Eiji Aonuma Needs to Consider a Modern Remake of This Legend of Zelda Title

Remakes are becoming the norm in gaming nowadays. From fan-favorite classics like Metal Gear Solid 3 to overlooked cult hits like Demon’s Souls, almost every big publisher is coming out with a remake. Even Nintendo has joined the trend. They have already launched Metroid Prime Remastered, Super Mario RPG Remake, and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. But one of the most standout remakes that Nintendo worked on was The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening.

The transition from that Gameboy classic to a current-generation Nintendo Switch system was nothing short of brilliant. It looked too good and played better than its original self. Seeing all the effort Nintendo puts into these remakes, maybe it’s about time series producer Eiji Aonuma starts thinking about remaking The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

The highest-rated game on Metacritic

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was an incredible game when it launched. And there were more than a few reasons for it. Before the launch or even reveal of that game, fans had been playing Zelda games from an over-the-head perspective. And sometimes as a 2D side scroller, as it was in Zelda 2. Many also considered it to be one of the few original franchises that gave players the feeling of being in control of their adventure.

While the story of Zelda games was always linear, players were free to explore the world as much as they wanted. They could find secrets, unlock new ways to fight enemies, and much more. How does one improve upon this? How does one make it so that players get an elevated sense of adventure from the latest game in the series? They answered this question in a very simple and straightforward manner, making it 3D.

They made The Legend of Zelda 3D, and Ocarina of Time was a technical showcase upon its reveal. For the first time, fans could see their favorite game world, Hyrule, in its full 3D glory. Walk as you will, go where you want, ride your horse if you want, participate in those side quests, and then continue on your adventure when you are done doing all that. No surprise, it got a 99 on Metacritic. The game gave fans that immersive experience three years before Rockstar Games would shift to 3D with GTA 3. Nintendo knew how to stay ahead back then.

A bunch of new gameplay mechanics

Besides introducing a brand-new open-world game design, Ocarina of Time even featured a bunch of new gameplay mechanics that made it stand out. One developer introduced a horse for players to travel through the land of Hyrule.

Also, to add to the new third-person perspective from behind Link, developers added brand new combat mechanics to the game. Combos, dodging attacks, jump attacks, shield blocking, and power attacks became a thing. To make targeted weapons more effective, the developers even added a combat targeting mode. As the name suggests, this mode allowed players to target their enemies and fire weapons like slingshots at them.

And who can forget the Ocarina? The very thing at the front and center of this game. Players could play different kinds of music on it to get different kinds of results. This ocarina represented the freedom players had. They were free to choose how they used it. They were eventually free to even fast-travel through the world using that Ocarina.

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Nintendo always knew how to make their intriguing games pay off in a big way. This one did, and it makes sense that people play it to this day.

And finally, Ocarina of Time introduced mission-sensitive puzzles and stealth mechanics to the series. While both were present in the previous games in the series too, this one actually utilized them the best.

Why Eiji Aonuma should be at the helm

There are a number of reasons why Eiji Aonnuma should be producing the remake of Ocarina of Time. He was one of the directors of the original. He is attached to that game in a way that no one else is. And he would know what gameplay mechanics would be perfect to add on and what to update, depending on this modern era of gaming.

He can even give some creative input on expanding that world in some ways, giving fans a much larger incentive to purchase this remake. Besides, games like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are incredible, but they are too big. Sometimes fans want a straightforward, linear experience. An open world that is just right—not too big and not too small.

Fans deserve a chance to explore this excellent game with modern HD visuals. Eiji Aonuma needs to make it happen.

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