Every change from the 1998 original: the fifth bottle, bigger wallets, the jump button and sprint, the new map, Threads of Time, the Hall of Fallen Foes and more.
Updated Nov 6, 2026. Unofficial guide by Nexzy.
The Ocarina of Time remake isn't a remaster. It's rebuilt from scratch, and a lot changed along the way, from how Link moves to how much your wallet holds. Here's everything that's different from the 1998 original, grouped so you can skim. Changes tied to later dungeons stay hidden until you turn spoilers up.
The numbers that changed
What
Original
Remake
Empty Bottles
4
5 (new one in the Castle Town Potion Shop)
Starting wallet
99 Rupees
200 Rupees
Adult's Wallet
200 Rupees
500 Rupees
Giant's Wallet
500 Rupees
1,000 Rupees
Spin Attack
Costs magic
Free, but slower to charge
Heat damage
Countdown timer
4-second grace, then a quarter heart per second (healing resets it)
Castle Town drawbridge
Closes at night
Always open
Items and inventory
A fifth bottle: a new first bottle comes from a short Potion Shop quest on your first visit to Castle Town.
Faster bug catching: after your first catch, Link stops showing off every bug.
One bug at a time: dropping a bug on soft soil no longer spawns several, so you'll need to catch more elsewhere.
Business Scrub Seeds (new): plant one to call a Business Scrub anywhere and buy things like a Red Potion, 5 Deku Nuts or 5 Bombs. They turn up in dungeon chests and grottos. Business Scrubs also appear in new places, some sell more, and some want a password.
New item menu: three sections, for Young Link only, Adult Link only and both. A quick-select bar (like Tears of the Kingdom and Echoes of Wisdom) lets you swap items without pausing.
D-Pad items: the Ocarina and the Lens of Truth moved to the Equipment menu and are used from the D-Pad. The Lens is now the Lenses of Truth, goggles Link wears.
Shield: Link raises his shield automatically when he targets an enemy, unless something else is equipped. You can strafe with it up, but you have to stand still to crouch fully behind the Hylian Shield as a kid.
Fewer free Rupees: hidden Rupees like the ones in the castle moat and on the drawbridge chains are gone, and enemies drop less (the giant Stalchild drops Blue Rupees, not Red). Great Fairies now ask for a Rupee offering on your first visit, like in Breath of the Wild.
Echo Gem: replaces the Stone of Agony. Wear it and it flashes, on Link's tunic and your screen, when a Gold Skulltula is nearby. Some Gold Skulltulas moved or need different tools.
Spoiler: Forest Temple.
Maps
Region maps and the Hyrule map are clearer and track your collectibles: how many Pieces of Heart and Gold Skulltulas you've found in each area, with icons where you grabbed them. Shops, minigames and Fairy Fountains are marked too.
The world map totals depend on whether you're a kid or an adult, and they count collectibles you've seen but couldn't grab yet, so the numbers can look off.
Look, camera and sound
A full remake: new art style, new animations, far more detail.
Free camera: the right stick turns the camera everywhere, including Castle Town, which used to have fixed angles.
Aiming: motion aiming like the 3DS version, but over Link's shoulder instead of first person, and you can move while you aim.
Easier feel: the better framerate, camera and aiming make some parts easier than on the N64.
Voice acting: many cutscenes are voiced, Breath of the Wild style. Not every line is.
Music by time of day: many areas switch arrangements between day and night.
How Link moves
Jump button: no more automatic jumping off ledges. Link jumps whenever you want.
Jump attack: no longer automatic when you attack while targeting. Press jump and attack together.
Sprint: hold the roll button to run, with no stamina limit. Tap jump to climb faster and tap to dash while swimming.
Spin Attack: no magic cost at either charge level, but it takes longer to charge and doesn't always knock enemies back.
The world
Reworked areas: layouts are similar but not identical. Lon Lon Ranch now sits right in Hyrule Field instead of behind a separate loading zone. Some puzzles changed to use jumping and sprinting: the Kokiri Sword is now about timing jumps to a chest on its own platform.
Hyrule Castle courtyard: fewer rooms and guards, since there's no fixed camera to sneak around.
Fewer loading screens: houses load with their areas, Castle Town (entrance, market, alleys, shops and the Temple of Time) is one area, and Lake Hylia connects straight to Hyrule Field.
Time keeps moving: after you first meet Zelda, day and night turn everywhere, towns included. People change what they do and where they go, chat with each other, and say different things by day and night.
Drawbridge always open: no more getting stuck in Hyrule Field overnight. You can't climb its chains anymore either.
Rewritten dialogue: lines are updated across the game and many people react more to what's going on. Navi chimes in less, the Great Deku Tree speaks more plainly, and characters have more to say, especially in Castle Town.
Grottos: easier to spot. Look for small rings of stones to bomb, or odd plants that need wind (the Song of Storms).
Fairy Thoughts (new): glowing squiggles on walls. Play the right song for a full heal. A couple are linked to Pieces of Heart that moved.
Heat and water: without the right tunic, Link's clothes catch fire in hot places (4 seconds, then damage every second; healing resets it), and he starts drowning underwater.
New features
Threads of Time: a quest log in the menu that tracks every main and side quest as a woven tapestry. You can spot the tapestry itself through a window in Zelda's courtyard, where the Mario portraits used to be.
Hall of Fallen Foes: look at the enemies you've met and rematch any dungeon boss or miniboss, with your best times saved. There are boss rushes for Young Link's bosses and for Adult Link's, plus the Trial of the Hero of Time after the credits: every dungeon boss in order, starting with 6 hearts, buying items and upgrades with Rupees you earn in the fights. Each rush gives you an owl statue trophy for Link's house.