- Primary Subject: Ocarina of Time Remake Musicality
- Key Update: Players can freely play songs on the ocarina, leading to creative renditions of popular music.
- Status: Live
- Last Verified: 2026-11-07
- Quick Answer: The Ocarina of Time remake allows players to creatively play a wide variety of songs using the in-game ocarina mechanic.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake is an absolute blast, and part of the joy for many players, both new and returning, is coming up with tunes while playing the titular instrument.
Finding ways to use in-game musical instruments to create recognizable music tracks is not a novel concept. A big example I can give you of fans doing this in recent years is Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, which featured a minigame in which Cloud had to play different iconic tracks within the series by following a sheet of music. The piano itself had a ton of depth and would let players come up with incredibly nuanced melodies.
In any case, while the Ocarina of Time remake doesn’t feature that level of musical fidelity, it does a ton of fun stuff with the ocarina mechanic. If you’re somehow uninitiated, here’s the gist: Link will acquire several ocarinas that he can then use to play specific songs that have different uses. There are your classics like "Zelda’s Lullaby," which serves to recognize Link as someone connected to the royal family, or "Epona’s Song," which will summon Link’s trusty horse.
Beyond following the music sheets, you have the ability to free play with the ocarina. This has led to some insanely creative people showing off their skills. Did you ever imagine seeing young Link play Lynyrd Skynyrd’s "Free Bird"?
How about other Nintendo IPs’ main themes, like the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate opening track?
It’s not just about coming up with original tunes by using the button prompts. Since the game allows you to register sounds, either by humming or using an actual instrument to play the song, players have managed gorgeous ways to have Link play the ocarina.
One of my favorites is this video below by a harpist who does a perfect rendition of "Zelda’s Lullaby":
You might be wondering how it works. How can the Switch 2 register humming and turn those exact sounds into inputs for Link to perform? Well, I don’t exactly know.
I’ve done some testing with the humming feature, and to be frank, the illusion breaks once you realize you don’t actually need to hum the exact track. Rather, it seems to register sound based on general pitch shifts. As long as you hit the right relative pitches—even if the melody is incorrect or off-tempo—Link will perform the song anyway.
In any case, the entire ocarina mechanic in the OoT remake is such an unnecessary addition, but therein lies its brilliance. People are quick to criticize that remakes are soulless cash grabs with no real reason for existing. The Ocarina of Time remake is truly much more than just pretty graphics, and if anything, the last thing you’d call this level of polish and love is soulless.
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