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Nintendo’s designers strove for ‘elegance’ when remaking Ocarina of Time
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Nintendo is remaking The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the Switch 2, led by producers Eiji Aonuma and Hidemaro Fujibayashi. The designers strove for "elegance," focusing on what not to change from the original. The team included younger developers, some who had never played the 1998 classic.
The original Ocarina debuted on the Nintendo 64 in 1998 as the first 3D Zelda. Aonuma, who directed it and now oversees the franchise, worked on both versions. He noted the production scale has grown: "We used to have maybe just one person designing the backgrounds," he said, while modern development requires far more time and people.
Fujibayashi said younger team members "really embraced the theme of what not to change." They avoided novelty for its own sake, seeking elegance by focusing only on what was needed in the original. This perspective will benefit future projects, he added.
The remake adds modern gameplay changes: complete camera control and the ability to jump anywhere. These aim to connect with recent Zelda titles like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, which emphasize player freedom. Aonuma found free jump "a really good way to give players another way to approach a goal."
Graphics have been overhauled to blend realism and fantasy, creating a distinct visual style. Aonuma said the goal was to "bring out details of the world that people weren't able to" see before. The team balanced preserving the original's essence with contemporary accessibility.
Fujibayashi expressed confidence that the younger developers' focus on elegance will carry forward. The remake aims to introduce the first 3D Zelda to a new audience while retaining its iconic elements. As Aonuma noted, the process is "not so different" from the N64 days, but the scale has grown.
