Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake launches on Switch 2 today, but PC users got there first. A dump of the game was already circulating before launch, which Brazilian account Senhor Linguica Pro confirmed on X while noting that no emulator could run it properly at the time. That didn't last long. Footage now shows the remake running on PC through Lichii, a Switch 2 emulator that reportedly traces its roots back to Yuzu, the Switch emulator Nintendo took to court in 2024.
Running is a generous word, though. Users report white or washed-out visuals, gameplay scenes where only the HUD appears, and terrain poking through objects, while some setups can't get past the title screen. Gameplay clips show the frame rate swinging between 20 and 60 FPS, with regular stutters. For comparison, Digital Foundry's look at the Nintendo Direct footage showed the remake running at 1080p and 60 FPS on Switch 2, so the emulator still has a long way to go.
The emulator can load the dumped files now, but that doesn't mean other Switch 2 games will work, and many more fixes are needed before anyone can play this one properly. The dump reportedly came from early physical copies shipped ahead of time by some retailers, along with pre-loaded digital files. These were pulled using ns2jb, the software-only Switch 2 jailbreak that went public last month.
Nintendo appears to be responding, as Smile BASIC 4, the app reportedly used as the exploit's entry point, has been pulled from the eShop. Given how Nintendo dealt with Yuzu, it would be surprising if Lichii stayed off its radar for long.
Source: TechPowerUp News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing