Google 'Zelda' now and you'll be transported back in time like it's 1998
Nintendo and Google have teamed up for this quirky easter egg
Here's a fun little easter egg, courtesy of Nintendo: search for 'Zelda' or 'Ocarina of Time' using Google search today and you'll see a Master Sword pop-up in the corner – which, when clicked, transports you back to the search engine as if it was 1998.
It's all part of a tie-in for the incoming Switch 2 launch of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which goes on sale this Thursday, 5 November, and the Japanese gaming giant is really ramping up promo around this launch (including this midnight store opening with rare collectable N64-style game box).
The game is a total remake of the 1998 Nintendo 64 original, which also happens to be the same year when Google was founded. A key in-game mechanic is that your playable hero, Link, can transport between two points in time (albeit 7 years apart, not 28!).
Remember those days? The "I'm Feeling Lucky" search box. The total absence of AI overviews leeching content from publishers without any returns. No paid promotional pages floating up top. It was a different time; a purer time.
That's as far as this Google and Nintendo tie-in goes, though, as search for anything else or click into any of the results, and you'll be transported back to the here and now, 2026, with all the current results standards.
The release of Ocarina of Time is a major deal in a very big gaming month. Many eyes are on Grand Theft Auto VI, which comes to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X two weeks after this Zelda launch. It's Nintendo's statement play – and its biggest launch of the year.
Not that you need to have played the 1998 original to appreciate the Switch 2 exclusive remake. It's a totally reworked game, with new graphics, adjusted mechanics – such as camera positioning, ability to run and jump, and more – that will please newcomers and old timers alike.
It's the latest in a series of Switch 2 game adaptations, with Nintendo mining its storied past for top titles and adapting them for the modern day. Star Fox was one such recent success, with this Zelda release following a similar format – of adding new cut-scenes and spoken dialogue – albeit in a very different art style.
The look of the game has seen some online critics baulk at Nintendo's aesthetic choices for this outing. It's nothing like the latest Tears of the Kingdom title, for example, but that also helps it stand apart as a distinct release – and, in the long term, it's likely to pay off.
