Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct Recap: Ocarina of Time Remake Gets a Release Date!

The Legend of Zelda is officially 40 years old, and Nintendo decided to celebrate the occasion with a special Direct with a lot of announcements, nostalgia, and, of course, a whole lot of Link.

The Direct took us through the history of the series, revealed more about the upcoming live-action movie, showed off several 40th anniversary collaborations, and finally gave us our first proper look at the “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” remake coming to Nintendo Switch 2. There was definitely a LOT to take in!

A Beautiful Trip Through 40 Years of Zelda

The Direct opened exactly how you would expect a Zelda 40th anniversary celebration to begin, with the music. An orchestra performed a beautiful medley of themes from across the series as Nintendo showed clips from games and the entire history of The Legend of Zelda. We got everything from the very first games all the way through Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, including Echoes of Wisdom, where Zelda herself finally takes the lead.

It was a really nice way to start the celebration and probably the best possible reminder of just how much this series has changed over the years.

Shigeru Miyamoto Looks Back at Zelda

Shigeru Miyamoto then appeared to talk about the history of the series, going all the way back to its creation in 1986. Over the past 40 years, Zelda has constantly experimented with its gameplay and structure, taking us through countless different worlds and approaches to exploration. That evolution led us to Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, where Nintendo took the series into a huge open world and gave us an incredible amount of freedom.

Through all of these games, we followed the stories of Zelda, Link, Ganondorf, and the Triforce, even though the way those stories are told has changed dramatically over time.

Miyamoto also confirmed that Nintendo has various initiatives planned around The Legend of Zelda throughout the 40th anniversary celebrations, continuing this year and into 2027.

And there is certainly a lot.

• The movie
  • Nintendo confirmed that the upcoming live-action film will officially be called simply “The Legend of Zelda”
  • Miyamoto explained that once we see the movie, we will understand why Nintendo decided not to give it a subtitle
  • It is an original story that brings together ideas, concepts, and elements that have been built up throughout the series’ 40-year history.
  • Miyamoto is also involved with the movie alongside the Nintendo team
  • The film is currently scheduled to release worldwide on April 30, 2027
• The Nintendo Museum
  • Starting tomorrow, visitors will be able to get a limited-time The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary ticket available for around one year
  • A special Zelda history board will also be added to the museum
  • Starting November 5, visitors will be able to check out a new Zelda-themed photo opportunity
  • A new Super Family Restaurant is also planned for the fall

Nintendo also showed off plans involving new amiibo, books, LEGO sets, figures, playable ocarinas, and more. Basically, if you are a Zelda fan, Nintendo has plenty of ways to make your wallet suffer during this anniversary.

Koji Kondo Announces a Zelda 40th Anniversary Concert Tour

We also got an update from legendary composer Koji Kondo about the music of the series. The orchestral performance from the beginning of the Direct was built around the Triforce and its three themes: wisdom, power, and courage.

And a new Zelda 40th anniversary concert tour is planned, starting in Japan before heading to North America, Europe, and finally ending in Australia in May 2027.

So if you have ever wanted to hear Zelda’s music performed live by an orchestra, next year might be the time to finally do it.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake

This is the one everyone was waiting for, the big announcement, the remake of one of the best Zelda games, at least to us!

The original Ocarina of Time released in 1998 on the Nintendo 64 and became one of the most important games in Zelda history. It was the first 3D Zelda game, allowed players to experience Link as both a child and an adult, introduced the Z-targeting system, and gave us iconic locations and characters such as the Gorons and Zoras.

Nearly three decades later, Nintendo is rebuilding that experience for modern consoles, and the first gameplay footage looks really good.

A Familiar Hyrule With a Completely New Look

The developers described the project as a faithful interpretation of the original game using modern technology. That is probably the most important thing to keep in mind here. This is not Nintendo trying to completely reinvent Ocarina of Time. Instead, the goal seems to be finding a balance between modern visuals and the feeling of playing the original. And you can definitely see that in the footage.

We got our first look at young Link in Kokiri Forest, with a completely redesigned visual style for the characters and environments.

The characters almost have a slightly doll-like appearance, and it is difficult to describe until you see it, but it gives the remake its own identity but still feeling unmistakably like Ocarina of Time. The environments, meanwhile, look absolutely gorgeous. Nintendo said they wanted the game to have realistic-looking graphics but still evoke the nostalgia of the original, and from what we have seen so far, I think they have managed that pretty well. I definitely felt nostalgic looking at it!

The HUD has also been modernized, with hearts in the top-left, your currently equipped item in the top-right, and a mini-map in the bottom-right. We also got a look at the item menu.

You Can Finally Move the Camera Freely

One of the biggest gameplay changes is something that feels almost impossible to imagine Ocarina of Time without today, and it is the free camera movement. The original Nintendo 64 game obviously did not allow you to freely rotate the camera around Link. The remake does. That alone should make exploring Hyrule feel significantly better without fundamentally changing how the game works.

