The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake has blown the minds of gamers within its first week of release. The most obvious differences are the astounding visuals, voice acting, and enhanced music, but it doesn’t stop there. There are numerous tweaks Nintendo made, and I’m here to list some interesting ones I clocked. Have you noticed them?
1) Times are tough in Hyrule: Rupees are far more valuable
In the remake, Young Link starts with a wallet that carries up to 200 rupees, and I soon realized that rupees are more difficult to come by, and you need to pony up often. You get less rupees when selling things, and Great Fairies now require a hefty offering.
2) The Sun’s Song has limited reach against the ReDeads now!
An easy way to fend off the ReDeads was to play the Sun’s Song. Playing it used to paralyze every ReDead in the area; however, in the remake, there is a limited reach!
3) Nintendo also nerfed some tactics toward boss battles
While most bosses are still fairly easy to beat, Nintendo did add more obstacles. For example, baby Dodongos erupt from the ground during your boss battle with King Dodongo. But what shocked me most was that some easy tactics have been nerfed! For example, when the Fire Temple’s Volvagia erupts from the lava to blow fire or loosen rocks from the ceiling, you used to be able to hang from the edge and avoid taking any damage. I learned quickly that Volvagia will not miss you in the remake if you try that tactic!
4) Din’s Fire is more “obvious” to get
After beating Dodongo’s Cavern, you are encouraged to see the Great Fairy at the top of Death Mountain. That Great Fairy granted you magic in the original game, and the one that provides you with Din’s Fire is located near Hyrule castle. This time, offerings are reversed, likely to ensure you got Din’s Fire since the one near the castle may be easier to miss.
5) Timed challenges are GONE
All timed segments are no longer! The puzzles still exist, but Nintendo instead made slight tweaks, so you no longer worry about rushing toward an end-goal.
6) Kaepora Gaebora doesn’t test your listening skills anymore!
This one I’m genuinely disappointed with. You no longer will be tricked by Kaepora into selection a dialogue option that would result in him reiterating his entire speech! If they kept in King Zora’s lengthy scooching session, why not this?
7) Fairies come at a limited supply
When you find a fairy fountain, they no longer are eager to sacrifice their lives to restore your health or get captured for later use. Once I snag one fairy, the rest have long since scattered from my reach!
8) Enemies either became much scarier or sillier
I’m sure you’ve already seen memes on some enemies like Moblins, but there is so much more! The Like Likes somehow look even more creepy and disgusting while the Ceiling Master became more of a nuisance with that added Broadway-level spotlight that announces its presence immediately.
9) Dungeons are easier in many ways
In general, The Ocarina of Time remake is faithful to the original; however, there are ever-so-slight tweaks to dungeons that make for a more seamless experience. For example, the camera lingered in an almost embarrassingly amount of time on two key areas people tended to miss in the Water Temple. In the Fire Temply, the captured Gorons cling to the chests to ensure you speak to them first before snagging the next key!
10) Nintendo took some shocking steps toward clarifying the lore
There were quite a few times where characters expanded on the lore, whether in cut scenes or text dialogue. Even if it tied the smallest loophole, it was interesting to see Nintendo take additional care to make the story feel more cohesive. They added reasons why Impa couldn’t obtain the Spiritual Stones for Zelda, why and how the Sacred Realm was created, how Link was frozen in time for seven years, and even confirming the sages didn’t die. However, I will note that Sheik’s quotes also have changed, and I’m not sure why. The quotes from 1998 were quite beautiful, if not chilling as well.
11) The Len(es) of Truth has a totally new look
Yes, the remake performed a massive visual overhaul, but the Lens of Truth is now the Lenses of Truth. Instead of a magnifying glass shape, it takes form of steam-punk-looking goggles.
12) Epona is a lot more difficult to maneuver
Bonding and later freeing Epona is one of my favorite side-stories in Ocarina of Time. Nintendo modernized horseback riding, but the controls were much more difficult, even comparing to that in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Epona was challenging to steer, and I bumped into the slightest things because of that.
13) While secrets remain, some moved spots or the looks have been tweaked
Thankfully, Nintendo didn’t touch all the neat little secrets found in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time; however, they did shake some up. Some grotto locations have moved, and sometimes the contents within have changed. For example, fish used to be in almost any grotto, but this isn’t the case anymore. Moreover, some grottos are “hidden” under rotating leaves, and you must play the Song of Storms. Gold Skulltulas have mostly stayed put, but I also clocked a few locale changes as well.
Also, Nintendo incorporated Fairy’s Thoughts throughout Hyrule to contribute to world building and a more creative way to summon fairies.
14) Some names of places have changed, and I’m not sure why
The most noticeable change that had me scratching my head was the “Evil Desert Colossus”, versus just the Desert Colossus in the original. To this day, I’m still unsure why evil had to be added.
15) The Lost Woods became easier to navigate
If you are approaching the correct path, light will appear in the corridor. You no longer need to depend solely on hearing music.
What are some differences you noticed between the original and remake that weren’t listed here? Please share your thoughts with us on our Boss Rush Facebook Group or our Boss Rush Discord.
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