What if Zelda: Ocarina of Time was the basis of a Studio Ghibli movie? It might look like this stunning fan-film, put together to celebrate the 25th anniversary of one of the greatest video games of all time.
Creator RwanLink spent a whopping 600 hours across four months rebuilding Hyrule Castle Town in super detailed fashion using Unreal Engine 5. There are four environments and over 30 characters in the test animation.
The fan-film is published here with permission from RwanLink. You can check out RwanLink's YouTube channel here.
The 18-minute film kicks off in heart-breaking fashion with the death of the Deku Tree. With Navi in tow, Link heads off to Hyrule Castle. Castle Town is bustling (yes, there are chickens and empty bottles), packed with market traders and customers. Link enjoys a spot of playtime with a dog, and fans of Ocarina of Time will spot some familiar faces for sure.
Link spots a royal guard escorting Zelda to the castle and gives chase. A couple of nefarious characters (you know who) turn up for an audience with the king. Beware, Link!
The video then shows off a third-person perspective. RwanLink stresses the project was made as a film and not a video game, but it gives us a tantalising glimpse at what a Zelda game made in the Studio Ghibli style might look like.
Of course, Nintendo is working on an official Zelda movie, although it’s live-action, not animated. And Nintendo is also hard at work on a brand new Zelda game, which may or may not be another Breath of the Wild sequel.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.