Daily Debate: What Improvement Would You Most Want to See in a Hypothetical Ocarina of Time Remake?

For as much as the preservationist in me loves seeing older video games released on modern consoles, I do wish more of them received proper remakes – not just ports or remasters. Don’t get me wrong – it’s definitely not a matter of either/or, but rather both/and. Resident Evil 4 represents this philosophy best, as both the original 2005 title and last year’s remake are available on the same systems. Likewise, Final Fantasy VII Remake isn’t treated like a replacement for the original game, but rather its own entity.

My point being that I wish Nintendo would adopt a similar approach when re-introducing some of its most beloved games. Graphical enhancements and quality-of-life improvements are appreciated, but how amazing would it be to see a full-fledged, from-the-ground-up remake of Ocarina of Time? I’m talking about an even richer story, voice acting, more additions to the world map, new gameplay mechanics – the whole package! My hope is that this modern wave of more ambitious remakes will eventually inspire Nintendo to give Link’s N64 and GameCube adventures the same treatment.

And though there’s much about Ocarina that could stand to be modernized, it need not be at the expense of what makes that game special today. Having recently started another playthrough, I’m finding the combat and enemy encounters in general to be too simple by today’s standards.

This issue isn’t exclusive to Ocarina, as I have a similar beef with Majora’s Mask, The Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess. Certainly, I give all the credit in the world to the game for pioneering this combat system — and I’m still having fun — but third-person swordplay has evolved so much since 1998. I’m not suggesting the game turn into a straight-up Soulslike, nor do I want the developers to simply repurpose Breath of the Wild’s system, but some greater complexity would go a long way.

What about you, though? Should Ocarina of Time ever receive a proper remake, what enhancement or addition would excite you the most? Let us know in the comments below!