Nintendo’s unveiling of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake told us virtually nothing about the game. Our only glimpse at its new art style isn’t even particularly enlightening. But it’s going to follow the same storyline, arguably the single most consequential narrative in the entire Zelda series. And that means most, if not all, of the original game’s bosses will return.
What if Nintendo decides to cut some? Between all the middle and main dungeon bosses, there are a few that really aren’t all that important. Would it really be so bad if Nintendo just got rid of the Big Octo fight in Jabu-Jabu’s Belly? The Ocarina of Time purist in me says, yes, that would be blasphemous – but running in circles as that thing flops around is not great boss design. With that in mind, let’s look at the bosses that are essential to the Ocarina of Time remake.
Ganondorf / Ganon
Big shocker, I know: the game’s final boss needs to appear in the remake. Defeating Ganondorf is the whole point of Ocarina of Time, and both phases of the final fight still hold up. If I could change one thing about it, I’d add an actual duel between Link and Ganondorf after the volley sequence. Crossing blades with the Gerudo King of Thieves is electric in The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, and a third phase in Ocarina could be an inspired addition to the remake.
Tangentially related is Ganon’s Castle as a whole. If Nintendo wants to make endgame adjustments for the remake, making Ganon’s Castle more interesting would go a lot further than tinkering too much with the Ganondorf and Ganon fights. I similarly expect some real production value to be added to the castle escape sequence right before the Ganon phase.
Phantom Ganon
Fighting Phantom Ganon in the Forest Temple doesn’t come full circle until the very end of Ocarina of Time, when you repeat the volley sequence with the real Ganondorf, but it’s still an important boss fight. Descending into the basement of the Forest Temple and finding a gallery full of identical paintings is unsettling enough, then a spectral version of Ganondorf floats out of one.
Phantom Ganon is a very effective first boss after Link emerges from the Sacred Realm, and emphasizes just how much damage Ganondorf has wrought in Kokiri Forest and the Lost Woods. Link’s home is overrun with monsters, and instead of harboring some beast like the other temples, Ganondorf has placed his own visage as Link’s first test in seven years.
Nabooru / Iron Knuckle
Nabooru’s storyline could be expanded in the Ocarina of Time remake, but the mini-boss fight against her in the Spirit Temple should stay. She has a great arc, rebelling against Ganondorf while Link is a child, but she’s only encountered near the very end of the game. Defeating the Iron Knuckle in the Spirit Temple and realizing it’s a brainwashed Nabooru is a great moment that could have a lot more impact if Nabooru gets introduced earlier in the remake.
It’s notable that Nabooru is the only Sage you fight in Ocarina of Time, albeit unknowingly. It’s one of Ocarina‘s great twists (which is soon overshadowed by the Zelda/Sheik reveal), but also feels like the pinnacle of an arc through the Gerudo Desert that has unrealized potential. It’s Ganondorf’s home, after all; Nabooru is the perfect catalyst to expand on the King of Thieves’ backstory.
Bongo Bongo
It’s an incredibly funny bit that, after a harrowing quest through the Sheikah’s torture site, the boss arena is a big drum and the boss itself is some goofy creature that plays it. I can understand the argument that the Shadow Temple deserves a more serious boss reflective of the horrors that occurred there during the Hyrulean Civil War, but giant hand bosses are a Zelda staple, and I think there’s value in just how weird Bongo Bongo is.
Bongo Bongo is one of those creatures that keeps Ocarina unpredictable. When you arrive to see Kakariko Village on fire and learn that the invisible monster imprisoned in the well has escaped, you start to dread what is going to be at the end of the Shadow Temple. But it’s just a drummer.
White Wolfos
Alright, listen. The White Wolfos in the Ice Cavern, even though it’s cool to see after fighting a couple of regular Wolfos in the Lost Woods, is not that special of a mini-boss fight. This is just an excuse for me to talk about my favorite room in Ocarina of Time again. Look at those weird, starry walls in the screenshot above. What’s up with that? It’s here that, after defeating the White Wolfos, Sheik teaches Link the “Serenade of Water,” and gives the game’s most melancholic monologue on the unceasing passage of time.
I don’t know if the Ocarina of Time remake will have voice acting (I kind of hope it doesn’t), but these Sheik scenes need to be included. The Ice Cavern has always been a bit maligned, and it was only made worse in Ocarina of Time 3D when those strange walls were replaced by ice stalactites and stalagmites. The mini-dungeon is an odd one for sure, but I love the final room with the White Wolfos and Sheik’s appearance; it’s an important scene in Link’s journey through a devastated Hyrule.
