Right away, I couldn’t help but notice the sharp looking characters. Link, as well as his Hylian friends, now look less like the blockheads from Gumby and more like their depictions in the original promotional art. Less obvious, but much appreciated, is the drastically improved framerate which now runs at a buttery-smooth 30 fps--a noticeable bump from the 15-24fps of the original. Though it should be noted I did encounter one instance of some extensive slowdown lasting for around 20 seconds, there’s still time for this to be fixed before release.

But all this pales in comparison to the attention that’s been paid to the environments. Don’t let the early screenshots fool you--Hyrule’s landscape has been given a complete makeover, resulting in some of the most beautiful sights seen yet on the 3DS. I managed to journey to almost every corner of the world in order to see the improvements:

 Castle Town’s market is now a fully rendered environment (though it retains the same camera angle), doing away with the blurry and pixelated pre-rendered bitmap of the original. Many building exteriors have also been remodeled, such as The Happy Mask Shop.

 Lake Hylia looks gorgeous with some much improved water effects. The perimeter is also now lined with actual three-dimensional trees instead of the “tree wall” in the original.

 The fishing pond looks amazing. The ground is now textured with a very nice, rocky surface and a small waterfall has been added to the back (though there’s still some clipping issues as the camera dives underwater).

 

 

 Textures, in general, look amazing, such as the buildings in Kakariko Village.

 Not only does the Temple of Time look spectacular on the outside, but the interior has finally been furnished with an actual ceiling (instead of the black abyss of before).

 2D backgrounds, such as when looking into Castle Town through the gate from outside, have been replaced with rendered, 3D backdrops that are much more detailed. Even windows now gaze upon rendered landscapes.

 Landmarks visible from Hyrule Field, such as Death Mountain, are now actual polygonal entities as opposed to the cardboard cutouts of the original. Speaking of Hyrule Field...

Most fans probably remember stepping out into the sunlit Hyrule Field for the first time. A vast and majestic world spread before them, which was simultaneously daunting and awe inspiring, as well as a technological marvel. Fortunately, the 3DS recaptures this magic with the illusion of depth truly making the world seem even larger than ever before. After all, it’s a big world out there and you’re just a small part.

 

 

While I was concerned the 3D effect would simply be bolted on--this is a pretty faithful update, after all--it’s perhaps the best use of 3D I’ve yet seen on the system. The added depth lends the world a weight and presence I simply haven’t felt before. I really felt like I was exploring a miniature world through the window of my 3DS. My grueling climb up Death Mountain was especially enhanced by this, placing an emphasis on the dusty trail that stretched between the canyon walls into the distance. After my perilous climb, I peered over the mountainside and laid eyes on a sleeping Kakariko Village far, far below. The contrast between the nearby rocky ledge and the distant town was stark and unnerving. I had ventured a long ways up, something that the 3D conveyed in a manner I haven’t felt viscerally since climbing up Bob-omb mountain in Mario 64.

Besides the visuals, our hour-long play session afforded a much better opportunity to adjust to the improvements made to the interface. The inventory has been relocated to the touchscreen, allowing you to easily equip items to two of the face buttons (X and Y) or a pair of soft-buttons on the touchscreen. Needless to say, this is much more convenient than the game-halting menu of the original. In an effort to further streamline the inventory, the Ocarina now resides in a permanent spot in the lower-left corner of the touchscreen, preventing it from using up one of your valuable inventory slots. Mercifully, the song list can also be displayed while playing the Ocarina, sparing you from having to memorize them or sifting through sub-screens to look them up. In addition, you can now aim projectile weapons by moving the 3DS around as if you were actually aiming in real-life, which is a much faster and more accurate alternative to aiming with the control stick (which is still an option). Finally, because the 3DS lacks rumble, the Stone of Agony (which alerts you to nearby secrets) now emits an audiable tone instead of a quick shake.

 

 

While the graphics and user-interface have been vastly improved, what hasn’t changed is everything else. The village folk recite the same lines and you’ll find every collectible in the exact same location as 14 years ago (well, if you remember that is.) The music, too, is identical--an area that we would have loved to have seen given the remastered--dare we say orchestrated--treatment, particularly considering the severe musical constraints the Nintendo 64 imposed on the original. Luckily, there is at least one minor addition we can talk about: Master Quest, a second quest which is unlocked after finishing the main game. Although this was previously seen on the GameCube in the form of a pre-order bonus disc, this modified take on the main game features remixed temples with harder puzzles, roughly doubling the amount of time you’ll spend in Hyrule.

The Legend of Zelda 3D is really more a remastering than it is a remake: an update to bring the game’s visuals and interface up to modern standards while retaining its timeless gameplay. What we’ve seen so far has been extremely promising, and should appeal to both those new to the game, as well as fans of the original for whom the updated visuals will not go unnoticed.

Stay tuned to GameXplain for more on Zelda as well get closer to its June 19th release date!

 

Click here for more new screens of Ocarina of Time 3D!