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The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is inarguably one of the greatest games in the series, and very much deserving of its upcoming remake. Sure, there are countless versions of the game, some of which are certainly better than others, but the 2026 Nintendo Switch 2 remake should serve to unify them all, offering a definitive experience that pleases fans and allows newcomers perturbed by the old-school visuals and design of the original release to enjoy it. That is, of course, should Nintendo successfully deliver on its promises.
However, while we all scour the internet for Ocarina of Time Remake gameplay and desperately hope to have an official release date sometime soon, one of the better versions of the game has finally been freed from its shackles on the Nintendo 3DS. After years of dealing with dual screens and fiddly controls, fans of the original, of the 3DS version, and those simply looking for something to do while they await the impending release of the upcoming remake, can finally experience The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D the way it was meant to be played.
Zelda: Ocarina Of Time 3D Can Now Be Played On One Screen
While the Nintendo 3DS edition is considered the best version of Ocarina of Time, and its touch-screen implementation and dual-screen layout is fantastic, it is hard to feel as if it is the intended way to play OoT. Were you to grow up playing the Nintendo64 version of Ocarina of Time, or have any experience with the 3D mainline Zelda games, the 3DS version will likely feel a tad cumbersome. It's not the end of the world, but I've always wondered what a single-screen variant of what is currently the best-looking and running version of the game would be like.
Fortunately, one has to wonder no more, as a brand-new single-screen mod for Ocarina of Time 3D has been released. It ostensibly takes the HUD design and control scheme from the original N64 version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and merges it with the 3DS version to create what is, at least until the official remake releases later this year, the definitive edition of the game. Frankly, with this single-screen mod, the 3DS edition plays so much better than even the Ocarina of Time Remake gameplay demo, at least, in moments anyway.
This Is An Essential Zelda Remake
The single-screen mod for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (which is available for download via its official GameBanana page), really does feel like a necessary remake, perhaps even more so than the glow-up arriving in just a few months. Ocarina of Time 3D is a gorgeous title that absolutely still holds up today, but it is tied to a format that is becoming increasingly hard to purchase at a reasonable price and that, ultimately, completely transforms the base experience due to its dual-screen layout.
What the single-screen mod does is both make it more accessible (so long as you have a legally obtained ROM of the game) and reverts its HUD and entire gameplay style to be that of the N64 version. Sure, it is absolutely possible to enjoy and perhaps even prefer the Nintendo 3DS edition of the game, especially if it was the first version of Ocarina of Time that you played. However, it is hard to deny that the single-screen variant of Ocarina of Time 3D doesn't, at least, make it a more faithful remake of the original 1998 experience.
Of course, it all comes down to preference. I'm not trying to diminish the accomplishments of the 3DS version nor insinuate that one is incorrect for enjoying it more so than the N64 edition. Both are absolutely valid ways of playing the game, and I am grateful that they now both exist. For those who would like to play Ocarina of Time 3D with this new format, it is easy to do so, and for those who own a 3DS and would much rather explore Hyrule with their UI split across both screens, well, that option isn't going anywhere.
