The original The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has been certified as the highest-rated video game ever for a long time now. 2026’s Remake, however, has immediately climbed the charts and is currently this year’s top-rated title. The question then becomes, “Which one is actually better overall?”
For my personal two cents, I still give the OG a slight edge. At the same time, that doesn’t take anything away from the Remake. In fact, 2026’s version of Ocarina is actually better in some cases.
Let’s take a look at ten different ways Nintendo was able to take the classic and somehow improve on some aspects.
The Visual Upgrade
Most obviously, the graphical and performance upgrades in OOT Remake are substantial. This isn’t a surprise at all since the OG is from the ’90s, but Remake still smashed it out of the park in terms of design and tone as well.
Despite some concerns over glossy character models during the pre-launch phase of the game, the new art direction is constantly breathtaking and pulled off masterfully.
Standouts are Lake Hylia with its gorgeous water effects, and Ganondorf’s Castle, which straight up looks like it’s ripped out of Mordor in Lord of the Rings.
A Fluid, Responsive Control Scheme and Camera System
The hardest thing about going back for the original version of OOT is the control scheme and camera. Sure, the visuals are dated, but there’s a definite charm and style to them as well. The controls are just… old.
This barrier to entry being removed in Zelda: Ocarina Remake was crucial to it succeeding in modern times. Thankfully, the right-stick camera works beautifully (though Z-Target centering was still kept in as well). Sword combat and shield blocking are fluid and snappy.
Perhaps most importantly, however, is that projectile aiming can now be toggled between standard camera control and inverted. The 1998 game only offered inverted aiming, which is a total no-go for many modern gamers.
A Dedicated Jump Button
There’s a certain charm in figuring out the auto-ledge jumping in N64 Ocarina, but it’s no surprise that having an actual, dedicated jump button in Remake is a massive improvement.
Back in the day, Link’s jumping mechanics were the best Nintendo could muster, and we learned to adapt to them. But in 2026, not having an actual jump would’ve been a crime.
This new ability also leads to some fun location and dungeon redesigns since Link can reach higher ledges and areas than ever before.
Tweaked Item Locations and Solutions
A lot of players hopping into Remake (myself included) know almost everything about the N64 game. When picking up Remake, I wondered just how 1:1 everything would be, including things like gold skulltulas and room layouts.
To my surprise, it was a blast to explore the new game and learn that many locations had been shuffled around or changed entirely. And this isn’t just a “better” change because it’s different.
Instead, there are now several examples of things being placed more thoughtfully and satisfyingly in the game world. Take, for example, the Kokiri Sword, which now takes a little more parkour action to collect.
Expanded and Better Explained Narrative
I may know the lore and story of Zelda: Ocarina of Time better than any other video game. Upon recently replaying the OG, however, it’s funny how much of the narrative is a little bit underexplained. Case in point: the Triforce itself is shoddily explained, making it less impactful when considering why everyone seems to care so much about it.
In Remake, most characters have a plethora of added or tweaked dialogue. A lot of this added exposition serves the game extremely well, making the stakes clearer and even giving us additional lore and info along the way.
I didn’t expect to learn even more about Hyrule and the plot of the game in 2026, but the Remake gave me the opportunity.
Charming Voice Acting
Growing up, we’d often have to make up video game character voices in our heads. Fully voice-acted games weren’t the norm yet. Aside from Navi shouting her classic “Hey!” and “Listen!” lines, the rest of the OG cast was relegated to grunts, screams, laughs, and moans.
Hearing immediate narration voice-over when booting up Remake is a trip. For the most part, I found all the actor choices on-point, too. My personal standout is the English dub for Kaepora Gaebora, the Guiding Owl, played by Frank Todaro.
A Fully Orchestrated Soundscape
There were doubts that Zelda: Ocarina of Time’s legendary soundtrack could be improved, but it somehow was. Of course, this is in large part due to the songs now being fully orchestrated, which was not an option on the Nintendo 64.
Still, it wouldn’t have been hard to mess this one up with how beloved 1998’s tunes still are to this day. Thankfully, the full orchestration is gorgeous, as the new, sweeping melodies pack home way more emotion than ever before.
Special shout-out to Saria’s Song, which comes back several times in a surprising, haunting fashion.
Improved Dungeon Experiences
While I wouldn’t say every dungeon was improved in the Remake, several were still fundamentally made better. In general, they’re all a bit more straightforward, which is nice for first-time players who aren’t used to retro game design. At the same time, simpler isn’t always better.
In the case of dungeons like the Water Temple and Jabu-Jabu’s Belly, however, streamlining was the move. The migraine-inducing original Water Temple is reworked just enough that it went from my least favorite in the OG, to possibly my actual favorite in Remake.
Most, if not all, of the dungeons are essentially at least on par with the original versions. The handful that actually made things better then stand out that much more this time around.
Bosses and Enemies With More Interesting and Varied Movesets
While there aren’t too many challenging boss or enemy encounters in Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake, fighting everything is still more fun than ever. This is thanks to many tweaks to encounter structure and entire enemy movesets.
For example, King Dodongo now summons baby Dodongos during phases of the boss fight. Twinrova has an additional, arena-spanning spin attack. It’s a blast to have to reconsider and relearn these fights (and also practice them in the added Hall of Fallen Foes mode).
The best things here, however, are the standard enemy moveset tweaks. A lot of us have fought thousands of skulltulas, wolfos, and tektites. To see all these monsters throwing different moves out that are actively more fun to engage with is incredible.
NPCs With More Life and Routine
Finally, OOT Remake does a wonderful job of making locations like Hyrule Castle Town and Kakariko Village feel more alive and lived-in than ever. Since time can pass in towns now, we’re treated to the game’s NPCs being on actual schedules and routines that we can follow and learn.
This makes everyone feel like that much more of a thought-out character in many cases. For example, Grog used to just sit under the tree in Kakariko at night in the N64 game, and we didn’t ever learn much about him.
Now, we can follow him around town, observing him lurking behind walls, waiting for his dad to go home so he doesn’t have to cross paths with him. It’s things like this that make Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake feel more alive than ever.
How do you think the two games compare? Let us know in the Insider Gaming Discord server.
Interested in our full thoughts on the Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake? Check out our full review. For more news and updates sent directly your way, make sure to sign up for the Insider Gaming newsletter.
Ethan Krieger got started as a sports journalist covering the NBA, but video games have always been his main passion. Since then, he's edited and written for multiple gaming outlets,…
More from Ethan Krieger
Comments