Nintendo gives Zelda classic a modern makeover

For millions of gamers, a few notes from an ocarina are enough to bring back fond childhood memories.
Nintendo is betting that magic still works with a remake of the beloved action-adventure classic 'The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time', due out on November 5.
AFP got hands-on with the game at Nintendo's European headquarters in Frankfurt ahead of its release.
Released in 1998 on the Nintendo 64, Ocarina of Time was the fifth entry in the franchise created by Shigeru Miyamoto, the legendary designer behind Mario.
It follows green-clad hero Link as he battles Ganondorf and tries to save Princess Zelda. Its sweeping story shifts between Link's childhood and adulthood.
Poetic, melancholy and groundbreaking for its era, it is widely considered one of the best video games ever made. It received a lighter facelift for Nintendo's handheld 3DS in 2011.
'Ocarina of Time' basically wrote the rulebook for 3D Zelda games,' journalist Paul de Barbeyrac of Jeux Video Magazine told AFP.
This remake, he added, 'is a bit like opening a page of gaming history and getting to read it in the best possible conditions'.
The launch forms part of Zelda's 40th anniversary celebrations, alongside a global concert tour and a live-action film hitting cinemas next spring.
Powered by Nintendo's Switch 2 console, the remake features richer environments, upgraded textures and more detailed character models.
The art style divided fans when unveiled, with some saying it looked too polished or plastic-like. But De Barbeyrac said the improvements become clearer with play, highlighting textures and lighting that 'elevates the original material'.
Players can now freely control the camera, while Link can jump with the press of a button. Characters are fully voiced in some scenes, and the soundtrack has been newly orchestrated.
Voice recognition also allows players to hum ocarina melodies to trigger certain in-game actions.
Nintendo nevertheless appears keen to preserve the original experience. The demo, covering the opening hour and a later section, unfolded much as it did in 1998.
Nintendo is targeting fans who grew up with the game, which sold millions of copies worldwide.
Social media videos joke about parents dropping everything when they hear familiar ocarina melodies.
De Barbeyrac sees it as 'a game about passing something on', with older players sharing it with their children.
For Serkan Toto of consultancy Kantan Games, the title looks set for solid success. Younger players unfamiliar with the original 'will feel like they're playing a completely new game', he said.
'They manage to keep what made these games special while making them far more accessible. That's classic Nintendo.' — AFP