Thousands of blogs have been written about how drastically Nintendo altered the art style for the newly released Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake. At a first glance, it doesn’t even appear to be the same game as the N64 original, but in true Zelda fashion, this isn’t a new thing for the series. Most games without direct ties to one another often have radically different interpretations of Link, Zelda, and Hyrule. That’s part of the reason why the Ocarina remake looks so differently, at least according to series producer Eiji Aonuma.
In an interview with Polygon, Aonuma explained how Nintendo never makes “change for change’s sake,” and likened this drastic shift to how people first responded to both The Wind Waker and Skyward Sword. Saying that any opportunity to sensibly change the art style should be taken since going with the “safer” route won’t make the same impression. “If it’s something that is expected, I think you’re losing a bit of an opportunity in terms of having an impact on the player,” he said.
The shock of seeing something so different isn’t isolated to just fans. As Aonuma states, “even ourselves, when we see a new art style for the very first time, sometimes we have that direct reaction of, like, ‘what!?’… First there’s a surprise moment, and then you get used to it. You really like it and you understand why it’s a good fit for this game’s unique qualities.” He mentions that it can be a long road to finding the perfect fit, but that having that surprise moment is a good way to start things.
Personally, I think Nintendo is testing out this art style with Ocarina of Time’s remake so that it can refine it for the next mainline Zelda title. While the development timelines might not support this, I believe that the Link’s Awakening remake adopted the art style intended for Echoes of Wisdom while Nintendo perfected the gameplay on that. Those are just my thoughts though.
Check out more Zelda content
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
