The OOT developers wanted to preserve an idea that while all of Hyrule is connected, each area is its own world.
With The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake coming out on Nintendo Switch 2 this week, Nintendo has been sharing insights as to the design decisions that went into the game, and that includes updating the map. In a recent Ask the Developers, the Ocarina of Time remake devs revealed that while they wanted to update the map, they also wanted to preserve the feeling of visiting different “worlds” as players played through the game, similar to the original.
To that end, Nintendo Entertainment Planning and Development Department’s HokWai Ng spoke on how they gathered the original N64 artists to assemble a new map with a familiar feel:
Nintendo’s new version of the Ocarina of Time map was designed with help from the original N64 map’s artists.
Source: Nintendo
Kokiri Forest lies near the Great Deku Tree, and beyond the forest, Hyrule Field opens up before you. We didn’t want to change the feel of each location or the way the locations connected with one another, both of which are so characteristic of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. So this time, as in the original game, we chose not to make the entire world seamless, instead using separate maps for different areas. We wanted each new area to bring the same sense of excitement that players experienced in the original. We hoped that moving from one map to another would provide a natural point of transition, giving players a chance to reflect on their adventure so far while building anticipation for the next part of their adventure awaiting them in the next area. We also wanted to capture the excitement of thinking, “I’m going to explore this world”. So we asked the artist who had created the illustrations for the Nintendo 64 version to draw a new map for this game.
It’s fitting that Ocarina of Time’s original artists would come in to lend aid on this matter, as Producer Eiji Aonuma previously revealed that this remake was a good opportunity to teach young Zelda developers. With the game coming this week, stay tuned to the Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake topic for more updates.
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TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on BlueSky @JohnnyChugs.
