’s rumored Switch 2 remake is pretty much confirmed at this point.
Nintendo confirmed the existence of the new Star Fox game on May 6th, proving that the previously leaked information was accurate. This should reassure Zelda fans that rumors about the remake are likely true, and they can start having serious conversations about it. When talking about a remake built from the ground up, the first thing people always want to know about is how it looks.
Considering its release in the late 90s on the N64, Ocarina of Time’s graphics and art style were remarkably well-done, and contribute to its enduring popularity even now, almost 30 years later. If Nintendo wants to successfully remake the game for the Switch 2 and capture the magic of the original, the Zelda team will likely need to move away from the visual style they’ve used in recent Zelda games like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
Creating a convincing 3D version of Zelda is usually a big challenge, but artist Yusuke Nakano has already shown Nintendo exactly how it should look – his work provides a perfect vision for the game.
The Original Art For Ocarina of Time Is Everything the Switch 2 Remake Should Aspire Toward
Fans of Zelda who remember the original Ocarina of Time from the late 1990s will likely recognize the artwork of Yusuke Nakano. He created many illustrations for the game that appeared in promotional materials, the game manual, and official strategy guides.
Those artworks represent just a small part of Nakano’s contributions to the game. He didn’t just create many of the game’s most famous and memorable images – he was also heavily involved in designing the characters themselves.
Link’s design, including his face, was created by Nakano, who based it on a well-known actor – many believe it was Leonardo DiCaprio. Nakano also designed the iconic Hylian Shield.
Many of Nakano’s artworks from that time show he was aiming for a three-dimensional look in his two-dimensional designs. His vision of video games then was very ambitious – almost like a fantasy. Although his art depicted impressive scenes, like Link being lifted by a 3D Morpha, recreating that level of detail in the actual game seemed impossible. That is, until recently.
If you’re curious about how this could work in practice, check out a fan-made mod for the popular Ocarina of Time PC port, “Ship of Harkinian” (you can see it in the images above).
The mod’s creator is dedicated to recreating Nakano’s artistic style within the game, specifically for the character models, and the early results are already impressive.
The mod is progressing very slowly – after nine months, it’s only about 1% finished. It’s doubtful it will be completed before Nintendo releases its own remake. However, even in its current state, it gives a good idea of what the game’s art style could look like if it were based on Nakano’s original vision for Ocarina of Time.
Nakano’s artwork for the original Ocarina of Time beautifully blended realistic darkness with the charm of anime. This allowed for both powerful, gritty action and lighthearted, fairytale-like moments, depending on the scene. This contrast – between darkness and light, good and evil, and past and future – is central to Ocarina of Time, making a faithful recreation of Nakano’s art style in full 3D a natural fit for the Switch 2 remake.
Yusuke Nakano Already Gave Nintendo the Perfect Blueprint for the Art Style of Zelda’s Future Switch 2 Games
Yoshiaki Koizumi’s artwork of Link perfectly captured the look of the 3D world of Zelda, especially considering the Nintendo 64’s limited graphical capabilities at the time. Thankfully, technology has improved dramatically since then.
Nintendo’s latest games clearly show the Switch 2 will be their most powerful console in over ten years. While the original Switch was incredibly successful, its technology wasn’t as advanced as even older PlayStation and Xbox consoles like the PS4 and Xbox Series.
The new character designs for Star Fox have sparked debate among dedicated fans, but the incredible level of detail and realism is undeniable. This impressive visual upgrade is thanks to the power of the Switch 2, and it promises exciting possibilities for the game.
The original Ocarina of Time on the N64 tried its best to bring Nakano’s ideas to life, but the technology of the time made it difficult. This new remake has the potential to be a significant shift in art style for the series, and finally deliver on the original vision that couldn’t be fully realized before.
The Switch 2 is powerful enough to achieve this goal. In fact, Nintendo has been trying to make this a reality for years – starting with a technology demonstration at Space World in 2000, and then again with the Wii U demo in 2011.
The Switch 2 has the potential to showcase all the intricate details in Nakano’s artwork like never before, but Nintendo needs to prioritize making that happen.
Rumors are circulating that Nintendo and the team behind the Zelda games are exploring a fresh visual style for the remake of Ocarina of Time. This makes sense, as it will be their first major game after the three titles with similar graphics – Skyward Sword, Breath of the Wild, and Tears of the Kingdom – all of which used a cel-shaded look for Hyrule.
It’s been 20 years since a main 3D Zelda game wasn’t designed with cel-shading – the last one was Twilight Princess. The upcoming remake of Ocarina of Time would be a great opportunity to try out a new visual style before the next Zelda game comes to the Switch 2. Hopefully, the art of Yusuke Nakano will continue to inspire the game’s look.
The more closely the new version captures the artistic style of Yusuke Nakano’s original game, the more it will resemble the way many fans always imagined a 3D Zelda game should look.
Nintendo hasn’t officially announced when the remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time will come to the Switch, but reliable sources suggest we’ll see a reveal in June and the game could be released around the 2026 holiday season.
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2026-05-09 23:24