Daily Debate: What is the Best Enhancement in a Zelda Rerelease?

In general, I have mixed feelings on the updated versions of Zelda games we’ve seen over the last decade. At best, I’ve found them to be minute upgrades that often lose some of the original’s charm in the process. Sometimes, though, I feel a lot of what made the game worth playing is sacrificed in the name of convenience, or for seemingly no reason at all. It can’t be denied, however, that these games possess some advantages over their predecessors, be they quality of life changes or technical enhancements. What are some of the best changes made in the various rereleases of Zelda titles?

I think the one that will immediately come to most people’s minds is Ocarina of Time 3D streamlining the use of the Iron Boots. This has been my favorite game ever since the first time I played it and even I can’t argue the original’s setup isn’t painfully monotonous. Making the Iron Boots a button-mapped item rather than selected on the equipment screen is a perfect update. Nothing is lost in the process besides a few dozen trips to the menu. It doesn’t get mentioned much because the Shadow Temple doesn’t command their use to the same degree, but this change also benefits the Hover Boots. Even though my nostalgia for the original will always draw me to that version, this is an exemplary instance of streamlining. If only I could still pick bugs back up after dumping them from a bottle.

Majora’s Mask 3D, in my eyes, is a straight up inferior version of the game. I feel it is diluted of so much that connected with me about the original. Despite this, the flexibility this rerelease offers when traveling through time is a definitive upgrade. Being able to move to a specific time of day is the kind of streamlining that could benefit most any game. The only thing removed from the game through this change is a lot of sitting around and waiting. If this change, and changes like it, were all that Majora’s Mask 3D had implemented, it would be difficult not to see it as the better version.

What do you think? Which rerelease changes have most improved on their originals? Let us know in the comment below!

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Sorted Under: Daily Debate, Games, Majora's Mask, Ocarina of Time, Original Content
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