Nintendo is remaking The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time completely for Switch 2, launching Nov. 5 — a full from-the-ground-up remake rather than a port of the 2011 3DS remaster fans had been asking for.

Game Informer's Brian Shea, who spent over an hour playing as both Young and Adult Link, reports fully voiced cutscenes, expanded dialogue, overhauled visuals and full symphonic orchestral music that make the 28-year-old N64 game feel like an all-new experience just weeks before release.

NPR's James Perkins Mastromarino, who played 90 minutes at a New York preview, calls it the prettiest Zelda game he has ever played: tunics read as hand-stitched embroidered fabrics, fairies are furry creatures with mosaic wings, and Castle Town teems with banners, flowers and citizens.

But that maximalist detail can confuse as well as dazzle — NPR reports he skipped a chest containing a key needed to progress in the Forest Temple, and a Nintendo representative acknowledged the rich detail can overwhelm the eye.

The mechanical changes are restrained but meaningful. Nintendo adds a jump button — Link previously jumped automatically off ledges — and a sprint, which NPR notes is a boon to players who rolled constantly because it beat jogging.

Game Informer highlights the Threads of Time, a pause-menu quest log whose tapestry tells the Hero of Time's story in real time and offers hints if you get lost, plus a Breath of the Wild-style UI and a freely controlled camera.

Nintendo's new overview trailer shows the reborn game's enhanced visuals and new gameplay, and reveals that the Switch 2 microphone can hear you hum or play a real melody so Link's in-game ocarina responds.

The trailer also introduces the Hall of Fallen Heroes, where statues of defeated monsters can be studied or rematched, plus two new Ocarina of Time amiibo figures coming in 2027 that unlock special in-game masks.

The remake debuts Nov. 5, two weeks before Grand Theft Auto VI — the only major release daring to share its month.

Both outlets expect the remake to ensnare old fans and entice newcomers, though NPR cautions 90 minutes was too short to judge whether the beauty is more than skin deep.