| Controls | Left stick to move, right stick for the camera, ZL to target, X to jump, hold A to dash, Y to swing the sword |
|---|---|
| Menu | Plus opens the menu, Minus opens the map, and the System tab holds Save and a Basic Controls chart |
| Rupees | The wallet starts at 200 rupees |
| First lessons | The Kokiri swordsman at the training grounds teaches targeting, side jumps, backflips and the jump attack in Kokiri Forest |
| Good habits | Lock on before every fight, break pots, check Threads of Time when you are lost, save from the System tab |
Ocarina of Time Remake plays like a modern adventure: you jump with X, hold A to dash, swing the sword with Y and lock onto enemies with ZL. The right stick turns the camera freely. The Basic Controls chart on the System tab of the menu shows every button whenever you forget.
Table of Contents
The button chart
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Left stick | Move |
| Right stick | Rotate the camera; press it to reset the camera |
| ZL (hold) | Target; with a shield equipped it also raises the shield |
| A | Action: talk, open, pick up, read; hold it to dash |
| B | Put away; Let Go while climbing |
| X | Jump; also Jump while climbing and Dash while swimming |
| Y | Attack with the sword |
| ZR | Use the item shown in the top-right slot (Slingshot and the like) |
| Plus | Open the menu |
| Minus | Open the map |
Moving and targeting
Move and Change View
The first prompt you see once Saria greets you reads Move for the left stick and Change View for the right stick. Turn the camera with the right stick whenever a wall, tree or enemy hides what you need, and press the stick in to reset the view. Look around before you jump or open a door.
Target
Hold ZL to lock on to whatever Navi flies toward: an enemy, a person, a sign, a switch. The card in Kokiri Forest describes it as performing actions while targeting whatever Navi flies to. While you hold the button, the camera keeps the target in view and your sword swings face it. Release ZL to look around freely again. Lock on before you fight anything, and again before you talk to someone who walks around.
Keep ZL held and tilt the left stick sideways to circle the target. This Target Move is how you fight: you stay facing the enemy and slide around its attacks.
Side Jump
Hold ZL, tilt the left stick left or right and press X to hop sideways. The swordsman’s lesson calls it a way to dodge monster attacks by jumping left and right. A side jump keeps you locked on, so you can leap away from a swing and answer with your own.
Backflip
Hold ZL, tilt the left stick backward and press X for a backflip. It is the other dodge from the lesson and puts distance between you and a slow, heavy attacker. Aim it at the practice scarecrow, and hold ZL first, because a try without a target gets a good-try reply.
Jumping and climbing
Jump
Press X to jump. Jumping is manual, so Link no longer hops off an edge by himself: run to the ledge, press X and steer in the air. Use it to cross short gaps, hop between platforms and reach ledges that sit slightly out of reach. A Jump prompt with an X beside it appears at places where a jump is expected.
Jump Attack
Hold ZL, press X to jump and press Y while you are in the air for a jump attack, which hits much harder than a normal slash. The Jump Attack card shows the three buttons as ZL, X and Y. It is a good opener against a tough enemy. The swordsman only teaches it once you have found the Kokiri Sword in the hidden chest.
Climb
Walk into a ladder or a wall of vines to climb. While you hang on, the prompts read Let Go on B and Jump on X. Push the stick to move and press B to drop. Vines and ladders show up in the Great Deku Tree and many later dungeons.
Dashing, swimming and diving
Dash
Hold A while moving and Link rolls and then runs flat out. The chart on the System tab lists it as Dash (Hold) under the Actions button. Dash whenever you cross open ground such as Hyrule Field, and let go of A when you want its normal action again.
Swim and dive
In deep water the prompts read Dash on X and Dive (Hold) on A. Press X to swim faster. Hold A to go under the surface and collect what lies below, such as rupees and Gold Skulltula tokens. Learn to dive early, because trips through the Zora Domain and several Heart Pieces rely on it.
The shield
Raise Shield
Buy the Deku Shield in the Kokiri Shop for 40 rupees and a Raise Shield card follows: hold ZL to block enemy attacks. Because ZL both targets and raises the shield, you are guarded as soon as you lock on. Keep it up against thrown nuts and slow sword swings, and lower it only to attack.
Menu, map and saving
Menu tabs
Press Plus to open the menu. The first tabs along the top read Collection, Equipment, Items and System, with Key Items, Threads of Time and Map joining them as you progress, and L and R switch between them. Collection counts the Gold Skulltula tokens and other keepsakes, and the rupee counter shows your money out of your wallet size, which starts at 200.
Map
Open the chest that holds a dungeon map and a Map card tells you to press Minus to check the layout of your current location. The map shows where you stand and lets you change floors. Outside, a minimap in the corner follows you through larger areas, including Hyrule Castle Town. The world map also shows how many Heart Pieces and Gold Skulltulas are still uncollected.
Save
Open the menu, switch to System and choose Save. The same tab holds Load, Options, Special Actions and Title Screen. The game also saves on its own at many points and shows a Saving message in the corner, but save by hand before a boss and before you turn the game off. After a reload you may start at a dungeon entrance, in your house in Kokiri Forest or in the Temple of Time.
The Ocarina
Play a song
Take out the Ocarina and the songbook opens. Choose Play a note and press L, R, Y, X and A to match the staff, or hum the tune into the Switch 2 microphone and the game turns it into notes. Every song page shows its notes, and the Ocarina songs page lists them all.
Tips for your first hours
Check Threads of Time
Threads of Time is the quest log that opens after the Great Deku Tree. It tells you the next objective of each story chapter and side quest, so open it whenever you do not know where to go. The Threads of Time page lists the whole chain.
Listen to Fairy’s Thoughts
When Navi says a fairy’s thoughts are lingering nearby, stand beside the spot and accept. The thought is a hint, and some of them solve a puzzle or point to a Heart Piece. The Fairy’s Thoughts page lists every one.
Break pots and open every chest
Pots, grass and rocks hold hearts and rupees, and chests hold items, equipment and rupees. Smash and open as you go, since the first shield and the wallet upgrades cost or hold rupees. Enemies drop one item each, and dropped rupees do not vanish.
Day and night
Time passes everywhere, including towns and dungeons. By day Hyrule Field is quiet, shops are open and more people are out. At night Stalchildren rise from the ground without end and fewer people are about, though some characters only appear after dark. Sleeping in a bed changes the time and restores your hearts, and the Sun’s Song swaps day and night once you learn it.
Child and adult Link
You play both as a child and as an adult. Return the Master Sword in the Temple of Time to be a child again, and draw it to become an adult. Each age has its own tools and paths, so many Heart Pieces and Gold Skulltulas wait for the other age. The Temple of Time chapter shows the first switch.
