Nintendo published two short Japanese TV spots for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on October 16, about three weeks before the remake’s November 5, 2026 release. Their clearest new reveal is Dark Link, alongside brief combat footage. The clips offer a glimpse, not a full explanation of how the remake’s fights work.
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The combat spot’s standout moment: Dark Link
One 30-second spot opens with Ganondorf playing a large keyboard instrument. Coverage describes it variously as a piano and an organ, so the exact instrument is not consistently identified in the reporting. The ad then cuts to battles and glimpses of characters including Ganon, Sheik, and Dark Link.
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Dark Link appears briefly at roughly the 15-second mark, according to reports on the footage. The shadowy double is the Water Temple mini-boss in the original game; the new spot gives the first public look at him in the remake.
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24 A striking moment appears to show him vaulting onto Link’s sword, echoing the duel’s close-quarters feel.
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The footage also includes Link riding Epona and shooting an enemy with arrows. Other coverage describes the remake’s horseback combat as expanded, though the short ad does not explain the full scope of those changes.
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What the ads don’t establish
A familiar-looking move is not proof that the entire fight is unchanged. The clips and available reports don’t establish whether the remake preserves the original encounter’s mechanics, including any relationship between Dark Link’s health and Link’s heart containers. They also don’t provide enough detail to compare the full boss fight, its difficulty, or its rules with the 1998 version.
Two commercials were released, but the reporting available here gives a clearer account of the combat-focused spot than of the second one. It’s not enough to verify a detailed sequence of scenes involving Zelda, the ocarina, particular locations, and acquiring the Master Sword.
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7 The spots are Japanese TV commercials, and reporting says they appeared through Nintendo’s Japan-facing channels; that alone does not show that the videos are inaccessible elsewhere.
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The remake’s broader upgrades were announced separately
The ads shouldn’t be treated as the source for every feature associated with the remake. In its anniversary presentation, Nintendo described overhauled visuals, fully voiced cutscenes, expanded character dialogue, symphonic orchestral music, and reworked camera and movement controls. Those are broader announcements, not details demonstrated by the brief Dark Link spot.
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Nintendo first announced the remake in a June 2026 Direct, then presented its November 5 release date in the Zelda anniversary showcase.
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51 The October commercials add a small but notable piece of new footage: Dark Link is back, and the remake’s combat includes mounted action. They leave the finer details of the Water Temple duel—and of the second spot—unanswered.