The first clues came from dataminer MrCheeze, who shared file names linked to Ocarina of Time’s dungeons. Among the entries were separate “MQ” versions, including one for Dodongo’s Cavern. MrCheeze also pointed to code strings such as “HasMQ,” “IsMQModeExist,” “NewGameMQ” and “ReleaseMQ.”
Those names suggest the game has been set up to recognize a Master Quest mode, but they don’t prove Nintendo plans to release it. The references could be leftovers from development, or signs of content that is still in the works.
Dataminer OatmealDome added that the files point to Master Quest being unlocked by owning DLC, rather than simply through a game update. They also reported that the data is incomplete, but indicates a mirrored version of the world and modified dungeons. One example reportedly places cows inside Jabu-Jabu’s Belly.
That would echo the 3DS version of Ocarina of Time, which included Master Quest with rearranged dungeons and a world flipped from left to right. The mode first appeared on a GameCube bonus disc in 2003.
The DLC detail doesn’t establish whether the content would be paid or free. Nintendo has not announced Master Quest for the remake, and the datamined material doesn’t reveal a release date or what the finished mode would include.
Asked about Master Quest in a recent interview, producer Eiji Aonuma said the team wants to leave future possibilities open, but that he wouldn’t announce anything specific at the time. For now, the files offer a promising clue, not confirmation that a new version of Master Quest is on the way.
