Googling "Zelda" today offers a glimpse of how search worked in 1998

You can go back to the modern version of Google’s search results at any time by clicking the sword again. Oh, you don’t want to do that? Sadly, this is a very limited experience. The Google of today is much different, and if you try to search for anything from the retro interface, you are immediately booted back to 2026 with all the AI, sponsored content, suggested searches, and social media links.

Web links are way down the page in today’s Google search results.

Credit: Google

The Ocarina of Time left its mark on a generation of gamers, and clearly, some of them went on to work at Google. The company’s intention is probably to leverage nostalgia to build hype for Nintendo’s big launch, but there’s also something a little sad about this. Google’s push into generative AI is transforming search in a way that many people don’t like. Seeing the simple, minimalist roots of Google search on display drives home how much the company’s core product has changed.

The Ocarina of Time has changed a lot, too. The remastered game has been completely re-created, with slick Switch 2 graphics, modern controls for movement and camera, numerous quality-of-life improvements, and more. The game is available for preorder now at $60 for digital and $70 for physical. It launches on November 5 for Nintendo Switch 2.