Nintendo developers significantly reduced the horror elements of the ReDead enemies in the recently released The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake for Switch 2 after determining the initial designs were “very, very scary.”
Dialing Back the Horror
While the staff initially pursued these changes to improve the gameplay experience, leadership eventually decided the enemies had become too intense for the game’s intended experience. According to Fujibayashi, the team felt that while the technical improvements were impressive, they had pushed the horror elements beyond what was appropriate for the title’s identity.
“With this remake, the graphics are a lot improved, and so the ReDead – the sound, the graphics, and the movement – ended up being very, very scary. And the staff wanted to make this in service of making a good gameplay experience. But from our perspective, taking a step back, we felt like, let’s remember the experience that we don’t want to change, and taking that into consideration, maybe we’ve gone a step too far, so let’s dial it back,” Fujibayashi said.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time sold over 5.2 million copies in the first 4 days of release. pic.twitter.com/5sPxPgBNMi
— Post by @geoffkeighley on X
The adjustments aimed to align the remake more closely with the atmosphere of the original 1998 Nintendo 64 title. In the original version, players were traumatized by the low-fidelity moans of the ReDeads, which were distorted by the console’s sound processor. While the remake’s audio changes make the enemies easier to handle, some players said that the creatures are now more mobile and capable of running toward Link, which adds a new layer of tension not present in the 1998 release.
Some users expressed disappointment that the horror was toned down, suggesting that the fear of the unknown present in the original was a key part of the experience, though others said that saving a new generation of players from sleepless nights was likely the correct decision.
IGN Praises the Switch 2 Remake for Its Design and Technical Evolution
Released on November 5, 2026, the Switch 2 remake serves as the second full remake of the title, following the 2011 Nintendo 3DS version. IGN’s Logan Plant awarded the game a 9 out of 10, praising it for “skillfully melding the world and dungeon design of classic Zeldas with the movement and presentation of its more recent games, creating both a beautiful retelling of a legend and a rich adventure that stands on its own.”
The technical evolution is evident to players, with streamers like Ika-bouzu and Luna Himemori commenting on the transparency of water, the lighting through leaves, and the fine detail in Link’s clothing.
Switch 2 version of The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time is selling better than any other version before, including the original! First week physical sales in Japan: • N64 – 386k • 3DS – 182k • Switch 2 – 537k (810k including digital) pic.twitter.com/mDJvqncsuJ
— Post by @Genki_JPN on X
Despite these visual upgrades, the map structure and dungeon progression remain faithful to the original, allowing returning players to compare their memories against the new version. For those who find the creatures still too daunting, guides for the game's Mask Shop remain a common resource for players traveling through Hyrule.