It wouldn’t be a true Nintendo news reveal without an unexpected or offbeat announcement, and Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct delivered on this front. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is getting two big additions that will expand the gameplay experience, and they both exist outside the title itself.
One of the cooler new features involves physical ocarinas that will work with the Ocarina of Time remake.
How does the Switch 2 ocarina instrument work?
The first release is a fully-fledged ocarina that fans can play in real life. The physical ocarina connects directly to the game, where Link will perform the exact notes that fans play on the wind instrument. Series producer Eiji Aonuma showed this feature in action by playing Epona’s song, a ditty that hailed Link’s trusty steed.
Players can still input notes normally, through dedicated controller buttons. Alternatively, Nintendo revealed that fans will be able to use the Switch 2 controllers’ microphone to hum notes into the game for the same effect.
How does the Ocarina of Time remake connect to the Nintendo Switch app?
If you didn’t download the Nintendo Switch app to access Zelda Notes for Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom back in 2025, Nintendo just gave you another excuse to check it out. For the Ocarina of Time remake, the app feature will have 11 different options to peruse — but Nintendo only explained a handful of them.
Today’s Record will highlight the player’s accomplishments in chronological order, complete with screenshots of when the action was completed. Think of it like Nintendo’s version of achievements, except specific to Zelda. The feature is also informational, and will tell players the following:
- How long they played that day
- How many enemies were killed
- How long players visited specific areas of the game
- How many items were used
- How many times they died
- How many hearts were lost
- How many rupees were earned
- How far they traveled
- How much grass was cut
Nintendo didn’t scroll all the way to the bottom, so it seems that this is not the entirety of what the game can track!
What are Gossip Quests?
In this segment of the app, Zelda Notes offers a wide variety of photographs with locations the player must find. When the area is located, the player will earn points that can be exchanged for ocarina scores they can play in-game. Some of the prompts shown were for highly visible locations, while others belonged to more esoteric areas, like specific rock formations. It’s a good way to reward exploration, and for players to appreciate all the tiny details Nintendo included in the remake. The level of challenge is also variable. Players can tap a button to receive a hint on where to find the area in question.
What is the Play Ocarina section?
It’s a digital version of the azure instrument that players can fiddle around with. The feature does give players guided playback either for the entirety of the song, or the start of a score. Here, players can learn exactly what notes to play and for how long in order to achieve a specific sound.
The more exciting aspect of the feature is that players will be able to record their own songs and share them with others via QR codes. Get ready to be rickrolled via Zelda!
What is Ocarina of Time Quiz?
Here, the app will present players with questions that must be answered within 10 seconds. Each question has four possible answers, as well as an attached picture. Two examples shown were “Who does this house belong to?” and “Which plant family do Bomb Flowers belong to?”
There are 2,000 questions overall, and players can tackle the quiz once per day. Fans can also spend 20 Rupees to give the quiz another go. The more consecutive answers you get right, the higher your “Egg Level” and “Cucco Level” become.
Options shown but not explained during the Direct session included Map, Hall of Fallen Foes, Global Play Data, Photo Studio, Threads of Time, and amiibo. Some of these features are self-explanatory, but the rest we’ll have to wait until Nintendo decides to share more.
How much does the ocarina cost?
Nintendo didn’t say when the ocarina will be released, or how much it’ll cost. All we know is that it’ll be sold via the Nintendo Store.