We also got a look at Saria, with Nintendo explaining that the developers have given the characters more personality so that their individual traits can shine through even more. This means yes, even the characters we have known for decades are getting some extra attention, including those we do not really like.

Link Can Finally Jump Whenever He Wants

Here is another surprisingly big change. Link can now jump manually! In the original game, Link would automatically jump whenever you approached a gap, but in the remake, there is now a dedicated jump action, meaning you can press a button and make Link jump whenever you want.

He can also fall into the water, swim around, and even dive.

It is a small change, but it should give Link considerably more freedom when moving around the world. And no more accidentally jumping across a gap when you did not mean to and just got a little too close to it.

The Great Deku Tree Is Looking Beautiful

We also got a look inside the Great Deku Tree. And yes, Navi is back… You are not escaping the many HEY! LISTEN!

When fighting enemies, the original targeting system is still here. You can lock onto an enemy, move around them and attack from different angles. Navi can also provide information about enemies when you have targeted them, and that could be useful for players who are not already intimately familiar with every creature in the game.

The Slingshot also makes an appearance, and you can quickly switch between your different items with a single button.

The remake also supports motion controls for the Slingshot if that is something you want to use.

Hyrule Field Is Back

Everything honestly looks beautiful, and we do not have much more to say about it. It is just really cool! Hyrule Field is back, and it looks so much better than I think any of us could have imagined back when we were playing this on the N64.

Nintendo decided to keep the loading screens between certain areas, not because the Switch 2 needs them, obviously, but it is a deliberate choice to preserve some of the feeling of the original game. I kind of like that.

Hyrule Field once again acts as the gateway to many different areas, and we got a little look at locations such as Death Mountain in the distance.

Threads of Time Should Help You Know Where to Go

One completely new feature is called Threads of Time.

If you ever find yourself wondering what you are supposed to do next, you can check the Threads of Time system to see the progress you have made through the story and what your current objective is.

As you play, the tapestry gradually fills with new elements based on your progress as well. It is a pretty neat way of giving players some guidance without completely holding their hand. And considering Ocarina of Time is almost 30 years old, there will definitely be players experiencing the game for the first time with this remake.

Hyrule Castle Town Has Been Expanded

Hyrule Castle Town also received quite a bit of new stuff! This is probably one of the areas where returning players are going to get hit hardest by nostalgia. The town is full of NPCs, and Nintendo has given each character their own personality. You can talk to people, listen to gossip, visit shops, and even take part in mini-games.

The developers also added new details to the environment, including areas that were originally just background decoration.

The camera can now move freely around town too, making it much easier to take in all those little details. Time now also passes when you are in town. So yes, you can watch night fall over Hyrule Castle Town.

The Ocarina Gets a Pretty Cool Switch 2 Feature

Of course, we could not have an Ocarina of Time remake without the Ocarina itself. Link’s animations when playing it are absolutely adorable, but Nintendo also showed off a new Switch 2 feature.

You can hum the melodies into the console’s microphone, and Link can pick them up!

You still need to have learned the song in-game first. So no, you cannot boot up the game and immediately hum every song you know into the microphone to skip half the adventure. You can even use a real Ocarina and play the melody into the microphone.

That is such a wonderfully unnecessary but very Zelda thing to add. And of course, certain events still happen depending on the time of day, so you will need to pay attention to that and use the Sun’s Song to swap when needed.

Epona Is Here Too

Naturally, we could not leave Epona out. The Direct just showed us the cutest baby Epona ever, but Nintendo is clearly saving more of her for later.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Release Date

And finally, Nintendo gave us the release date. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time launches on November 5, 2026, exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2.

So we do not have to wait too much longer!

Nintendo also revealed two new amiibo based on the young versions of Link and Zelda. They will unlock special in-game masks in Ocarina of Time, but the amiibo themselves are not scheduled to launch until 2027. So you will have to wait a little longer for those.

Special Zelda Switch 2

Nintendo also revealed the special Nintendo Switch 2 The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition. The console comes with Zelda-themed designs, and even the dock gets its own special effects. It launches on October 29, ahead of the Ocarina of Time remake.

Nintendo is also releasing a matching Switch 2 Pro Controller and carrying case, with the controller even coming with a display stand.

As you would expect, these will be limited products, so anyone who wants the full Zelda thing is probably going to have to move quickly once pre-orders open.

A Pretty Great Way to Celebrate 40 Years of Zelda

And that is pretty much everything from the Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct. Nintendo could have easily spent 30 minutes showing old games and talking about the history of the series, but instead we got a pretty substantial mix of nostalgia, new projects, collaborations, and Ocarina of Time.

After 40 years of The Legend of Zelda, it looks like Nintendo is giving one of the most important games in the series another chance to shine, and a pretty cool new trailer: