Nintendo released The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Nintendo Switch 2 on November 5, 2026. The new version updates the 1998 classic with fresh visuals, new controls, and voiced dialogue in story scenes. The original game relied on text boxes and basic shouts, but the remake brings together an English Ocarina of Time cast for major characters [1]. Link stays silent. Players hear spoken lines during key story moments in Hyrule.
The Ocarina of Time Cast in Story Cutscenes
The arrival of the Ocarina of Time cast marks a big shift from the 1998 Nintendo 64 version. In that original release, every exchange appeared inside blue text boxes on screen as characters moved in silence, but the remake adds spoken voice acting during story scenes while keeping Link himself completely quiet [1]. Erica Mendez voices Princess Zelda in Ocarina of Time, and Matthew Mercer plays Ganondorf. Both actors headline the vocal credits.
Lisa Reimold voices the fairy companion Navi. Richard Epcar voices the Great Deku Tree, and Deva Marie Gregory plays the Deku Tree Sprout. Suzie Yeung plays Link’s childhood friend Saria, and Laura Post voices royal protector Impa. Frank Todaro takes on two distinct roles as sage Rauru and the wise owl Kaepora Gaebora, who offers guidance to Link as the adventure unfolds in Hyrule [2].
Allies and villains from different corners of Hyrule complete the Ocarina of Time cast. Josh Petersdorf plays Goron leader Darunia, and Anne Yatco voices Zora princess Ruto. Cristina Vee voices Gerudo warrior Nabooru, and Reba Buhr plays the twin witches Koume and Kotake as well as their combined form Twinrova. The English voice support team lists Daniel Bushey, Danny Hunt, Haley Hanna Hunt, and Rachel Seeley. In addition to the actors, Monolith Soft and some of its leadership receive Special Thanks in the credits roll, showing that outside Nintendo teams helped wrap up the Switch 2 project [3].
Roles the Ocarina of Time Cast Played Before
Actors in the Ocarina of Time cast bring deep gaming experience to their parts. Matthew Mercer is best known as the Dungeon Master on the tabletop web show Critical Role, having also voiced Lord Sylas Briarwood in the animated adaptation The Legend of Vox Machina and gunslinger Cassidy in Overwatch before returning to Hyrule [2]. Mercer previously voiced Ganondorf in 2023.
That past work in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom made Mercer a natural fit for Ganondorf. Erica Mendez brings a long resume to Zelda. Her past credits include Retsuko in Aggretsuko, Ryuko Matoi in Kill La Kill, and Kamisato Ayaka in Genshin Impact, and Lisa Reimold voices Navi after playing Aira Shiratori in Dandadan, Hinata Mukai in Gundam Build Divers Re:Rise, and Tess Pastorius in Highway Blossoms [3].
Other cast members hold recognizable roles in gaming and television. Richard Epcar previously voiced Raiden in Mortal Kombat 11 and Ansem in Kingdom Hearts 3, and Laura Post voiced Emma Frost in Marvel Rivals and Kasumi Yoshizawa in Persona 5 Royal. Josh Petersdorf voiced Roadhog in Overwatch. Anne Yatco voiced Raiden Shogun in Genshin Impact and Nobara Kugisaki in Jujutsu Kaisen, and Suzie Yeung voiced Hope in Fortnite and The Rogue in Star Wars: Zero Company. Deva Marie Gregory played Klaudia Swist in Starfield, Cristina Vee voiced Maria Gomez in Resident Evil: Death Island, and Reba Buhr played Arashi Spring in Scarlet Nexus [3].
Water Temple and Camera Adjustments
Beyond the new voice work, the Switch 2 release brings practical fixes to the infamous Water Temple to cut down on old frustrations. In the 1998 game, changing water levels and finding keys meant opening the equipment screen dozens of times just to put on or take off the heavy Iron Boots. The D-pad now equips the boots instantly [4]. Exploration stays smooth without constant menu pauses.
