Switch 2 Ocarina of Time remake adds new Master Sword cutscene

A familiar scene with new surprises

Nintendo Life has published an opinion piece praising a newly expanded moment in the Switch 2 remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The writer, a longtime fan of the Nintendo 64 original, says the scene in which Link pulls the Master Sword from its pedestal in the Temple of Time has been turned into a full cinematic.

According to the article, the remake adds a sequence at the gates of the Sacred Realm, additional Ganondorf content, and an image the writer describes as threatening enough to have caused nightmares had it appeared in the original. The writer warns readers who have not yet reached the scene to avoid spoilers, calling it something best experienced blind.

What the new cutscene shows

The piece describes Link turning to stone with the Master Sword in hand while Ganondorf taunts him on his way to the Triforce. The writer highlights a musical sting tied to the Ganondorf motif that plays as Link petrifies, and says the shift from the dreamlike lighting of the Sacred Realm door to a mood of dread makes the moment land harder.

In the original game, players never saw these events directly. The writer says imagination had filled in Ganondorf's menace and Link's helplessness, but never in this much detail. Nintendo Life also notes appreciation for smaller added cutscenes elsewhere in the remake, such as Kokiri watching the Great Deku Tree's leaves fall.

The ruined Hyrule that follows

The article also covers the scene after Link meets Sheik, when he steps out of the Temple of Time into a Hyrule destroyed by Ganondorf. The remake dedicates a short cutscene to this moment, panning over damaged rooftops towards Ganon's Castle in the distance.

The writer acknowledges an argument that a ruined world is more unsettling when left to the imagination, comparing it to the shark in Jaws, but says seeing the destruction realised after decades was a powerful experience. The original's use of silence in the temple courtyard and the first scream of a ReDead is still praised as unsettling in its own way.

Watching the twist land for the first time

A personal detail in the piece adds context to why the moment mattered. The writer watched the scene alongside a partner who did not know the game's mid-game twist, and describes her reaction to the time jump as unforgettable.

The writer concludes that the remake is being played slowly rather than rushed, with favourite temples, bosses and puzzles still ahead. If this is how the game treats the writer's favourite moment, the article says, more emotional reactions are likely to follow. As the piece is an opinion feature, these impressions reflect one writer's experience rather than a full review of the remake.