Somewhere among all its gods and ghosts, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time draws its true power from its human center: a familiar story about growing up and returning home after a long absence.

As the time-afflicted Link comes to learn in the seminal Nintendo 64 classic, a lot can change in seven years. Shifting political struggles leave a neighborhood in total disrepair. That one local eccentric he came to love is nowhere to be seen. There’s a Starbucks — or an archery range, I mean — in town now. Seriously? But underneath the jarring changes that taunt your memory, you know that the place that you love is still there. You can feel its heart beat when you plant yourself in the shade of that tall tree you played around as a kid.

It’s what makes the concept of an Ocarina of Time remake so challenging, but impossible to resist. How fitting — fated even, written in stars and ancient code — to bring generations of adventurers back to the sprawling field where they first learned to run. Like your hometown, a game as foundational as this is perhaps meant to be revisited throughout a lifetime rather than locked away in your long-term memory.

Nintendo doesn’t squander the opportunity for a meaningful homecoming in its lovingly crafted Switch 2 remake. The timeless classic is still a joy to reappraise in its dazzling new form, even if some of its modern developments might send protective fans marching to town hall.

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