New Ocarina of Time Pre-Order Bonus Includes Replacement Cover Art
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time's highly anticipated remake is coming to the Switch 2 in less than two months, but a special pre-order bonus is bringing back the game's classic cover art from the Nintendo 64. Major…
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time's highly anticipated remake is coming to the Switch 2 in less than two months, but a special pre-order bonus is bringing back the game's classic cover art from the Nintendo 64. Major changes in the remake are few and far between, but its significant visual overhaul extends to the game's box art, with a shot of child Link in Kokiri Forest replacing the original, iconic golden field.
Golden game boxes with each title's logo superimposed were a Zelda tradition dating back to the first game, and while the motif survived Majora's Mask's departure to return for The Wind Waker, the series gradually phased them out. Because of Ocarina of Time's illustrious reputation, its rendition of the golden box art keeps a surprising amount of cultural cachet—so much so that EB Games is offering a slip cover mimic for pre-ordering the remake.
Ocarina of Time Pre-Order Bonus Brings Back Classic N64 Box Art
This specific pre-order bonus is exclusive to EB Games in Canada, and is in addition to the general pre-order bonus for physical copies, for which Nintendo has issued a special textured foil. "While supplies last," Ocarina of Time remake purchases from EB Games Canada will get a slip cover that goes over the Switch 2 cartridge box and bears the original Nintendo 64 cover art the game bore in 1998.
Ocarina of Time's iconic gold box is actually regionally specific. Pictured above is the North American box art for Ocarina of Time; Japan's N64 boxes had portrait orientation, and Nintendo's home market received black-and-white artwork of Link riding Epona. Zelda's gold motif has always excluded Japan, where the official drawings of Link tended to be featured since the very beginning.
EB Games' slip cover appears to be a rather thorough copy, containing the full artwork and the Nintendo 64 sidebar. It has the N64 exclusive logo, the Rumble Pak and controller symbols, and the ESRB's old E for Everyone icon.
Ocarina of Time's Classic Cover Art is Odd Today
Ocarina of Time's original North American cover art is timeless, but an oddity looking back. It was the last Zelda game to use a completely blank golden field under the logo—Link and the King of Red Lions can be seen sailing on The Wind Waker's golden NA box art. A single flat color and a wordmark are now unheard of, not just in gaming.
It's likely due to homogenization in the gaming industry. The Japanese and Western markets used to be more isolated. While the Ocarina of Time's updated logo for the remake adopts a golden font, it's interesting to see that the new cover art doesn't have any gold detailing, considering how famous the original box is. It's unfortunate that the return of Ocarina of Time's golden N64 box art appears to be Canada-exclusive, but it's a fun bonus for those who can get it nonetheless.