In February 2021, I wrote an op-ed titled “Breath of the Wild ruined traditional Zelda for me.” Back then, I mused that Breath of the Wild being my first-ever Zelda game had made going back to the older titles in the beloved Nintendo franchise difficult. Flash-forward to now, and I’m roughly halfway through the new Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake on Nintendo Switch 2, and I’m loving it.
I’ll cut my past self a little slack. February 2021 was more than five years ago, and a person’s tastes can change a lot in that amount of time. Heck, in those days, I also thought Souls games weren’t for me. Now in 2026, I’ve beaten every modern title FromSoftware has released (bar Dark Souls 2; it’s in my overflowing backlog) and am basically obsessed with the Soulslike genre.
Nevertheless, I definitely wrote off classic Zelda games too hastily. Turns out all it took was pretty much the most acclaimed video game of all time getting a stunning remake for me to see just how foolish I had been. Consider this follow-up article my formal apology to Link.
Turns out proper Zelda dungeons are delightful
Ocarina of Time starts a little slow. Lots of text boxes and simple tutorials. But once the adventure really begins, and Young Link is tasked with finding three Spiritual Stones (the first is obtained during the prologue chapter), I started to discover exactly why longtime fans bemoan Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom’s lack of “proper” Zelda dungeons.
But it was only once I had obtained all three stones and transformed into grown-up Link that I really understood what makes these dungeons so special, and why fans still beg for the series to bring them back. Nintendo’s penchant for creative and satisfying puzzles is on full display in the Forest, Fire and Water Temple, and I’m very excited to head to the remaining dungeons and discover what’s hiding within their twisting corridors.
The Fire Temple is a great example of phenomenal design, as the underground lava-laden cavern loops back on itself in surprising and creative ways. The infamous Water Temple might actually be my frontrunner favorite, probably because the remake has stripped away the friction of the original.
Best of all is the way each dungeon gives you a new tool to play with, which is then vital to unlocking the dungeon’s many secrets; it is a consistently brilliant way of asking players to make use of their entire arsenal of tools.
My favorite aspect of Breath of the Wild (and sequel Tears of the Kingdom) has always been the puzzle shrines. While it’s not an original opinion, the dungeons in Ocarina of Time feel like a couple dozen BOTW puzzle shrines stitched together in an environmentally cohesive manner.
Delving into a dungeon feels appropriately epic, and each one (or at least, each one I’ve experienced so far) begs to be fully explored with treasure chests and secrets for those willing to look in every corner. They’re just a blast, and yes, I can finally admit, they flow better than Breath of the Wild’s pretty repetitive Divine Beast dungeons.
Mixing new and old could make for the perfect Zelda game
While I’ve at long last come around to the strengths of the traditional Zelda formula, that doesn’t mean I’ve suddenly lost my intense love for Breath of the Wild and its own acclaimed formula. Sorry, Ocarina stans, but Link’s 2017 adventure remains my favorite game in the series (of the ones I’ve played).
If there is one element where Ocarina of Time can’t compete with Breath of the Wild, it’s in the latter's ability to let you solve puzzles in a multitude of ways. In Ocarina of Time, the tools at Link’s disposal are more rudimentary (understandable, it’s ultimately a remake of a game from 1998), typically giving players a singular way to progress. In Breath of the Wild (and especially Tears of the Kingdom), you can “break” puzzles in ingenious ways.
While playing modern Zelda, I’ve found myself looking up online guides, not even because I need help with a puzzle, but merely to see the different ways other players solved the various roadblocks in Link’s path. In Ocarina of Time, players will reach the exit in pretty much the same way.
But that's not necessarily to say there's no appeal to Ocarina of Time's more linear progression. As mentioned, the way tools like the hookshot are slowly dished out, giving you incentive to return to previous areas with a larger arsenal, is something that Breath of the Wild lacks. In that case, you get pretty much all your traversal and puzzle-solving abilities in the first area.
I think both classic and modern Zelda have huge strengths, and opting for one over the other in any future Zelda games would be disappointing. I hope the development team at Nintendo mashes the two design philosophies together. Imagine a Zelda game with an exploration-focused open Hyrule but also containing lengthy, tightly crafted dungeons? Best of both worlds.
Tears of the Kingdom was a step in this direction, but its dungeons still don’t compare to those in Ocarina of Time. So, I don’t know if what would now be my “dream” Zelda game will ever exist, and it’ll probably be a good few years now before Nintendo is ready to talk about the next mainline 3D game in the series. But I really hope Link’s next flagship adventure takes the best part of both traditional and modern Zelda games and satisfies fans of both camps.
A great example of blending the new and old is FromSoftware's Elden Ring, which offers a refreshing sense of freedom in its expansive overworld but also contains several "Legacy Dungeons." These are designed more like the smaller-scale areas found in the Dark Souls series. I hope that the Zelda team takes a similar approach when crafting whatever is next for the franchise.
In the meantime, I should probably circle back and give other classic Zelda games a chance, or maybe I’ll just keep my fingers crossed that the rumored Majora’s Mask remake materializes. I hear some fans consider it even better.
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