Even though there are many fan remakes of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time that have cropped up over the years, one in particular stands out from the rest. Giuseppe Macula, or more commonly known as CryZENx on Youtube, has been making his own version with Unreal Engine 4 for more than a decade. Often making news headlines, there were constant new high definition demos of the fan-made project that players could download and explore Hyrule. However, after Nintendo announced the official Ocarina of Time remake in June, CryZENx ultimately decided that he would not continue production of his project. No cease-and-desist notices were sent from Nintendo. Macula made the decision on his own accord, and he did not make it lightly. He broke the news in a set of recent posts he shared on his Patreon. Macula stated he didn’t want to take the spotlight away from the official Zelda release. On June 9th, Macula wrote,
“Finally, after 20 years, we got a real remake with a high budget. Thank you all so much for supporting my content over the last 10 years. I think I have made history with my remake and I don’t really want to get in Nintendo’s way. Now the question will be what’s going to be next?”
Macula also listed potential future projects he might tackle next, including Metroid Prime Hunters, Donkey Kong 64, Diddy Kong Racing and Sonic Adventure 2. Any of these ideas could take its place, and he elaborated that the best move now would probably be to move forward with one of these titles as the next project. Three days later, it was confirmed that Macula’s Ocarina of Time fan remake project was cancelled and a poll was created so that his audience could decide what’s next for his YouTube channel. He added Twilight Princess, The Minish Cap, MDK 1/2 and Turok 1, 2 and 3 in addition to the other titles mentioned before. He even suggested that he could “work on many projects and switch them” rather than work on a single game, stating “I don’t want to focus on one project only,” and that he wants to hear what his audience thinks.
Nintendo’s official Ocarina of Time remake is slated for release later this year and from what little footage was shown in the last Nintendo Direct, it seems that it is going for a similar high-definition, realistic take on Link which shares remarkable resemblance to Macula’s videos. The teaser trailer drew massive attention, and two camps quickly formed with one appreciating the realistic style while the other preferred a more cartoonish look. Other fans pointed out the irony of this new development that harkened back to The Wind Waker’s historic period of “Celda” backlash, but this time in reverse.
A few other mysterious Ocarina of Time listings have surfaced since then, but it’s not much. A $59.99 “region free” Japan listing has appeared on Play Asia’s website that seems to be working. A page is also set up on Nintendo’s website. The game’s description was reportedly changed from “The N64 classic reborn as a full remake for Nintendo Switch 2. Experience Ocarina of Time with stunning visuals, updated designs, and timeless gameplay” with, “The Nintendo 64 classic returns for a new generation in 2026, reborn exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2!” It seems like we’ll have to wait later this year to see if anything else comes up before release day.
