Ocarina of Time Remake Leaks Hint Nintendo’s Playing the Same Old Song, But Louder

There are new rumors going around in the Zelda community that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time might be getting a full remake. Even though the idea has been around for a while, current events related to Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment have given it more weight.

Nintendo is once again focusing on the mythical beginnings of Hyrule, and interesting links are starting to show up. These links seem to connect the events of Tears of the Kingdom and Ocarina of Time into a single timeline that is full of secret meaning.

People who play Age of Imprisonment should look into Ganondorf's rise and fall and the fighting within the Gerudo. Reports say that the plot is about how loyal his people are and how they abandon him in the end, which are themes that come up a lot in Ganondorf's later forms.

Fans of Ocarina of Time have known Kotake and Koume for a long time as the twin witches. They showed up as his servants when they were young.

Their return suggests a story link between the old Imprisoning War and the Hero of Time era, one that could help set the stage for the future remake. The part of Rauru, the master of light who was first seen in Ocarina of Time, is just as interesting. In an interview for 2023's Nintendo Dream, series producer Eiji Aonuma said that the name might not be familiar to many younger fans.

Because of what he said and the fact that a character named Rauru shows up again in Tears of the Kingdom, some people think that these two characters are related through family or heritage. If Age of Imprisonment adds to the story of how Hyrule's first king, who was a master of light, came to be, it could make Rauru's character in Ocarina of Time more complete. With this kind of story symmetry, a remake could add new information without destroying the original's basis.

The link is strengthened by the way the original Seven Sages are portrayed in the upcoming game. Long thought to be a myth, their story could give the sages in Ocarina of Time new meaning, turning everyday events into echoes of ancient times. Nintendo has always been known for its delicate retellings of stories that span generations and reward players who can see the pattern behind the myth.

A small but possibly important character, a Korok called Calamo, is at the center of another revelation. According to government accounts, Calamo travels with an unknown structure in search of a place to settle down. People are starting to think that this figure might one day turn into the Great Deku Tree because of the description.

The similarities are strong. The leaves on Calamo look a lot like the leaves on the Deku Tree in Breath of the Wild, and his connection to the strange construct, which is thought to carry the hero's spirit, indicates a connection to Link's ancestors. This would produce a poetic continuity across time if it were true, as the forest guardian would remember being friends with the reborn hero.

This link also helps explain one of Zelda's biggest mysteries: where the Kokiri came from. Some people think that the Kokiri were not really an old race, but rather an illusion that the Deku Tree made up to make young Link feel like he belonged.

If Calamo really does turn into the first Deku Tree, his memory of being with others could lead to the creation of a place designed to comfort the hero, a forest full of childish beings who are brave and innocent like him. Looking at it this way, the Kokiri are no longer just forest spirits. They are now the Deku Tree's way of showing its love for the hero's story.

This kind of multi-layered tale fits right in with how Nintendo's mythos has been built up over the years. Majora's Mask 3D was teased in A Link Between Worlds through hints in the setting, and Tears of the Kingdom was teased in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. If history repeats itself, Age of Imprisonment may do the same thing: plant story seeds that will grow into a full-on copy of Ocarina of Time.

Nintendo hasn't made a public statement yet, but the evidence keeps building up in slow, deliberate ways. You can tell the story is well-planned because important people keep showing up, old stories are told in more detail, and themes from the past and the present are linked. It's easy to see the trend, which could be a chance or a sign of things to come.

It's possible that players will soon be able to return to Hyrule, the setting that defined a generation. But this time, they will be able to see it through the lens of a world that has been bettered by decades of story development. The sounds of the Ocarina may come back to life, but this time they won't be sad. Instead, they will be of return, like a hymn that is always ready to play its next note.