Widely regarded as the Nintendo 64's greatest masterpiece and an essential title when discussing modern 3D action-adventure games, 'The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time' officially releases on November 5. Ahead of its launch, its Metacritic review score stands at 96, with OpenCritic also recording a score of 96.
With this review score reveal, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has become the highest-rated game on Metacritic among all games released this year. As it holds this score with over 80 reviews logged, barring an influx of unusually low review scores, it is virtually set to remain the highest-scoring game on Metacritic released this year—though still lower than the 99 achieved by the 1998 Nintendo 64 original.
The top-tier Nintendo Switch 2 visuals demonstrated in pre-launch preview gameplay, alongside various quality-of-life improvements, were highlighted as major strengths in the final reviews. Furthermore, the original's densely designed world and signature puzzle-solving continue to earn high praise even with the passage of time. However, some critics noted that relying heavily on the original's perfection left relatively little new content.
All that remains is whether GTA6, widely considered the year's most anticipated title, can overtake this score. Watching how that unfolds in what little time remains of the year promises to be a unique point of excitement. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is playable on Nintendo Switch 2 starting on the 5th.
