The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake Creators Explain Why It Looks Nothing Like Breath of the Wild

Series producer Eiji Aonuma has explained why the remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has a different art style from Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.

In an interview, Aonuma said The Legend of Zelda series has changed visual direction many times over the decades. For the Ocarina of Time remake, the team looked for a style that would best suit the game.

According to Aonuma, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom share a story and therefore use a similar aesthetic. Ocarina of Time has no such story connection to them, which allowed the team to choose a completely different art style. He also said an unexpected visual approach helps surprise players.

I think one of the interesting things about Zelda is that the graphical style often changes significantly from one game to the next. For us, the main thing is to find the most suitable approach: to understand what works well with the game and meets our goals. Of course, we don’t change the style just for the sake of change. If games are connected, they may share certain features.

Aonuma said the team itself went from being surprised by the new look to getting used to it. The developers hope players will have the same experience: first being surprised by the familiar characters and locations, then appreciating how well the chosen style suits the game.

It all comes down to finding the most suitable solution, and sometimes that can be a long process.

The remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is out now on Nintendo Switch 2.

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