Playing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

Earlier this week, IGN Executive Editor Rich George and I got a chance to play through a few areas of the upcoming 3DS remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which is nearing completion. Over the next couple of days we'll be giving you all the dirt on just what we saw, how it's been improved, and what we thought of it all. But in the meantime, here are a few general impressions to whet your appetite for the more in-depth stuff to come.

Ocarina of Time is back, and better than ever.

During our demo, we got a chance to play through part of the first dungeon (inside the Deku tree, where we fought the giant spider monster, Gohma) and the beginning of the dungeon inside Jabu Jabu's belly (yes, you can still throw that whiny Ruto against the wall if you so please). We also got to run around Kokiri Forest and Castle Town.

We'll have specific details on these areas later this week, but in the meantime, suffice to say, Ocarina of Time 3D is not just a port. It's a remake that, while staying very true to the original, improves upon it in nearly every way imaginable.

I know, Link. We're in awe too.

Every facet of the game has been completely redone and upgraded to fully realize the vision of the original design. Especially for longtime fans of the series (like myself), seeing the once muddy graphics and rough edges transformed into the locales and characters I always imagined was quite impressive to witness.

These improvements come to us care of Japanese game developer Grezzo, which has been working with Nintendo on upgrading Ocarina's graphics for the 3DS. All the graphical upgrades were especially noticeable during our demo since, as we played the 3DS debug versions of the game, the Master Quest version of Ocarina of Time was being displayed in the background. This was actually quite helpful, as it allowed us to compare the two practically side by side, showing off all the subtle and not-so-subtle improvements that have been made.

We shall meet again, Ganondorf. Very, very soon.

Overall, we were pretty impressed with what we saw. And, in addition to getting some hands-on time with Ocarina 3D, we also got our greedy mitts on some tasty new screenshots and concept art for you to drool over. Another comparison piece is already in the works to compare the old with the new, so keep your eye out for that in the weeks to come.

That's right, Zelda fans-- it's time. The great gold hype has only just begun. As mentioned, this is only the tip of the iceberg-- we have a lot more Ocarina 3D coverage headed your way. So keep a close watch on our 3DS page over the next few days, and in the weeks preceding its launch on June 19, for all the up-to-the-minute info and in-depth analysis you can handle. The next coming of Ocarina is upon us-- don't be left in the dark.

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