To be clear, Ocarina of Time is almost exactly as you remember it. You still play as Link as he travels through time to reunite the seven sages, in an effort to defeat Ganondorf and restore peace to Hyrule. The world, items, puzzles, and (most) of the music is identical. Basically, if you didn’t care for the original, there’s little here that will change your mind. The visuals, however, have been given a complete overhaul. No longer will you be subjected to the flat ‘tree walls” that used to line the landscapes, now replaced with fully-realized foliage. The cardboard cutout landmarks in the distance, such as Death Mountain, now loom over the landscape with an actual presence. Characters too, look significantly better, forgoing their angular appearance for ones which more closely resemble the artwork featured in the instruction manual. It looks great and really hides the fact that this is a 13-year-old game.

Although the game’s visuals have received a major face-lift, I found the added 3D-depth to be the greatest addition. It now lends everything in the environment volume, as if you’re really looking through a window into the world of Hyrule. The trees in Hyrule Field look lusher, the waters of Lake Hylia feel denser, and the view from Death Mountain when gazing upon the distance town below are almost vertigo-inducing. It all makes for an even more immersive experience, and is undoubtedly the best use of the 3DS’s depth-enabling screen to date. Which is ironic considering the game wasn’t even originally designed with it in mind.

 

Beyond graphical updates, Nintendo has also made intelligent use of the 3DS’s unique features to enhance the user-interface and controls. No longer do you have to pause the game to select weapons, instead a simple tap on the touch screen allows for almost instant-access to any item--a godsend for those who were frustrated by the Water Temple, in which you had to equip a particular item dozens, if not hundreds of times, and certainly was responsible for ending many gamers’ quest prematurely. The camera control, and weapon-aiming in general, has also been improved by allowing you to simply move the Nintendo 3DS in real-life to position the camera where you want to look, as if it were a window into another world. It allows for greater precision and faster targeting, as well as simply being a fun addition. Fortunately, you can still use the control stick to aim as well, for those not terribly keen on motion-controls.

Now as fans of the Zelda series may have noticed, newer installments of the series have become quite a bit easier since Ocarina was released. Thankfully, Nintendo has also kept the original difficultly level in check, but not without throwing a bone to those not used to the greater challenge, or those who simply find themselves stuck on a particular puzzle. Throughout the game, you’ll now find large stones that Link can crawl into in order to receive a “glimpse” of the future--basically, a short 3-5 second video that loosely offers help for many of the more difficult situations. They rarely spell out exactly what you have to do, but they offer enough to point you in the right direction.

Gamers on the other end of the difficulty spectrum will find a second quest that unlocks after finishing the main game that should meet their need for a challenge. This remix of the main game reverses the entire world (as if looking into a mirror), adds more challenging puzzles to every temple, and doubles the amount of damage you take from enemies. It’s hard, even for the most experienced Zelda fan. And for those still looking for more, a boss challenge mode has been added that allows you to take on every major battle in the game in a back-to-back series of fights. There’s a lot here here, even for those that completed the original Nintendo 64 version, but these additions are still just variations on the main experience, which is either a good or bad thing, depending on your views.

 

When Ocarina of Time came out all those years ago, it was one of the best games ever made. And it still is. A fantastic journey made even better by smart additions that don’t at all compromise or detract from the original core experience. It’s safe to say if you loved the original, you’ll love this one. But if you’re one of the many who gave up around the Water Temple, it might be worth giving it another this time around. I’ve long held the opinion that fun doesn’t age, and Ocarina of Time 3D is definitive proof of that. While the game may no longer seem as fresh as it did when it released, by virtue of it inspiring countless games since, the game’s structure, design, puzzles, and heart (not just pieces) are as relevant today as they’ve ever been. I can only hope that Nintendo treats future remakes with the care they’ve given to Ocarina of Time 3D, as they’ve wonderfully updated a brilliant classic for the modern world.