The Ocarina of Time remake is a dream

*Ocarina of Time* is a game I have a lengthy history with, but haven't been a fan of for as long as that statement might make you suspect. I remember renting *Ocarina* for the Nintendo 64 at Blockbuster. But I could never get through the Great Deku tree because I couldn't figure out how to break the giant web. Because of this, I have a very distinct memory of loading up some other renter's endgame save, pushing through the zombified Hyrule Field, and up to the final Ganondorf fight (which I did not beat). Years later, I beat my first Zelda game on the 3Ds (*A Link Between Worlds*), and began my adventure through the series in earnest. I re-encountered *Ocarina* on the 3Ds and fell in love with it. It has remained in my top 3 games ever since, I replay it annually, and it's become a comfort game that regularly helps me push through my seasonal depression. Naturally, when Nintendo announced the remake earlier this year, I was excited. I wasn't apprehensive, or sad, or upset, because that kind of reaction is weird as hell. The original game still exists, as does the 3DS remaster. This new remake could, at worst, be an interesting experiment. Instead, Nintendo has built the definitive version of one of the greatest games of all time. Image: NintendoI'm only a bit over an hour into the game (I'm headed toward Death Mountain right now), so I don't have anything too profound to say about the game just yet – and certainly nothing that hasn't already been said by others. B*ut Ocarina of Time* clears the best metric a remake can, which is that it makes the game feel like you remember it, even when you're extremely familiar with the original. This was already true about the 3DS game, which looks way better than the original game, but it's doubly true of this new remake. Even small things, like the courtyard in front of Hyrule Castle adopting some of the hedge mage language seen on the way to the princess, helps the world feel more real than a bunch of dopey guards just wandering around. But the game doesn't shy away from the silly nonsense (like the pocket chicken) of the original either. We're still a few months out from my usual *Ocarina* replay season (it's a big January game for me), but I am still dying to sit down and push through the game's dungeons, see the changes, and appreciate the incredible visual reimaginings. If you're an *Ocarina* fan, the definitive version of what is almost certainly one of your favorite games of all time is here and it's making a great first impression. But if you're brand new to *Ocarina*, or to Zelda in general, you are in for an beautiful, snappy, and incredible treat.