Nintendo has finally given us a substantial look at the incoming The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake, revealing a number of big changes. There are a few that truly stand-out, like having a jump button and a quest log, and added voice-acting for various characters.
As you no doubt recall from the original, the only lines you hear through the game are Navi’s incessant requests for your attention, and Link’s shouts and grunts while delving through the various dungeons across Hyrule. Not any more, because the rest of the characters now have fully-voiced dialogue.
That includes Zelda, Saria, Princess Ruto of the Zora, Darunia of the Gorons, and yes, even Ganondorf himself, who is just as menacing in that encounter when he’s on horseback. We get lines from each in the latest trailer, and it definitely gives an anachronistic shock at first.
The voices themselves are more than adequate, but after 30 years, it’s weird seeing anything related to Ocarina of Time with full dialog. Ganondorf is particularly tricky for my brain to register, possibly because I always thought he was scarier due to his silence. On the flipside, Zelda and Saria’s voices are particularly spot on to how they always seemed in my head, and of course, Link remains completely silent.
The voice cast has yet to be revealed, which is classic Nintendo behavior. We’ll probably have to wait until November to find out exactly who’s behind these performances, but whomever they are, this must’ve been one of their more nerve-racking assignments.
Imagine being the first person to voice a character in a game that’s been totally loved for three decades? Incredible pressure. But I can say they done decent job, at least from what we’ve seen thus far.