Nintendo also replaced solid walls with open lattice barriers so players can peek into nearby rooms and see how floors connect. Original Water Temple designer Eiji Aonuma admitted he had unfinished business with the tricky layout. These visual tweaks help navigation without giving away puzzle solutions [4].
Movement also feels fresh because Link jumps on command. The original title used automatic hops off ledges, which meant the game decided when Link crossed a gap. A manual jump button gives full control over movement, prompting designers to adjust terrain to fit the differing leap distances of Young Link and Adult Link. The right analog stick turns the camera freely instead of relying only on Z-targeting to reset angles. A quick-select menu swaps secondary tools without opening full inventory screens, and the ocarina, boots, and masks map directly to fast directional shortcuts on the D-pad [4].
Field Movement Without Endless Rolling
Exploring Hyrule on foot no longer needs pressing the roll button every few steps. In the original Nintendo 64 game, rolling forward moved Link faster than normal walking, creating a habit that Aonuma and his team noticed during development. Holding down the roll button now sends Link into a sustained dash. Developers explained that Nintendo cut fast travel from the Ocarina of Time remake to keep the fun of discovering secrets along the road. Hyrule Field feels much easier to cross as a result, letting players reach distant areas quickly before getting Epona at Lon Lon Ranch [4].
Companion characters also interrupt the adventure less often. Navi offers fewer unsolicited hints when Link wanders off the main path, and Kaepora Gaebora won’t repeat long speeches if players press the wrong button. The new Threads of Time illustrated tapestry tracks progress and offers hints without placing objective markers everywhere [4].
Music continues to guide puzzle solving in Hyrule. The remake features 12 classic songs, including Zelda’s Lullaby, the Song of Time, and the Sun’s Song, which shifts day into night without forcing players to wait [8]. In Lake Hylia, Young Link teaches the scarecrow Bonooru an 8-note custom melody. Returning as Adult Link unlocks the Scarecrow’s Song, which summons Pierre as a hookshot anchor to reach high spots like the Forest Temple Gold Skulltula [4].
Retail Shipping Delays and PC Emulation
Early reviews proved glowing. The remake earned a Top Critic Average of 96 on OpenCritic and matching scores on Metacritic [5]. Launch day brought delivery headaches for fans who ordered boxed copies through Amazon, as shipping notifications warned that deliveries would not arrive until November 11 or November 12 [6].
Amazon offered boxed games for $60 by matching digital prices. Rivals like GameStop charged $70. That $10 discount drew many pre-orders, but shipment delays prompted frustrated fans to seek copies at Target or Best Buy to get special foil cover editions. The shipping snags also revived memories of older retail friction. Former Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé previously claimed that Amazon once asked him to break the law over product distribution [6].
Meanwhile, video clips surfaced online showing the remake running on a personal computer just hours after its Switch 2 debut. A recording shared on YouTube showed the game running through an experimental emulator, hitting 60 frames per second during cutscenes as graphics card temperatures held near 40 degrees Celsius. One viewer joked, “You played the song of decompile,” as commenters marveled at how fast the code was dumped from a retail cartridge. The PC demonstration arrived shortly after Nintendo shut down 400 Switch emulator repositories on GitHub back in August, showing that the company’s anti-piracy push hasn’t stopped community tinkerers [7].
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- ONLINE NEWS Cotts, J. (2026, November 5). Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake Makes 12 Essential Fixes to the N64 Classic. GameRant. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Deschamps, M. (2026, November 5). Amazon Has Delayed Some Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake Orders. GameRant. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Gach, E. (2026, November 5). Amazon Delays Tons Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Remake Copies. Kotaku. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Koselke, A. (2026, November 5). Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake already running on PC mere hours after Switch 2 launch: “You played the song of decompile”. GamesRadar+. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Sarkar, A. (2026, November 5). All Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake songs, inputs, and how they work. Destructoid. [Article Link]
