Zelda: Winds Of Time Is The Wind Waker Prequel We Always Dreamed Of

Published Oct 8, 2026, 11:30 PM EDT

Known as 'Cyberpunk 2077's' biggest fan, Angharad is a Welsh games writer who thrives in anything related to digital storytelling. If a video game explores the intricacies and horrors of womanhood, she is there.

Thanks to previous work at GAMINGbible, GameByte, The Loadout, Game Luster, Angharad has built a strong understanding of both the digital world and what fans want from it and is eager to share her thoughts and expertise with readers.

Sign in to your ScreenRant account

In recent years, rumors surrounding a potential The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake have been in full swing, which makes sense considering that the hit Nintendo title was first released way back in 1998, and it is yet to make its way to the Nintendo Switch, never mind the Nintendo Switch 2. As such, fans have had their eyes on Nintendo's plans for the future of the franchise, and alongside rumors of the next 2D Zelda entry, it seems as though an Ocarina of Time remake may also be on the cards.

However, whilst we wait for Nintendo to make the long-awaited announcement, it seems as though one fan already has things covered in an ongoing project to recreate The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time using the art style from The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker.

Zelda: The Wind Waker Is A Timeless Classic

In a video created by YouTuber BigSharkZ, we can see the ongoing project titled The Legend of Zelda: Winds of Time which, as you can probably expect from its name, aims to combine The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. Showcasing the hit story of Ocarina of Time with the art style most associated with Wind Waker, Winds of Time has been a labor of love for modder BigSharkZ who posted this progress video to their channel last year. In the video, we can see how the project is coming along, as well as get a glimpse of some of the features that have been added and some of the most iconic Ocarina of Time locations in action.

As an unofficial project, there is no denying how much work has gone into this game, which has been built from the ground up, and finally giving us an Ocarina of Time remake that we have pleaded for the past decade and more. Or, at least, a very different one to the official realistic remake we're getting.

What makes this all the more impressive is that the project originally started off life as an April Fool's joke. However, BigSharkZ has had to take a bit more of a backseat in recent years due to personal life getting in the way, but we can still see how far the project has come along in the meantime.

Toon Link Deserves To Make A Comeback

YouTube: 16-bit Dreams/Nintendo

If nothing else, The Legend of Zelda: Winds of Time project just proves that fans deserve to see more of Toon Link in future Zelda entries. Since the 'Wilds' saga kicked off with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and concluding with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, fans now agree that they want the Zelda franchise to go back to its roots, including the return of a cartoon-style, cel-shaded Link like the one seen in this modded project. Who knows? Maybe projects such as this will inspire Nintendo to give fans what they want, or it could just cause them to hand out one of their beloved DMCA notices.