The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Review (N64): Is It Still Worth Playing?
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time still earns its reputation, but not every part has aged equally. Its dungeons, combat, and music hold up quite well. Its empty overworld, static camera, and slow menus age poorly. The Switch 2 remake comes out on November 5, 2026, but is the Nintendo 64 original still worth your time? This review finds out.
| Platform reviewed | Nintendo 64 |
|---|---|
| Released | November 23, 1998 (North America) |
| Developer / publisher | Nintendo |
| Genre | Action-adventure |
| Metacritic | 99 (22 critic reviews) |
The Verdict at a Glance
| What still works | What has aged |
|---|---|
| Z-targeting makes 3D combat clear and fair | Hyrule Field is large but nearly empty |
| Dungeons are still masterclasses in puzzle design | The camera can’t be freely rotated |
| Koji Kondo’s music and the ocarina songs | Around 20 frames per second |
| The child-to-adult time jump | Constant menu swapping for items and boots |
Play it if you enjoy puzzle-heavy dungeons or want to see where modern 3D adventures came from.
Wait for the remake if low frame rates and fixed cameras put you off.
What Is Ocarina of Time?
Ocarina of Time was the first 3D Zelda game. You are Link, a youngster from the Kokiri Forest who discovers that Ganondorf is searching for the Triforce, a relic that fulfils any wish. After a few dungeons, Link draws the Master Sword and wakes up seven years later as an adult in a Hyrule fallen into darkness. You then flit between both eras, and returning to a familiar village to find it transformed is still one of the game’s best moments.
What Still Works Today
Z-targeting
Hold the Z trigger and Link locks onto an enemy, loops around it, and keeps the camera where it needs to be. Since then, nearly every 3D action game has borrowed the idea, and here you can see it in its purest form: every fight is about reading an attack and finding the opening.
The dungeons
Dungeon design is the one strength that hasn’t faded at all. The Forest Temple twists its hallways, the Shadow Temple hides floors that can only be seen with the Lens of Truth, and the Spirit Temple has you solve it as both child and adult Link. Each one introduces an item, teaches it, and then constructs puzzles around it.
Even the dreaded Water Temple is a clever dungeon. It’s largely known for putting on and taking off the Iron Boots through the pause menu repeatedly. The puzzle is good. The menu juggling is not.
The music
Koji Kondo’s music is part of the gameplay. You perform melodies on the ocarina to call your horse, change day to night, and warp over Hyrule. Zelda’s Lullaby and Epona’s Song became renowned because you played them, not just listened to them.
What Has Aged
An empty Hyrule Field
Riding across a large 3D field was amazing in 1998. Now it appears to be an open green area with few opponents and little else — a “barren green grass texture,” as The Ringer’s 20th-anniversary retrospective put it.
Camera and frame rate
You can’t freely swivel the camera, and tight rooms feel weird. Coverage of the remake in previews suggests the game also ran at about 20 frames per second, which made movement seem cumbersome. You can definitely see the low-res textures on a big modern TV, but our guide to shaders shows how to smooth that out with a CRT-style filter.
Menus and side content
Only three items fit on the C-buttons at a time, so you’ll be in the pause menu constantly. Side content is thin too: heart pieces, Gold Skulltulas, and a trading sequence look sparse next to Majora’s Mask, which followed in 2000.
What Critics Said in 1998
| Publication | Score | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Metacritic | 99/100 | Universal acclaim from 22 critics |
| GameSpot | 10/10 | “In a word, perfect.” |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 10, 10, 10, 10 | Perfect scores from all four reviewers |
Those scores judged the game against 1998. Without the shock of the new, its design still mostly holds up.
N64 Original vs. Switch 2 Remake
Nintendo’s full remake launches exclusively on Switch 2 on November 5, 2026. Hands-on previews describe these changes:
| N64 original | Switch 2 remake | |
|---|---|---|
| Visuals | Low-poly, low-resolution | Rebuilt “stylized realism” style |
| Frame rate | About 20fps | 60fps, according to previews |
| Jumping | Automatic off ledges | Dedicated jump button |
| Camera | Fixed | Rebuilt, rotatable in areas like Castle Town |
| Story scenes | Text only | Voiced cutscenes |
| Dungeons | Original layouts | Largely unchanged |
Not all changes have been welcomed. The Guardian termed the new Hyrule Field an “obviously artificial pen” while Eurogamer found the English voice acting annoying. These are impressions, not reviews, and we’ll update this section after launch.
How to Play Ocarina of Time Today
- Nintendo 64: the original cartridge, the most authentic option.
- Nintendo Switch and Switch 2: included in Nintendo 64 – Nintendo Classics with Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.
- Switch 2 remake: out November 5, 2026.
ROMSGAMES doesn’t host or link to game files. If you own the cartridge, see our guide to legally backing up your games.
Final Verdict
Ocarina of Time is more than a landmark you play out of duty. Its dungeons are more intelligent than many modern ones, Z-targeting still works, and the time jump still gives the quest weight. It’s the packaging that’s aged: the field, the camera, the frame rate, and the menus. The original N64 is a must for the patient player. For everyone else, the Switch 2 remake looks like the most comfortable way in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ocarina of Time still worth playing in 2026?
Yes, if you can accept its age. The dungeons, combat, and music hold up; the overworld, camera, and frame rate feel dated.
How long does it take to beat Ocarina of Time?
Roughly 20 to 30 hours for the main story, and longer to collect everything.
Is the Water Temple really that hard?
Its puzzles are fair. Its reputation comes from repeatedly swapping the Iron Boots through the pause menu.
Should I play the original or wait for the remake?
Play the original for the authentic 1998 experience, or wait until November 5, 2026, for modern controls and 60fps.