One of the beautiful things about fandom, regardless of whether it’s video games, movies, TV shows, comics, anime, or something in between, is that fans really go the extra mile sometimes to showcase just how much they love certain properties. Fan art is easily one of the biggest and easiest ways to show that kind of love, as fans will make fantastic pieces that showcase their favorite characters or worlds in ways beyond what people were expecting. In the case of one YouTuber, RwanLink, he decided to take his love of The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time to Unreal Engine 5 and do something no one had done before.
He spent over 600 hours working within Unreal Engine 5 to recreate four main environments and over 30 characters associated with Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time while putting the visual style in the vein of Studio Ghibli. In other words, he took his passion and made it into something so spectacular that you won’t believe your eyes even as you watch it.
Plus, and this is important, this isn’t a short one-minute video just to show what can be done in the engine. Instead, he made an 18-minute video full of music, animations, and references to the iconic title. All so that he could celebrate the game’s 25th anniversary. It took him months to do it, and the results absolutely speak for themselves. So check it out below:
What’s incredible to us is that the detail and love put into the animation are evident from the get-go. Plus, there are loads of references and Easter Eggs for fans to find. Even if you haven’t played the game in a long time, you’re going to recognize many of the characters that are in the animation, and there are even some surprises, such as a certain “spirit of the sword” coming out for a dance.
But just when you thought the fun was over, he also took a stroll through the 3D world he created to highlight how the game might look from the “player’s perspective” should it have been made in the Unreal Engine.
We’re not saying that Nintendo will go this far with their next title in the Legend of Zelda franchise, but with the next console coming out soon enough and possibly being able to handle the Unreal Engine, you never know.
Regardless, do check out this video because it’s truly beautiful and a labor of love from a dedicated fan.
