The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake is still scheduled to release via Nintendo Switch 2 sometime this year. Despite this, we’ve seen virtually nothing of the remake and don’t have a release date. The release date may have recently leaked, but this was an unofficial update. Official updates, on the other hand, have been scarce, but there is one new one, albeit a small update. However, this small update does confirm a change from the original.
When the original Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake launched in 1998 via the N64, it launched with an “E” for “Everyone” rating. When the remake launches later this year, it will have an E10+ rating. This is according to the game’s official rating from the ESRB, which cites “animated blood” and “fantasy violence.” For those who do not know, ESRB stands for the Entertainment Software Rating Board, which is an independent agency that rates video games for release in the United States. Obviously, E10+ is an upgraded rating, but it is worth noting that this specific rating didn’t exist when the original game was released. To this end, when the game was remade for the first time in 2011 for the Nintendo 3DS — under the name The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D — it earned an E10+ rating. Some fans were hoping for a “T” for “Teen” rating, which would allow the game to be a little more mature and dark. This obviously is not going to happen, though.
What remains to be seen, and what will be interesting to see, is if the infamous green blood will return. For those unfamiliar with this controversy, when the original game was released on the N64, enemies had red blood. This included Ganondorf in the final battle of the game. In subsequent releases, this was censored, and red blood was replaced with green blood because it is less realistic. And this was done to keep the game’s rating lower. To this end, if the second remake has the same rating as the first remake, and the first remake did this, then it’s safe to assume the green blood is back.
With the game’s seemingly more realistic graphics, many thought maybe Nintendo would opt for a slightly more mature retelling of the game many consider the best game of all time. That said, Nintendo being hesitant to change much to the best game of all time — or at the very least one of them — is not that surprising.
What’s perhaps most interesting is the first remake also has a “suggestive themes” warning. This new remake does not, which may indicate censorship of the Great Faries and some other more risque content in the game. This is just speculation, though.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake is scheduled to release sometime later this year via the Nintendo Switch 2, and the Nintendo Switch 2 only.
