Ocarina Remake Datamine Hints at Master Quest DLC, With a Mirrored Hyrule
Cows in Jabu-Jabu's Belly. We have so many questions, and none of them are good.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake has only been out for about a week, and dataminers are already digging through its files. What they found suggests the tougher Master Quest mode could return as paid DLC, according to Video Games Chronicle.
Nintendo hasn't announced anything yet, so treat this as a leak for now. Still, the details sound remarkably specific for an ordinary rumor.
What did the Ocarina of Time datamine find?
According to VGC, a social media user called MrCheese first spotted references to "MQ" in the Switch 2 remake's files. Master Quest is the harder, remixed version of Ocarina of Time that first appeared on the GameCube in 2003 and later became an unlockable mode in the 3DS remake.
Then dataminer OatmealDome added more details. "There is data in the game files for Master Quest. It will be unlocked by owning DLC," they wrote, which points to a paid add-on for the remake. They also said the data is incomplete but confirms that "the world is mirrored and dungeons are modified (e.g. cows in Jabu-Jabu's Belly)."
What makes Master Quest different?
Master Quest keeps the same story but remixes the dungeons to make them harder. Required items get moved around, tougher enemies show up earlier, and the puzzles change in ways that will confuse anyone running on muscle memory. The 3DS version also flipped the entire world, which matches what OatmealDome says they found in the new files.
Has Nintendo said anything about Ocarina of Time DLC?
Not officially. When IGN asked Eiji Aonuma whether Nintendo had considered bringing back content like Master Quest, he said, "I don't think that we would announce anything specific at this time," as Notebookcheck reports. He didn't shut the idea down, which leaves the door wide open for an announcement later.
The remake itself has been a hit with critics, and our Ocarina of Time remake reviews roundup has the scores. Aonuma also thinks this version has the best Water Temple ever, which is a sentence we never expected to type.
My read is that Master Quest as DLC makes a lot of sense, even if some fans will grumble about paying for something the 3DS version included. A fully rebuilt Master Quest with new visuals is real work, and it would give players a great reason to come back next year. (Just please keep the Iron Boots on a single button.)
Would you pay for Master Quest DLC? Tell us in the comments.
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