The Legend of Zelda series has had a bit of a reputation for optional harder difficulties in the past, starting all the way back in the original NES release with The Legend of Zelda’s second quest. Other more recent Legend of Zelda titles have had a Hero Mode, either selectable from the beginning of the game or unlocked after completing the game. The difficulties of Hero Mode vary from game to game, such as Link’s Awakening’s Hero Mode having enemies deal double damage, or Twilight Princess HD’s Hero Mode mirroring the entire game. There is, of course, self-imposed difficulties that fans are fond of as well, such as the classic three-heart-run where players avoid any additional Heart Containers and Pieces of Heart, keeping Link’s health low for the entire game for a bit of a challenge.
One of the most memorable ways that players have come to experience a more difficult version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time over the years is through The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest. First made available on the Nintendo GameCube as a bonus disc alongside pre-orders for and limited editions of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Master Quest is an altered version of Ocarina of Time featuring more difficult, rearranged dungeons. Master Quest made a return in the 3DS version of Ocarina of Time with the added difficulty of a mirrored world and enemies that do double damage.
What about in the new Nintendo Switch 2 version of Ocarina of Time though? Are there different difficulty options to be found here?
Does The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time have difficulty options?
Unfortunately, there aren’t any Hero Mode or Master Quest options to be found when you boot up The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the Switch 2, nor do either of these modes unlock when you complete the game. Where this leaves players as far as difficulty modes go are the limited options for the heads-up display and the aforementioned self-imposed difficulties, like a three-heart-run.
The “Pro” option for the heads-up display removes every HUD element, like Link’s Hearts, Magic Meter, and button prompts. There’s also a “Master” option for the heads-up display, removing any and all visual cues that aren’t in-world, including the ZL-Targeting lock-on visual, leaving you to use Navi as your lock-on indicator.
These options seem more about aesthetics than difficulty, though I can see how limited information will make the game a touch tougher to play.
Will Master Quest be added to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Nintendo Switch 2?
Right now there’s been no official indication that there will be any update to Ocarina of Time to add a Master Quest. However, enterprising dataminers have found some interesting information in the game’s code — namely a handful of files marked MQ — that could point to a Master Quest being added. Maybe we’ll see a more difficult quest in the form of DLC for Ocarina of Time, but only time will tell.
Check out more Ocarina of Time guides
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Written by Jaxson Tapp
As a lover of gaming and the written word, Jaxson currently fills his time not only with playing games, but also writing about them. Ready for anything, Jaxson’s passion for puzzle games, JRPGs, tough platformers, and whimsical indies helps him bring a well-rounded opinion to Nintendo Wire’s reporting.
