Eiji Aonuma, longtime producer of The Legend of Zelda series, admits he is nervous ahead of the release of the Ocarina of Time remake. «I'm all nervous about releasing the remake of Ocarina because I don't know how it's going to turn out, I can't stop thinking about it», he told AFP during a visit to Paris. A surprising admission, given that the game is one of the most celebrated titles ever released and arrives on November 5.
The source of the doubt is the change in style. Ocarina of Time is an adventure designed for the Nintendo 64 era, with a pace and structure very different from Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, the open-world chapters that have defined the series in recent years. Players who never experienced the earlier games may not appreciate the more classic gameplay of the remake, although the game should still feel fresh to a new generation.
Image: gosugamers.net — https://www.gosugamers.net/entertainment/news/78189-ocarina-of-time-remake-and-new-star-fox-reportedly-launching-in-2026-with-3d-mario-in-2027
That freshness owes much to some younger members of the development team, who never played the original. Aonuma credits them: «It's thanks to these young people, by thinking about how to adapt the game in the best possible way, how to make it fun once you have the controls in your hands, that this remake came into being». Their outside perspective guided choices on making the game enjoyable with modern controls, an aspect the producer considers decisive.
Nintendo, however, appears far from uncertain. Launching only two weeks before a major Rockstar release is a sign of confidence, a risk no one had dared take this year. The remake is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 and is set to remain at the center of attention for the industry for some time.
Image: Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Zelda
The remake fits into an anniversary year for the franchise, which turns forty. AlexTech had already covered the celebrations with the art book Secrets of the Zonai and the Ocarina of Time remake planned by the end of 2026.
How the public responds remains to be seen. Pairing a beloved masterpiece with a generation of players who have never touched the original makes the launch a meaningful test of Nintendo's strategy. For now, Aonuma simply does not know how it will end.
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