Zelda: Demon's Quest Will Keep You Busy Till The Ocarina Remake

1 hour ago 9

The Legend of Zelda's Child and Adult Link from Ocarina of Time with the Master Sword's forest clearing in the background.

Published Apr 16, 2026, 9:00 PM EDT

Chris is a Gaming Editor at ScreenRant. He has been a professional writer since 2009, and has written for top TV, comics, movie, and video game outlets like Engadget, Polygon, Destructoid, and more. He brings with him an expertise in every game genre, no matter how niche or mainstream.

You may know him as the former Managing/Reviews Editor of Destructoid, where he published hundreds of game reviews across every genre, including MMOs, sports games, and Metroidvanias.

Find Chris on Twitter @_SRChris.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has withstood decades of legendary status. It's a classic action-adventure for a reason, and with a potential remake rumored to arrive on the Switch 2, fans are starting to get excited. Now is a perfect time to replay this classic, and there are more choices than ever at this point.

Over on YouTube, creator SoulsMidknight showcased one of the more unique ways to play Ocarina of Time, and it's likely to wow longtime fans.

What Is Zelda: Demon's Quest?

It's A Worthwhile Adventure

Demon's Quest is a ROM hack for Ocarina of Time, crafted by community members thinedave, Aegiker. The short of it is that it's an expansive "hard mode," but it goes much further by transforming the way you interact with the game. In it, you'll have to deal with shield durability, stamina, triple-damage from enemies, and real-time potion drinking (with no invincibility).

A perfect block system has been implemented, which won't drain stamina or durability. The Souls influence is also expanded quite a bit with a stat system, and save points instead of a save anywhere feature.

To add insult to injury, dying removes a heart container (which can be returned by visiting fairies). A "Hero Mode" is also available, in which you can't recover heart containers after death. The kicker is that if you lose all your heart containers in total, you automatically lose the game. It's got stakes, I'll give it that.

Other than that, the actual content of the game remains mostly unchanged. Demon's Quest heightens combat and makes it a bit more impactful, especially during boss fights. If you want to test your muscle memory, now is the time.

This Is The Ultimate Zelda Challenge

Try Your Luck

Demon's Quest is often referred to as one of the toughest Ocarina of Time romhacks or mods, along with projects like Ultimate Trial. The hack also borrows many mechanics from other action-adventure staples, including ones shared by From Software titles like the Souls series.

Other options include randomizers and Master of Time. Then there's the classic: the three-heart-only Master Quest challenge, which is self-imposed and can be played in many versions of the game. With decades of history under its belt, the game has inspired fans to craft all sorts of devious ways to play it.

No matter what option you choose, the classic version of Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is always a great pick. It's readily available on Switch and Switch 2 in the Nintendo Classics collection, and plenty of physical copies for older systems are floating around. The 3Ds remake is also fantastic, and one of my favorite ways to revisit Ocarina of Time.