The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Switch 2 Reviews Are In: What Critics Are Saying, Explained

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time launched on Nintendo Switch 2 on November 5, 2026, and the reviews that followed made it one of the best-reviewed games of the year. With aggregate scores around 96 on Metacritic as review embargoes lifted, Nintendo's ground-up remake of its 1998 classic is being treated by critics less like a nostalgia play and more like one of 2026's genuine highlights.

Here is what critics are actually saying about the remake, where they disagree, and what the scores mean if you are deciding whether to pick it up.

1. The Scores So Far: Metacritic, Famitsu and the Aggregators

Japanese magazine Famitsu was among the first outlets to publish a score, handing the remake 37 out of 40 across its four-critic panel (9, 9, 9, 10). The panel praised the reworked camera, the updated controls and the rebuilt visuals, while noting the underlying game design is still, by modern standards, fairly simple.

As more outlets published their verdicts through launch week, the remake settled in as the highest-rated game released in 2026 on Metacritic, and the highest-rated Switch 2 game to date on the aggregator. GamesRadar+ gave it a full five stars, calling it "a remake for the ages," and TechRadar's review said it delivers on every front, with plenty for both longtime fans and first-time players. GameSpot was similarly impressed, though its review stopped short of a perfect score.

2. What Critics Are Praising

The consensus among positive reviews centers on a handful of specific changes. Reviewers consistently call out:

• The rebuilt camera and movement. The remake adds a free, player-controlled camera, manual jumping and sprinting — none of which existed in the 1998 original — and critics say it removes the biggest friction point for anyone replaying the game today.
• Full voice acting. Ocarina of Time has never had voiced dialogue before; reviewers single out the voice work for Link, Zelda, Navi and Ganondorf as a meaningful upgrade to scenes that previously relied on text boxes and sound effects.
• The visual rebuild. Hyrule Field, Kokiri Forest and Death Mountain were rebuilt rather than simply retextured, and several reviews highlight the new sense of scale this gives the overworld.
• Quality-of-life additions. A new quest log helps track the game's notoriously obtuse objectives, something multiple reviews flagged as overdue.

3. The Dissenting Voices: "Safe" and "Streamlined"

Not every review is unreserved praise. NPR's review, published ahead of launch, was headlined as calling the remake "superb, streamlined and safe" — a framing that captures the main thread running through the more measured reviews. Some critics note that certain character redesigns read as a departure from players' memories of the original, and at least one review flagged pacing that can feel choppier in a handful of sections compared to the source material.

None of this amounts to a backlash. Even the more measured reviews are landing in solidly positive territory — the "safe" criticism is really about a remake that preserves Ocarina of Time's structure and puzzle design almost entirely intact, rather than reimagining it the way some other legacy remakes have. Whether that is a strength or a limitation depends on what you are hoping a 1998 game, remade in 2026, actually does differently.

4. A Quick Refresher: What Actually Changed From the N64 Original

Since most of the review conversation is framed around "how much did they change," it's worth a quick refresher on the headline additions critics are reacting to: a free camera and manual jump and sprint controls, full voice acting across every major character, a new quest log, rebuilt environments and character models, and the ability to play the in-game ocarina by humming or playing notes into the Nintendo Switch 2 system's microphone. For the full breakdown of every new feature and change from the original game, we've covered it in detail separately.

The remake also ships alongside a broader set of 40th-anniversary extras — amiibo support and commemorative content tied to the Zelda series' anniversary. We've broken down the ocarina mic trick, amiibo masks and the other 40th-anniversary extras in a separate guide if you want the specifics.

5. The Cast, Rebuilt

Part of what reviewers are responding to is simply how different the cast looks and sounds. Zelda, Link and Ganondorf were all rebuilt with new character models and, for the first time in the game's history, full voice performances rather than the grunts and chimes of the N64 original.

6. Launch Day: Midnight Openings and Strong Demand

The remake's launch drew the kind of retail turnout Nintendo usually reserves for new hardware. Several US Best Buy locations held midnight openings for the November 5 release, with reports of fans lining up overnight. Ahead of launch, the game had also been tracking as a top seller on at least one major US online marketplace, though Nintendo has not yet published official first-week sales figures, so treat any specific numbers you see elsewhere with caution until Nintendo confirms them directly.

If you still need the basics — exact pricing, platform availability and where to buy it — we've laid out the remake's release date, pricing and everything new at launch in a separate guide.

7. Should You Buy It? The Quick Take

If you're weighing whether the review scores translate into a purchase, here's the short version:

• Returning players get a faithful remake with meaningfully smoother controls, a rebuilt camera, voice acting and quality-of-life fixes like the quest log — the biggest complaints about replaying the 1998 original are largely addressed.
• New players are getting widely regarded as the best way to experience a foundational entry in the series, without having to adapt to N64-era camera and control limitations.
• The caveat raised by more measured reviews is that this is a faithful remake rather than a reimagining — if you were hoping for restructured dungeons or a changed story, that is not what critics are describing.

It's priced at $59.99 digitally and $69.99 for the physical edition, exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2.

Quick Recap

• The Ocarina of Time remake launched November 5, 2026, exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2.
• It's tracking around 96 on Metacritic, making it one of 2026's highest-rated releases.
• Famitsu's panel scored it 37/40; GamesRadar+ gave it 5/5; GameSpot and TechRadar were both strongly positive.
• The main critical reservation is that it's a faithful, "safe" remake rather than a reimagining, with a few notes on pacing and character redesigns.
• Reviewers consistently praise the free camera, manual jump/sprint, full voice acting, rebuilt visuals and the new quest log.

Official Resources

• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Nintendo's official Switch 2 store page
• ESRB ratings database

For more on what's new, what's changed and what else is launching alongside it, browse our full archive of game guides and walkthroughs.