Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake is finally coming to Switch 2 consoles on November 5, 2026, but fans are already making waves of memes based on Link’s new realistic look.
The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct on September 8 gave Zelda fans an early look at the highly anticipated OoT remake, showcasing everything from modernised combat to highly detailed environments.
We even got to see legendary Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma show off the new physical ocarina that works with the remake and the new Zelda-themed Switch 2 (it’s pretty cool). However, by far the most eye-catching reveal from the 30-minute presentation was Link’s new hyper-realistic makeover.
Ocarina of Time remake gets hit with waves of DLSS 5 memes
Ocarina of Time remake’s green-clad hero is now the most realistic interpretation we have ever seen of the heroic Hylian, well, barring Twilight Princess’ moodier, edgier cousin.
Nintendo has freed him from the blocky N64 graphics of his 1998 past and given him a graphical glow-up. Link now has textured hair fibres, realistic-looking skin, and a pair of sparkling baby blue eyes.
NintendoEven his outfit has gone under the knife and is the most incredibly detailed drip we’ve ever seen in a Zelda game. You can even see the individual grass fibres that have been woven together to create his iconic tunic.
While the remake has received a lot of positive reactions from the Zelda community, with many praising the new and expanded areas and QoF improvements (you no longer need to roll everywhere), there have been a lot of DLSS 5 and Unreal Engine memes.
One compared the trailer to the Morshu RTX On video, a popular clip that imagines how the shopkeeper from the 1993 Philips CD-i game Link: The Faces of Evil would look with a photorealistic makeover.
Meanwhile, another likened it to the old Ocarina of Time fan project that famously used a highly detailed design for the game’s characters and locations.
There’s even a Resident Evil 4 remake clip that shows Leon Kennedy dressed as Link fighting off Freddy Fazbear, in amongst Link’s sword-slashing ‘hyaaaaaps’, Z-targeting sound effect, and Navi’s constant ‘watch out’ voice lines.
Fans also likened Young Link’s new look to Malo, the creepy-looking baby from Twilight Princess (I still get nightmares). You get it, the community has been having a bit of a Hyrule Field day when it comes to creating reaction memes.
Despite this, the Ocarina of Time remake has the community excited for the November 5 release. “It’s everything I thought the game was in 1998. That’s what my brain saw. I’m stunned and so excited,” wrote one fan.
“Everything looks fantastic, but I do have to say that Young Link has a bit of uncanny valley in the eyes and cheeks. However, Adult Link looks AWESOME!!! Since we will spend the majority of time with Adult Link, it will be fine. The detailing is so perfect,” added another.
While Ocarina of Time may be the latest game to be hit with AI memes, one gamer famously used Nvidia DLSS 5 to make characters photorealistic, and it’s pure nightmare fuel! A Roblox developer also used the hyper-realistic filter to give avatars disturbingly human faces.
I’m Abhishek Sharma, an author at TigerJek.com. I enjoy exploring games, testing different strategies, and turning what I learn into clear, useful guides. My goal is to help players understand the game better and improve without the usual confusion.
