Ocarina of Time tested extra fast travel points, then took them out
Eiji Aonuma says the shortcuts reduced opportunities to discover things along the way.
During development of the new version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the team tried adding fast travel points. Producer Eiji Aonuma initially wanted to save players time crossing Hyrule, but found that the shortcuts changed the experience.
In a Nintendo interview, Aonuma said the extra points left fewer chances to stop and wonder about something on the journey. He asked the team to remove them to preserve those discoveries.
Aonuma also described the project as a chance for younger developers to understand the original’s structure and ideas. Fellow producer Hidemaro Fujibayashi said different controls and new hardware required early decisions about what to change and what to keep.
The interview describes testing and removing additional travel points; it does not say every original travel mechanic will stay unchanged. The new version is scheduled for Nintendo Switch 2 on November 5.
