The Switch 2 remake of Ocarina of Time is built from the ground up rather than ported from the 3DS version, and Nintendo has never formally addressed the 3DS remake at all. None of its press material references it.
Why We Can Say It Is Not a 3DS Port
The feature set makes this unambiguous. Ocarina of Time 3D had no free camera, no jump button and no dash. This version has all three, as our changes guide covers.
Aonuma’s comments also point the same way: rebuilding for modern hardware while deliberately preserving original design intent, including keeping loading transitions between major areas that the Switch 2 does not technically need.
You do not make those decisions while upscaling an existing build.
What the 3DS Version Actually Changed
Worth listing, because these are the things people are asking about:
- Sheikah Stones, which gave video hint Visions showing you how to progress
- Touchscreen item and boot management, which removed a lot of menu friction
- Gyro aiming for first-person items
- Water Temple revisions, including colour-coded water level routes and much faster Iron Boots swapping
That last one is the famous one. The Water Temple’s reputation rests largely on constantly pausing to equip and unequip the Iron Boots, and the 3DS version specifically addressed it.
What Has Been Confirmed to Carry Over
Honestly, nothing, because Nintendo has not discussed any of it.
There are two loose parallels. The remake has optional motion aiming, which is the same idea as the 3DS’s gyro aiming. And Threads of Time serves a direction-giving role that is broadly comparable to Sheikah Stones, though Nintendo describes it as a quest log and story recap rather than a video hint system, so calling it a Sheikah Stone replacement is inference rather than fact.
About the Water Temple
You will find articles about a Water Temple redesign. Nothing has been shown or confirmed, and the most prominent piece on that subject is explicitly speculative fan discussion published before gameplay was even revealed.
There is a reasonable argument that the problem solves itself regardless. The remake’s real-time item swapping on ZR, described as working like Breath of the Wild, would remove the menu-pausing that made Iron Boots miserable, as a side effect of a general system change rather than a dungeon-specific fix.
That is reasoning, not reporting, and we are flagging it as such. Nobody has seen the Water Temple in this version.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Switch 2 remake based on Ocarina of Time 3D?
No. It is built from the ground up. The 3DS version had no free camera, jump button or dash, all of which this has.
Do the Sheikah Stones return?
Not confirmed either way. Threads of Time fills a broadly similar guidance role but is described differently.
Has the Water Temple been redesigned?
Nothing has been shown or confirmed. Articles claiming otherwise are speculation.
Will Iron Boots still need menu swapping?
The remake’s real-time ZR item swapping would likely remove that friction, though Nintendo has not addressed the Water Temple specifically.