Legend of zelda ocarina of time on switch

A new update to the Nintendo Expansion Pack tier for Switch Online's N64 emulation appears to have brought back the classic fog of war to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, NintendoLife reports.

As noticed by Twitter users like @OatmealDome, the newly released version 2.0.0 fixes the visual issue in Ocarina and other emulated N64 games, which were previously accused of not visually matching up with the originals.

[Nintendo Switch Online - N64]

Version 2.0.0 is now available. There appear to be a bunch of game configuration updates which I will cover in another tweet.

Notably, however: the infamous Water Temple room is completely fixed, as the fog has been restored. pic.twitter.com/LdYX7t4lHS

— OatmealDome (@OatmealDome) February 25, 2022

N64 Switch Online: they added fog back. I believe Choco Mountain in MK64 didn't have fog either? Final picture is how the Forest Temple entrance looked at launch. #Nintendo64 #NintendoSwitchOnline #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/Cnvvpw3g4Z

— Fernando 🇲🇽🌬 (@Ferchou_27) February 25, 2022

"Fog of war" has a couple meanings: In strategy games, it's used to denote the areas on a map that are shrouded in darkness until you've explored them. In more retro games, like Ocarina of Time, fog was used to obscure distant objects that couldn't be rendered thanks to weaker hardware than what we're used to in modern times. It's a small change ultimately, but as seen in the images above, it can have a marked impact on the visual style of a game. Previously, Ocarina of Time players using the Switch's N64 emulation could see the Deku Tree in all its wooden glory from about any distance, as demonstrated in this video from YouTuber ZFG.

What Ocarina of Time's Deku Tree looked like without fog prior to the 2.0.0 patch. Credit: ZFG on YouTube

This update follows a similar improvement made to visuals from last month, when Nintendo appeared to fix the reflectiveness of the water in Dark Link's boss room.

Nintendo's 2.0.0 update also appears to have fixed some currently unknown issues with Banjo-Kazooie.

Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time is a must-play title for Switch owners and Zelda fans, but Nintendo Switch Online is at fault for making it more complicated to play than necessary. When NSO was first announced, it came with features like cloud saving, voice chat via a smartphone app, and most importantly, access to classic titles from the NES and SNES. With vintage Nintendo games becoming increasingly more difficult to play without owning the original consoles they were on, subscribers hoped that Nintendo would expand upon its NES and SNES library and hopefully add N64 games. A few years later, NSO users got their wish - but at a cost.

When Nintendo launched the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, this premium tier gave subscribers paid DLC for multiple games and titles from two additional platforms: the Sega Genesis and the Nintendo 64. Games like Ocarina Of Time could be played on Switch now, but the Expansion Pack is the only way (besides emulation) for players to experience the original version of Ocarina Of Time at a higher fidelity without using the Wii U’s virtual console.

Is Ocarina Of Time On Switch Worth The Cost Of NSO?

Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack is expensive. On paper, the premium online service sounds fantastic, but it can't hide its biggest flaw. The base version of NSO is priced at a very reasonable cost of $19.99 a year. A family plan option that can be shared between eight accounts is also available at the cost of $34.99. For the Expansion Pack, the expense more than doubles for individual memberships going from $19.99 to $49.99 a year, with the family plan pricing for Nintendo Switch Online being increased to $79.99. Subscribers also need to keep in mind that any games playable via NSO and its Expansion Pack are not technically owned by them. Meaning, that once the service ends, or if a user cancels their subscription they’ll no longer have access to any of the games they were playing.

For those who don't wish to pirate Ocarina of Time, the game looks and runs great on the Nintendo Switch even with its slight input delay. It's a shame that its core issue has nothing to do with the game itself, but rather with the service that allows subscribers to access it. On Wii U, users could purchase Ocarina Of Time for much less and have it forever, while on Switch players need to pay a yearly fee to keep their game. Hopefully, sometime in the future, Nintendo will give its subscribers the option to permanently unlock the games featured in its different libraries without needing an NSO + Expansion Pack subscription.

Although an idea like this seems unlikely for Nintendo to implement, there may still be hope for Zelda fans. After the limited-time release of Super Mario 3D All-Stars, there have been rumors about the Zelda series getting a similar collection. Even if it doesn’t include The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time, having more portable Zelda games on the Switch is never a bad thing.

Next: Switch Online + Expansion Pack: More Paid DLC Could Justify Its Cost