that I don’t think holds much water and that’s the idea that one of the games will be a remaster of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild.
Now, Nintendo will undoubtedly want a Zelda game at launch, just as they’ll want a Mario one, but since Tears Of The Kingdom was only last year there’s no way it’ll be a new mainline entry. We’re getting a spin-off this year too, with Wisdom Of Echoes, so the best guess for next year is some kind of remake or remaster.
But I think Breath Of The Wild is a problem in many ways. Obviously, it’s not that old but I also can’t imagine the power of the Switch 2 will make that much difference to what it looks like or plays like, which isn’t a very good advert for the new console. Then you’ve got the complication of how you pay for it, which knowing Nintendo doesn’t like to give anything away for free is only likely to cause resentment.
Personally, I think the best idea is a remake and to me the remake that makes the most sense is Ocarina Of Time. It’s widely considered one of the best games ever made and yet it’s only had one remaster, on the 3DS, and is currently only available in its original form on N64 – which, let’s be honest, is definitely showing its age at this point.
It doesn’t seem right that such a beloved and important game should be so difficult to play and given the current popularity of remakes I think there would be a real appetite for a remake from both new fans and old.
It’s also a great way to show off the graphics of the Switch 2, without having to remake something the size of Breath Of The Wild. Ocarina Of Time is a big game but it’s not open world in the modern sense, so it’s a finite, practical thing to remake that Nintendo could’ve been working on for years, for this eventuality.
Another benefit is that while there’ll be no sequel to Tears Of The Kingdom you can safely assume that the next mainline entry will follow in its footsteps, in terms of being open world. Nintendo has made it clear they’re not going backwards, and returning to the old Zelda formula for future games (not for a mainline game anyway), so this would be the perfect way to make a ‘new’ old school game with high production values.
The magic of Ocarina Of Time is that it still plays great, it’s just the graphics have gotten old, the frame rate is arthritic, and the controls are set-up for non-standard controllers (even the 3DS was a bit weird). Remake the visuals, remaster the music, and you really wouldn’t have to change too much else. In fact, I wouldn’t want them to.
Younger gamers must look at Ocarina Of Time and wonder why people describe it as the best game of all-time but a remake of the quality of Capcom’s Resident Evil games would make it very clear.
By reader Onibee
The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.
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