Poe Sisters: Beth, Joelle, Amy, & Meg
The Forest Temple has one of the best dungeon gimmicks in Ocarina of Time, and it should return wholesale in the remake. When you first enter the dungeon’s central chamber, four uniquely colored Poes appear and scatter. The whole dungeon revolves around finding all four and completing the puzzles and encounters with each. The extended sequence culminates with Meg in the central chamber, which teaches you to look closely in preparation for the Phantom Ganon fight ahead.
At this point in the game, you’ve gone through the Great Deku Tree, Dodongo’s Cavern, and Jabu-Jabu’s Belly, and the basic dungeon concept is now clear. The Forest Temple immediately shows you that things are going to be more complicated for adult Link, and the Poe Sisters are a big part of how it accomplishes that. The haunting Forest Temple just wouldn’t be the same without the Poe Sisters’ odd giggling whenever you shoot their portraits with an arrow.
Volvagia
Defeating Volvagia in the Fire Temple is the most direct way Link helps Hyrule’s denizens. Link finds Goron City empty, its residents rounded up and imprisoned in order to be fed to Volvagia, an ancient dragon revived by Ganondorf. The entirety of the Fire Temple is spent freeing Gorons and trying to help Darunia, who later awakens as the Sage of Fire. The Volvagia fight is already one of Ocarina of Time‘s most visually striking, and the remake can make it even more so.
If the remake wants to retcon Volvagia a bit, I wouldn’t be upset if it adopts the dragon’s storyline from the official Ocarina of Time manga. In Akira Himekawa’s adaptation, child Link purchases a baby dragon, Volvagia, in Castle Town, intent on setting the creature free. The relationship takes a tragic turn when Volvagia is later controlled by Ganondorf, leading to a heartbreaking fight at the end of the Fire Temple.
Twinrova
Twinrova goes hand-in-hand with Nabooru’s Iron Knuckle fight needing to return in the Ocarina of Time remake. The 400-year-old twin witches Kotake and Koume are Ganondorf’s surrogate mothers, yet they barely have an impact on the story. They’re implied to be the real leaders of the Gerudo prior to Ganondorf’s rise to power, but all they do is show up to kidnap Nabooru, then get whooped by Link seven years later.
Twinrova have long been underutilized in the Zelda series. They even make a camero appearance in Tears of the Kingdom, but don’t have any lines and never reappear. If the Ocarina of Time remake is going to remix some things, the Gerudo Desert should be a mandatory stop earlier in the game, so it can better build up Nabooru and Twinrova. Ganondorf’s mothers, who have been alive for four centuries, are some of the most interesting characters, but barely leave their mark on Ocarina.
Gohma
Gohma is an icon. The arachnid is one of the most frequently recurring bosses in The Legend of Zelda. She needs to be at the heart of the Great Deku Tree in the Ocarina of Time remake. All Link knows going into the game’s introductory dungeon is that the spirit who protects Kokiri Forest, his home, has been cursed by a mysterious man from the desert. Gohma, crawling unnervingly across the ceiling in the dark, is the manifestation of that curse.
Gohma sets a disturbing tone for the way Ganondorf corrupts ancient, sacred sites throughout Hyrule. Her defeat also delivers an early gut punch – Link triumphs, but the Great Deku Tree still perishes. A victory immediately turning sour is just the first indication that Ganondorf’s coup will be successful. A boy and his slingshot save Kokiri Forest, but only for the time being.
Dark Link
Nintendo, I am begging you: please do not drastically change the Dark Link fight. It takes place in the most atmospheric room in the whole game, and is such a profound encounter for a mini-boss. Link walks across a reflecting pool that disappears into a seemingly endless horizon, and when he crosses a lone island holding a dead tree, his reflection disappears. When he finds the far door sealed shut, his shadow is now standing at the base of the dead tree waiting for him.
It’s one of the trickier fights in Ocarina of Time because Dark Link mirrors Link’s attacks, blocking most strikes. Dark Link starts out translucent, but his figure slowly grows darker as the fight progresses, becoming more aggressive. If you go in unaware of Dark Link’s presence in Ocarina, it’s a truly bizarre and unsettling encounter. Navi’s only advice is, “Conquer yourself!“
The Dark Link fight provides a lot of character development for Link, who is silent throughout the game. A dead tree in the center is often interpreted as an allusion to the Great Deku Tree and Link’s failure to save the forest spirit. Dark Link becoming more aggressive has always struck me as a metaphor for Link becoming a tool of violence – he tries to pull the Master Sword but is too young to wield it, so seven years are stolen from his life so that he can emerge and more effectively fight as an adult. Dark Link is one of many bosses that highlight the tragedy of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and is essential to the remake.
- Released
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2026
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
- Number of Players
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Single-player