Few games require no introduction, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is one of them. Its original release on the Nintendo 64 was heralded as a masterpiece, and its subsequent remasters and re-releases have all proven that Link’s first 3D adventure can stand the test of time against modern games with more bells and whistles.
The upcoming remake of Ocarina of Time will finally bring some of those modern bells and whistles to the much-loved classic. The remake will feature not only improved visuals and music over the original, but also more dialogue, voiced cutscenes, new controls, the ability to play real instruments to play the in-game ocarina, and a new feature called “Fairy Thoughts” that will revamp how players interact with the fairy Navi.
Improvements to an Already Stellar Game
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OOT has been known as one of the best games of all time since its release, but nothing is perfect. Navi is the fairy companion who helps Link through his adventure through Hyrule in Ocarina of Time, who would guide him to puzzles and other secrets when the player would get within the vicinity. The original implementation with Navi made it so she would automatically call out to Link and immediately grab his attention if she had something to say.
The problem with Navi in the original OOT was that she was indiscriminate about when she’d grab the player’s attention. This would often lead her to start dialogue at inopportune moments, and sometimes she offered information the player already knew. Her infamous “Hey! Listen!” would also get triggered much more than necessary, as the game would incorrectly detect the player was stuck due to hardware limitations. This has been the only major player complaint about the game through the decades, and finally it’s being addressed.
Fairy Thoughts Will Change How Players Interact with Navi
Players of the original game may hear Navi’s “Hey! Listen!” in their dreams even now, but in the Ocarina of Time remake, her advice and hints will come in a new, less obtrusive system. Called Fairy Thoughts, this new mechanic will instead ask players to seek out special runes that Navi will have to read for link to help guide him to secrets.
Fairy Thoughts were highlighted briefly on the official Nintendo of Japan website. The system appears to replace how Navi gives hints to the player, which will be the first time she has seen any major mechanic changes since the original Ocarina of Time release in 1998.
Navi will still serve as the player’s lock-on feature when fighting enemies in the OOT remake, and will still be a pivotal part of the adventure. The major difference is she won’t be spamming “Hey! Listen!” endlessly, nor will she be hijacking the camera every time the player is close to anything remotely interesting. At the time of writing, not much more is known about how Fairy Thoughts work, but there won’t be a long wait now as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time releases on the Nintendo Switch 2 on November 5.
Alongside the more modern control scheme the remake is set to have, the changes to Navi will be one of the biggest quality of life changes in the Ocarina of Time remake. The gorgeous visuals and new orchestral soundtrack are certainly welcome changes for the modern era, but this shift in what is a core mechanic to the game will be a huge and welcome change for first-time players and those who played the original alike.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
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