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Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Remake Reviews Make It 2026’s Highest Rated Game
NintendoReview RoundupThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
Nintendo’s much-anticipated remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is due to reach us tomorrow, and reviews have arrived today. And oh boy, they’re good. Like, really good. The Metascore at the time of writing is an epic 96, based on 48 reviews, none of which dips below an 8. And perhaps that’s not a massive surprise given it’s, well, Ocarina of Time, but what a nice relief to learn that Nintendo doesn’t seem to have broken a classic but possibly made it even better. It is, in fact, the highest rated game of 2026. At least for a couple of weeks, anyway.
Review embargoes lifted early this morning, allowing a waterfall of reviews to spill forth, each competing with the next for superlatives to describe the 2026 version of the 1998 original. Appropriately split across two time zones, the remake is deeply faithful to the classic Nintendo 64 version, albeit with a suite of quality-of-life improvements such a running, motion control aiming, and those pesky automatic jumps now being at the behest of a button. There are also embellishments, like how Hyrule Castle Town can now be explored, but reviews are saying nothing has been taken away in the process. (Kotaku did not receive a review copy, and we’ll be reviewing the game once it’s out.)
Eurogamer‘s Christian Donaldson describes both the original and this new version as a “masterpiece,” saying “this is more or less the game that people played back in 1998,” saying even dungeon guides from an old N64 magazine would still get you through here. Keza MacDonald in the Guardian agrees, describing it as “a dream come true” that updates the original game “into something that can stand alongside any modern masterpiece.” Game Informer chimes in on the theme too, Kyle Hilliard calling it “a wonderful recreation of the 1998 experience with improvements on basically every element.”
Perhaps one of the most surprising words that keeps being used in reviews is “beautiful.” Early glimpses of the game were met with some horror at the “Nintendo hired that man” impression of an Unreal Engine-looking reimagining of the 30-year-old game. But Gamespot calls it “gorgeous,” Nintendo Life “breathtaking,” and IGN “beautiful.” Really, the only significant criticism I’ve found so far is RPG Site‘s fury that there’s only one save slot (which is, to the site’s credit, idiotic).
Despite all of this new sheen, Ocarina of Time retains its understated melancholy. There is an essential tragedy to this tale about a boy hero whose childhood is stolen by an evil king. It is a dark fairytale that begins with a nightmare and the death of a forest god, sometimes scary and, like all children’s tales that stand the test of time, totally unpatronising. It is preoccupied with the sadness and inevitability of the passage of time, and the alignment now between that story and the real-world circumstances of this remake is impossible to ignore. The first time I stepped into the Temple of Time and pulled the Master Sword from its stone, I was myself a child. Re-entering that place as an adult gave me shivers I can’t quite describe. It got me thinking very deeply about how we pass down our cherished stories to the next generation.
Ocarina of Time is still a wonder of game design and a thrilling adventure. This remake smooths over some rough edges, leaves others intact, and lets what was so special about the original shine through. It can be easy to forget after so many years, but the core structure and design ethos are as strong as they ever were. By approaching this remake with a degree of reverence and respect for the source material, Nintendo has shown that a true masterpiece can stand the test of time.
Was it always this good? Were the dungeons always so complex and challenging, but also so playful, so coherent? Were the bosses always driven by interesting ideas and drama and humour rather than difficulty? Was the world always so rich with minor characters