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Zelda: Ocarina of Time graphical overhaul sparks gamer debate

By Sofia Martinez · Culture & Entertainment Editor

May 8, 2026 · 3 min read

James Lynch

Published May 8, 2026, 7:00 PM EDT

James is a gaming writer from London who has spent thousands of hours exploring titles from every genre. Though he has a particular affinity for multiplayer titles like World of Warcraft, Destiny 2 and League of Legends, he has also put thousands of hours into single-player experiences, from deep RPGs to epic PC strategies. When he's not playing or writing, he can usually be found supporting his beloved Brentford FC.

The Legend of Zelda_ is celebrating its 40th anniversary as a franchise this year, with most expecting Nintendo to have some pretty big plans to mark the occasion in some way. That includes a potentially new game in the series, with most predicting a 2D entry could be on the horizon, as well as the movie adaptation ramping up further.

At the same time, rumors of an Ocarina of Time remake continue to circulate, with well-known and usually reliable leakers insisting that it's very much a real project, and it's on the way in relatively short order. Now, fans are discussing exactly what they want to see from it, and they're united in the approach they want Nintendo to take.

_ legend of zelda ocarina of time officialNintendo

In case you missed it, Nintendo confirmed that the _Star Fox remake is on the way and releasing in June of this year, with a new trailer that has seemingly blown most away. Now, over on Twitter/X, the user Genki shared a post detailing how they believe it essentially confirms the _Ocarina _remake is on the way, and that it could look just like the 2011 Wii U tech demo (which the Star Fox remake does).

That aesthetic is actually very much Twilight Princess, with _Ocarina _traditionally having a very different vibe, but it would be interesting to see. The comments were full of posts sharing their own thoughts, with one saying, "That looks so good actually, I hope they do something similar and not too realistic."

"I’ve been replaying this with my kid and I’m SO CURIOUS to see what Nintendo does with it. God it’s still so good," another added.

Others were considerably less convinced, with one saying, "Ocarina of Time’s Hero of Time should not look like the Hero of Twilight in design. So no, I don’t want it to look like that tech demo. Respect the legacy character designs."

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Another added, "I honestly hope not lol. I want a grittier Zelda _but not this kind of realistic art style. It's not very "Nintendo" and going down the route of realism will cost a lot of development time and budget, hence why the PS5 isn't getting many exclusives compared to previous iterations."

_ Young link with Navi over an image of Link riding Epona in Ocarina of TimeCustom image by Sean Migalla

If we are going to get an Ocarina of Time**_ remake, we should hear about it relatively soon. Happily, the same source that leaked the news on _Ocarina _also confirmed Star Fox at the same, which definitely gives it further credence, so with all being equal, we could be playing the all-time classic once again this time next year at the latest.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

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