Nintendo’s Ocarina of Time Remake Features Original Voice Actor 28 Years Later
- Nintendo’s remake of Ocarina of Time for Switch 2 uses a voice actor from the original N64 game.
- The director emphasized the importance of matching original character sounds, notably Navi’s voice.
- Kaori Mizuhashi is confirmed to reprise her role as Navi in the Japanese version.
Nintendo’s upcoming remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the Switch 2 has revealed an intriguing twist: the game features the same voice actor reprising their role from the original Nintendo 64 version, 28 years later. The remake incorporates significant changes, including full voice acting, moving away from the original’s minimalistic sound design characterized by grunts and murmurs.
Director HokWai Ng stated in the recent Ask The Developer blog that enhancing graphics necessitated fully voiced cutscenes. “We felt that if we were going to improve the graphics so dramatically, the cutscenes needed to be fully voiced to match,” Ng explained. He added, “we knew we shouldn’t mess with established perceptions of how certain characters sound based on the original,” referencing Navi’s iconic “Listen!” line.
To honor the nostalgic audio experience, Nintendo conducted blind auditions aimed at discovering actors who could authentically recreate the essence of the original game. Series director Eiji Aonuma noted that the selection criteria focused solely on finding voices that closely resembled the original cast. Remarkably, one of the chosen actors was revealed to be the original voice of the character.
While the duo did not explicitly name the character in question, speculation among fans suggests that Kaori Mizuhashi may be returning to voice Link’s fairy companion, Navi, at least in the Japanese version. Recent leaks of the game’s credits confirm Mizuhashi’s involvement nearly three decades after the original Nintendo 64 release. As expressed in a review from Eurogamer, Chris Donlan labeled the new version an “astonishing remake.”
News Courtesy of Eurogamer
