For the past decade, it seemed like The Legend of Zelda series was never going back to the traditional dungeon crawling and puzzle solving that made the series iconic to begin with.
Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom took the Zelda franchise to new heights of popularity that it had never reached before, and it was all thanks to the open-air formula that gave players a far greater sense of freedom. Even when Zelda returned to 2D with Echoes of Wisdom, that open sense of exploration largely remained intact. It truly seemed like classic Zelda was gone forever — until now.
Nintendo’s recently announced The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake is finally bringing back classic Zelda to the Switch 2, suggesting a promising future for fans of traditional Zelda dungeons and storytelling.
Ocarina of Time’s New Remake Confirms Traditional Zelda Gameplay Is Here to Stay
It’s unlikely the open world style of Zelda that led to its 2 highest selling entries is going anywhere, but at least the series isn’t forgetting where it came from. Zelda: Ocarina of Time’s new remake is the ultimate fan service for those missing the traditional Zelda gameplay loop the Wild Era left behind.
Perhaps the most exciting prospect of Ocarina of Time’s new remake (apart from the fact that the greatest game ever made is getting a modern reimagining) is the fact that classic Zelda mechanics can reach an even greater audience than ever. If this game sells well, it’ll force Nintendo to reconsider the essentials of a Zelda game going forward.
And looking toward Zelda’s future, it seems like traditional Zelda will be in great shape for years to come. While it wasn’t exactly the 2D Zelda game many fans wanted, 2025’s Echoes of Wisdom did at least show that the OG top-down style of Zelda gameplay is still alive and well. EOW did also have some excellent dungeons and great additions to the lore of the Triforce, too.
And Ocarina of Time being remade suddenly suggests that more remakes could be on the horizon. Between new 2D games like EOW and classic 3D Zelda remakes of Majora’s Mask, Wind Waker and Twilight Princess coming as well, traditional Zelda has never been a healthier place.
Ocarina of Time Is a Full-Circle Moment for Zelda After the Wild Era
Even if the Ocarina of Time remake is heavily influenced by BOTW mechanics and its gameplay is very similar to the open air games, it would still be a huge step in the right direction for classic Zelda just by virtue of being OOT.
No matter how much is changed about the gameplay, OOT still has huge sprawling dungeons, an iconic and beautifully told storyline, and a linear sense of progression that makes players feel like they’re truly taking a step forward every time they complete a task or receive a new item.
What little has been shown of Ocarina of Time in its brief teaser trailer already sets a great precedent for what’s to come.
Instead of focusing on a big open world or exciting combat abilities, the trailer focused entirely on the story of young Link as the one Kokiri boy without a fairy. This proves that Nintendo is treating the story with great care, just like a traditional Zelda story should be.
If anything, the story is actually given an even greater emphasis than in most prior Zelda games, perhaps even suggesting a full 360 from the Wild Era games that pushed the story into the backseat.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time represents a return to everything special about the pre-BOTW Zelda games. A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time are the purest embodiments of what Zelda fans mean when they talk about “classic” or “traditional” Zelda, so seeing OOT return in this way proves that Nintendo isn’t leaving classic Zelda behind anytime soon.