Speedrunners have wasted absolutely no time breaking The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake, discovering glitches that let Link jump infinitely, launch himself into the sky, and skip entire sections of the game.
Nintendo’s Switch 2 remake launched on November 5, bringing a host of improvements to the 1998 classic, including a dedicated jump button that gives players more control over Link’s movement.
As we highlighted in our Ocarina of Time remake review, the new mechanics make exploring Hyrule better than ever.
However, it took speedrunners just a couple of days to discover that Nintendo’s new movement system could be exploited in ways the developers almost certainly never intended.
Zelda speedrunners discover game-breaking super jumps
As reported by Polygon and IGN, one of the biggest discoveries is a technique called “actor jumping,” which allows Link to launch himself absurdly high into the air.
The glitch involves standing on a moving object, such as a Magic Bean platform or movable gravestone, using an item like the Hookshot, and carefully timing the targeting and jump inputs.
When performed correctly, Link goes flying, allowing players to bypass obstacles and reach locations far earlier than intended.
In one demonstration, a speedrunner shows how the technique can be used to access the Shadow Temple shortly after obtaining the Hookshot, allowing players to bypass the Forest, Fire, and Water Temples on their way to the Shadow Temple.
This could allow players to obtain the Hover Boots early, making subsequent sections of the Forest, Fire, and Water Temples easier to navigate.
And that’s not even the most ridiculous discovery.
By repeatedly switching between a Deku Stick and another item midair, players can chain jump attacks to keep gaining height, provided Link maintains his upward momentum. The technique also works with Adult Link’s Megaton Hammer.
The timing is extremely precise, and Link must maintain upward momentum, but successfully chaining the inputs allows players to reach areas that would otherwise be inaccessible.
Naturally, all this sequence breaking is causing some hilarious problems.
Speedrunner ZFG has even managed to complete the Shadow Temple as Child Link, triggering an automatic transformation into Adult Link that hilariously distorts his character model during the transition.
However, the trick has one major drawback. Completing the Shadow Temple as Child Link transforms him into Adult Link without learning the Song of Time, preventing players from obtaining the Fairy Bow and using the Light Arrows needed to finish the game.
Speedrunners are still searching for a workaround, but with the remake barely days old, players are already finding creative ways to tear Hyrule apart.
Nintendo gave Link a jump button, and speedrunners apparently took that as permission to teach him how to fly.
