Ocarina of Time Switch 2 Producers Detail Remake's Younger Staff
Producers Eiji Aonuma and Hidemaro Fujibayashi spoke to GameSpot about how the Nintendo Switch 2 version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was made, and Nintendo published a separate Ask the Developer interview with the team.
3 sources 5h ago
Reporting from 3 sources: ASCII.jp, Automaton, GIGAZINE.
Why it matters
Nintendo is describing the remake as an internal training ground, with veteran producers reviewing every line of NPC dialogue and accepting extra work, such as 24-hour NPC behavior patterns, to avoid discouraging younger staff.
Key Facts
- Producers Eiji Aonuma and Hidemaro Fujibayashi discussed the Nintendo Switch 2 version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time with GameSpot.
- All background music in the Nintendo Switch 2 version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time supports 5.1-channel surround sound.
- The development team added a jump button to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake after debating whether to change a game that originally had none.
- ReDeads in the remake were made less frightening after improved graphics made their appearance, sound, and movement too terrifying.
- The packaged version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Nintendo Switch 2 sells for 7,755 yen including tax, with the download version at 7,182 yen including tax.
The two said the remake was intended as a learning opportunity for younger staff and for themselves, and that the directors and staff on the project came from a younger generation at Nintendo. Before full development, Fujibayashi said the team decided what to change and what to keep. Changes included removing parts that feel stressful to play, which led to revised controls and graphics, with all background music supporting 5.1-channel surround. The team debated adding a jump button, since the original had none, and implemented it so play would be smoother. ReDeads were made less frightening after improved graphics made them too scary. Aonuma said the area structure of Hyrule Field was kept as it was.
Fujibayashi said younger staff, including developers who had never played the original, learned classic Zelda design while bringing in bold ideas. He reviewed every line of NPC dialogue himself, though the main writer and younger staff handled the dialogue separately.
The remake adds 24-hour behavior patterns for NPCs, which the original did not have. A director proposed the feature. Fujibayashi thought "this is going to be a lot of work" and said he "resigned himself" to the request. He gave his reason: "The younger staff were trying to take on a challenge with new ideas, and I did not want to dampen that motivation."
On the Hyrule Field question, Aonuma said the team kept the area structure because crossing a boundary into a completely new place feels refreshing. He described the story pacing this way: "In open-air titles, the story accumulates little by little," while Ocarina of Time has a major turning point early and a larger chunk of story at once.
Puzzle balance came from monitor tests. Veteran testers, new testers, Aonuma and Fujibayashi all played while imagining a first-time player's reactions. The team combined quantified test feedback with veteran staff intuition.
Written with AI by Yomimono from the 3 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited. See our editorial policy.
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