Searching for «Zelda» or «Ocarina of Time» on Google today opens a small time machine. A Master Sword animates in the bottom-right corner of the page, and clicking it transforms the results into a layout that recreates Google's look from 1998, with the old logo, a list of blue links and chunky grey buttons. The Easter egg works on mobile and desktop and is timed to the launch of the remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Nintendo Switch 2, arriving November 5.
The mechanism is simple but theatrical. After a brief time-skipping animation and a Link shout, the page rebuilds in a stripped-down style. It is not a real search: the list contains seven curated links, including Nintendo's official Zelda page, the Wikipedia entry on the series and Zelda games on Amazon. Classic Google showed ten links per page. Anyone who tries to search for something else from the retro view is sent straight back to the 2026 results, with AI, sponsored content, suggested searches and social links.
The contrast with today's engine is the point. On the current results page, web links sit far down the page, while the 1998 view showed them immediately. Google is pushing generative AI hard, a direction many users do not like, and seeing the minimalist roots of the search engine makes clear how much the product has changed.
The stunt is also a hype tool for Nintendo's launch. The remake, rebuilt from the ground up with Switch 2 graphics, modern movement and camera controls and numerous quality-of-life improvements, costs $60 digital and $70 physical. For fans, it is a chance to revisit the game that launched alongside the Nintendo 64 in 1998 and shaped a generation of players, some of whom now work in tech.
The next step is the game's debut on Thursday, November 5. Until then the retro page remains available as a temporary tribute, and returning to today's engine takes one click on the sword.
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