Ocarina of Time is officially out in the Switch 2's biggest fix

I spent a lot of time thinking about what could be improved at Nintendo The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time With its remake on Switch 2, especially this is a game that means a lot to me personally. Given better visuals and something I'm really looking forward to witnessing, the water temple could always use another pass, of course, and I wouldn't complain about some extra content either. However, I actually think about replaying Ocarina of Time On modern hardware today, its biggest fix is ​​more obvious.

Specifically, Nintendo needs to completely rethink how Ocarina of Time Handles a list of links. I know that doesn't sound as exciting as a rebuilt dungeon or some big new area, but the original game constantly forces players to pause, rearrange items, and then repeat the whole process a few moments later. Ocarina of Time 3D Already the problem has been greatly improved, but the Switch 2 version has a chance to feel as natural using Link's tools as they should.

Ocarina of Time's Inventory never bothered me as a kid – but it's still bad

Funny thing is, I don't remember having any problems Ocarina of TimeWhen I played it as a kid. I'll pause the game, move Link's hookshot or lean on one of the N64 controller's C buttons, get back into action, and not think twice about it. As far as I knew, that was how video games worked.

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Of course, I was also ignorant, and I mean that in the best way towards my younger self. I had no modern radial menus, customizable shortcuts, or decades of quality-of-life improvements to compare it to. I was happy that Link had a sword, a bow, some bombs, and an ocarina that could somehow control the weather and move him through time.

Going back now will definitely be a different story. I've played enough modern action-adventure games to know how quickly those constant pauses start to bother me, especially when Link's collection starts to fill up. What felt completely normal in 1998 would feel like a headache an hour later today.

The Nintendo 64 controller was the real culprit

The original setup was limited by the Nintendo 64 controller, so I understand why Nintendo handled it this way. Link's sword was assigned to B, A handled whatever relevant actions he needed at the moment, and the three C buttons were available for nearly every usable item in the game. Three slots sounds reasonable until the list starts to get crowded with bombs, bottles, arrows, magic spells, hookshots, the Lens of Truth, and everything else Link can find.

Link's Ocarina almost always occupied one of those buttons for me, as I'm sure it did for others. I used it so often that it felt pointless to remove it, which basically left two empty spaces for every other tool link. From there, the game became a constant exercise in deciding which item I needed the least in the next few minutes.

Ocarina of TimeThe dungeon brought the problem even more attention. One room might require a bow, another might require a bomb, and the one after that might contain a hookshot or a lens of truth. I can already picture myself pausing the game, moving everything around, solving a small part of the puzzle, and then almost immediately opening the menu again.

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The Iron Boots were easily the worst example, and were undoubtedly made infamous Ocarina of Timethe water temple of Because they were treated as tools instead of regular objects, players had to pause, move the tools to the screen, place them, return to the game, sink underwater, and then repeat the entire process whenever they wanted to float again. The Water Temple asks Link to change height so that putting on and taking off those shoes practically becomes its real puzzle.

Honestly, I never hated Jal Mandir as much as everyone made it out to be. I remember getting lost, obviously, but I also had enough patience and free time to wander around until I found a key or door I missed. However, I'm far less convinced that an adult would enjoy stopping me from changing shoes every time I needed to move a few feet up.

The hover boots had the same problem, even if they weren't used that often. Ocarina of TimeK's tunic and shields also remained on the equipment screen, meaning the items Link wore were separated from the equipment he carried. It made sense all along, but there's no reason to preserve those extra steps in the remake because the original game required them.

Ocarina of Time 3D already started solving the problem

Then came Ocarina of Time 3DWho seems to understand how comfortable the game can feel with easy access to a list of links. The Nintendo 3DS' touchscreen gave players extra item slots, allowed them to check the map without stopping, and made switching between devices much less annoying. It was one of those changes that seemed small until I realized how much time it saved.

More importantly, the 3DS version Ocarina of Time Let players assign Iron Boots to touchscreen buttons. Suddenly, diving and floating in the water temple required one tap instead of a full trip through the tools menu. With that fix, Nintendo wouldn't need to redesign the entire dungeon because changing the way one item works has already made it better.

Ocarina of Time on Switch 2 may take those improvements even further

The Switch 2 remake obviously can't copy that setup. There's no second touchscreen that sits below the television, and Nintendo needed an inventory system that worked whether one was playing with a handheld or a standard controller. Thankfully, modern games have solved this problem in hundreds of different ways.

The D-pad on the Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Cons seems like an easy place to start. Nintendo could let players assign up to four objects there, put another two or three on the face buttons, and instantly give Link more options than the Nintendo 64 controller ever could. Ocarina might as well have its own permanent shortcut, as I don't think anyone needs to prove they're committed to the title by sacrificing an item slot for it.

A radial menu will solve almost everything. Holding the shoulder button can bring up an entire collection of links, allowing players to select an item without leaving the game entirely. It still requires a deliberate choice, but it doesn't hinder every puzzle Ocarina of Time Remake with full pause screen.

Nintendo may even let players save some simple item layouts. One can be built around exploration with bombs, hookshots, and bows ready to go, while the other can focus on bottles, magic, and combat items. Of course, I didn't ask Ocarina of Time With a dozen complex loadouts to become some massive RPG, but two or three presets will save a lot of unnecessary shuffling.

Boots and tunics should probably still be manual choices, as deciding when to use them is part of many of the puzzles. However, there is no reason why they need to be buried in a completely different screen. Put Iron Boots, Hover Boots, and Tunics on the same quick menu as everything else, and let players toggle without losing their place.

Finally, the actual inventory screen may still resemble the original as watching its empty spaces slowly fill in is part of the appeal. Nintendo can save familiar icons, bottles, quest items, tools, and songs without saving every awkward button press around them. Remake of Ocarina of Time I need to be reminded of the game I loved as a child, not forced to relearn every inconvenience I can't ignore.

I still don't remember Ocarina of TimeThe inventory at the time was worrying me, but that didn't mean it was particularly good. If anything, it meant that I had more patience, had lower expectations, and had absolutely no idea how easy games would eventually make this stuff. Nintendo is already proven Ocarina of Time 3D Adventures are better when Link can get to his tools faster, so if the Switch 2 remake is still giving me pause every time I need to put on a pair of shoes, something has gone terribly wrong. However, that's why a fix like this is all but confirmed, because Nintendo would have to be crazy not to implement it.

systems

issued

2026

developer(s)

Nintendo

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Number of players

single player