Metacritic reveals Zelda: Ocarina of Time review embargo, as release date approaches

Considering its furious pre-order sales, Nintendo may not need rave Ocarina of Time remake reviews. Regardless, Metacritic has teased when scores for the modernized Zelda adventure will go live. As is typical with first-party Switch 2 games, the embargo should expire shortly before the November 5th release date.

While not naming an exact day or time, the aggregator told fans to watch for activity midweek. If history repeats, that could point to the embargo ending on Wednesday, November 4th. Evaluations for Tears of the Kingdom, Breath of the Wild, and Echoes of Wisdom all surfaced a day ahead of launch.

Chasing the champion

Replies to the social media post predicted the average Metacritic score for Ocarina of Time reviews. The consensus is the new Switch 2 game may struggle to match the N64 classic. Boasting a mark of 99, it holds the honor of the highest-rated entry on the website.

Generally, while often critically acclaimed, Nintendo remakes and remasters notch lower averages than the originals. The 2011 3DS version of Ocarina earned a 94, 5 points below its predecessor. In 2019, Link's Awakening on the Switch registered an 87, compared to the Game Boy title's 90. Then, in 2021, Skyward Sword fell noticeably from 93 to 81.

Reasons for optimism

The Metacritic trend applies to non-Zelda games, with Star Fox experiencing a 7-point drop as the most recent example. That said, Ocarina of Time previews haven’t identified any major issues. Testers claim the enhanced visuals give Hyrule a fresh look, benefiting from dramatically better detail and lighting. Controls have also been revamped, highlighted by manual jumping.

On the other hand, once the review embargo passes, sites like Digital Foundry will likely dissect the graphics. With trailers rendering at a native 1080p at 60fps, there is no evidence of DLSS upscaling. The Nvidia technology could further improve image quality and minimize shimmering.

The Switch 2 game has a high standard to live up to. Even so, that hasn’t diminished the enthusiasm for the Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake release date. Perhaps second only to GTA 6, many followers consider it the most anticipated arrival of 2026.