Von Online Games VIP Editorial
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IGN's Switch 2 preview identifies redesigned puzzles, altered enemies, clearer secrets, and a more open Castle Town in the Ocarina of Time remake.
IGN has published a hands-on preview covering changes spotted during more than an hour with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake on Switch 2. Logan Plant compared that session with the Nintendo 64 original and identified changes across Kokiri Forest, the Great Deku Tree, Hyrule Field, Castle Town, and the Forest Temple.
According to IGN, the remake is changing more than its presentation. Several early puzzles have been adjusted for modern controls, enemy encounters have been reworked, and environmental clues are more visible. IGN also reports that the remake is scheduled for release on November 5, although the supplied preview does not establish further release details.
IGN stresses that its article is not an exhaustive list and is separate from the outlet's formal first impression. It also notes that the preview period limited the number of publishable screenshots. The following details therefore cover what IGN says it confirmed during gameplay, followed by analysis of what those changes could mean for returning and new players.
IGN reports that Link's wallet can hold 200 rupees from the beginning of the remake. The Nintendo 64 original started with a 99-rupee limit. That is a small systems change, but it removes one early restriction and gives players more room to collect currency before needing to look for an upgrade.
The opening of Kokiri Forest has also been adjusted. IGN says the stone-platform jump beside the shop no longer awards a secret five-rupee pickup. Instead, more blue rupees are distributed around the forest. The change moves the reward away from one specific movement challenge and spreads currency through the starting area.
IGN also saw a scarecrow training dummy beside the shop counter. A villager uses it to provide a short tutorial about raising Link's defenses. The source does not explain every step of that lesson, but its presence indicates that the remake is willing to add instructional elements to locations that originally served a simpler purpose.
The Kokiri Sword challenge has received a more substantial redesign, according to IGN. In the original, the treasure chest was in the back corner of the room. In the remake, it sits on a raised platform in the middle, requiring Link to jump to it. IGN connects this change to a broader effort to make early interactions fit the remake's modern controls.
The chest in the slingshot room has a different reward as well. IGN reports that the chest once containing a recovery heart now holds several Deku Nuts. That adjustment changes the immediate value of the discovery without altering the larger purpose of the room, which is to introduce Link to an early projectile weapon.
Inside the Great Deku Tree, IGN observed altered Skulltula attack behavior. In the N64 version, these enemies could reveal their vulnerable side on their own. In the remake, striking a Skulltula with Link's sword sends it spinning and exposes its underside. IGN presents this as part of the remake's increased emphasis on readable combat logic, where players create an opening instead of simply waiting for one.
IGN reports visual and encounter changes outside the first dungeon. Lon Lon Ranch no longer appears as an isolated fortress with tall walls blocking the view from outside. Instead, the remake lets players see horses grazing from beyond the ranch, making the location appear more integrated with its surroundings.
Hyrule Field also contains a different enemy arrangement in IGN's preview. Peahats that decorated the edges of the original field appeared in more central positions during the reported trip toward Castle Town. IGN describes the additional activity as a positive change, but the source does not provide a complete enemy list for the area.
Near those Peahats, IGN found a cracked section of ground that appeared to signal a bombable location. In the original, many hidden-room entrances were difficult to identify without already knowing where to look. IGN says this clearer visual suggestion points players toward a secret area, though the preview does not confirm what that area contains.
A new sign outside Castle Town also provides more direct guidance. IGN initially wondered whether the sign might add lore about Hyrule's history or the events of Skyward Sword. The preview instead found that it points toward major landmarks in Hyrule Field. That makes the sign a navigation aid rather than a confirmed story expansion.
The most visible Castle Town change is its camera and layout presentation. IGN says the area is no longer limited to fixed camera angles. Players can move through it in third person with full camera control, and the route from the town entrance to the Temple of Time can be traversed without loading screens or camera breaks.
IGN also encountered a new blonde NPC who warns Link not to spend all his money despite the market's many attractions. The source says this was observed during the first visit to Castle Town and leaves open the possibility of later dialogue or a quest. No follow-up interaction is confirmed in the supplied preview.
Analysis of IGN's findings suggests that the remake is trying to reduce guesswork without removing the act of solving problems. Moving the Kokiri Sword chest onto a central platform makes the required jump obvious. Replacing the Great Deku Tree's ladder interaction with a recognizable target, as IGN reports in its Forest Temple comparison, similarly teaches players to use the hookshot on objects that visibly communicate their purpose.
IGN says the Forest Temple entrance now uses a traditional hookshot target above the front door instead of requiring Link to aim at a tree branch. The source links that adjustment with the Great Deku Tree example, where Link shoots an eyeball target rather than a ladder. Analysis: these are not merely cosmetic swaps. They make the intended solution easier to read, which could help players encountering the adventure without the assumptions built up by the original's older design language.
The same principle appears in the bombable ground near Hyrule Field. A cracked surface does not solve a hidden-room puzzle by itself, but it gives players a reason to test a bomb. That distinction matters. The remake may be preserving exploration while making its visual vocabulary more consistent and legible.
The Skulltula adjustment points to a similar philosophy in combat. IGN reports that the player must trigger the enemy's spinning vulnerability with a sword strike. Analysis: this gives the encounter a clearer cause-and-effect loop. Players can understand why the opening appears, rather than treating the vulnerable state as an unrelated animation cycle.
These changes could make the remake friendlier to new players while still asking returning players to reassess familiar rooms. The risk, which remains an analysis rather than a confirmed outcome, is that stronger clues could reduce the surprise of discovering a secret independently. Whether the balance works will depend on how consistently the remake applies these signals across areas not covered by IGN's preview.
What remains unconfirmed
IGN is clear that its list is incomplete. The supplied source stops while beginning its fourteenth entry, so it does not provide the full set of changes referenced by the article's headline. That means the preview confirms selected examples, not a complete accounting of every redesigned puzzle, miniboss, dialogue scene, or dungeon change.
The source also does not confirm how far the new NPC's dialogue extends beyond the first Castle Town visit. The blonde woman's warning could remain a one-time piece of flavor text, or it could connect to later content, but IGN only reports the initial interaction.
The preview does not establish the contents of the newly signposted bombable area, the total number of altered enemies in Hyrule Field, or the full reward structure for the redesigned early chests. It also does not state whether every dungeon adopts the same target-focused approach seen in the Great Deku Tree and Forest Temple examples.
Players should also separate IGN's reported play session from a complete review. Plant writes that the article is not the outlet's official preview, and the supplied record contains no independent OnlineGamesVIP hands-on testing. The observations here are analysis of IGN's preview, not an OnlineGamesVIP verdict on the remake.
The next useful evidence will be a fuller look at areas beyond the five locations covered here, especially later dungeons and miniboss encounters. It will also be worth watching how the remake handles optional secrets, story dialogue, and navigation after the opening hours. Those details should show whether the visible changes form a consistent redesign philosophy or remain a collection of targeted adjustments.
The supplied catalog includes the original adventure as Legend Of Zelda, The - Ocarina Of Time (V1.2). It provides a reference point for the N64-era puzzles, camera behavior, enemy patterns, and exploration choices that IGN describes comparing against the remake.