Ocarina of Time runners find a new sequence break—but not yet a faster finish

That could change the order in which runners tackle the adventure. It has not yet established a faster way to finish it. In a November 8 statement reproduced by Kotaku, speedrunner Zfg reported the temple completion and automatic age change, but said one obstacle still prevents the method from being used in a speedrun. He did not identify the obstacle or put a number on the possible saving.⁠1

The distinction is the heart of this discovery. Making the game accept an unexpected sequence is one achievement; connecting that sequence to a faster journey from start to finish is another. For now, runners have a promising opening, not a demonstrated improvement to a record route.

Nintendo released the remake on November 5, 2026, exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2. These experiments concern that new release—not the Nintendo 64 original running through emulation, or the earlier Nintendo 3DS version. The familiar setting comes with changed movement, including a dedicated jump button that gives players a fresh way to probe its boundaries.⁠11⁠1

Zfg’s account puts both the discovery and its limitation in the same breath. His expectation of a major benefit depends on solving what remains, rather than merely repeating the temple completion.

Speedrunners call this kind of departure from intended progression a sequence break. Its value can extend beyond cutting a corner: a useful break might remove the need to collect an item, let an objective happen earlier or avoid part of the expected journey. In a game structured around Link’s different ages, changing when he becomes an adult could alter which requirements a runner needs to satisfy. Kotaku describes those possibilities, but does not establish which savings this particular method would deliver.⁠1

The experiments also produce a more immediately visible result. According to Kotaku, triggering a cutscene intended for adult Link while playing as child Link—or the reverse—can temporarily distort his appearance. Zfg appended a simpler assessment to his report: “It also looks very funny.” The visual mismatch shows the remake responding oddly to an unexpected character state; it does not tell us how useful that state will be on the clock.⁠1

The available reporting does not independently establish the method’s current reproducibility or competitive usefulness. Nor does it provide a completed run time, a measured saving or a category-specific record using it. The strongest supported conclusion is therefore narrower than “speedrunners have broken the game”: a runner has reported a potentially consequential sequence break and explicitly says it is not ready for a run.⁠1

The Shadow Temple is only one line of investigation. The jump button lets Link deliberately leave the ground instead of relying on running off an edge. That makes familiar spaces newly interesting: a surface that once sat beyond ordinary movement may now be somewhere to land, climb or test for a shortcut.⁠1

Kotaku reports that switching between inventory items while Link is airborne appears to let him float rather than descend normally. The article quotes gaming account ORCinfo describing repeated midair jumping that becomes possible with practice, and predicting an impact on speedruns. That prediction is not a timed result. The reported movement could open routes to otherwise inaccessible places, but the account does not show how much faster a complete run would become.⁠1

Open treasure chests offer another possible launch point. Kotaku describes players stepping into them and positioning Link’s feet at an angle that appears to propel him upward, like a trampoline; dropping a bomb into the chest also appears to help. A returning technique known as the Hookshot Jump, which gives Link height and access to buildings, appears viable too. These are reported candidate tools, not independently tested additions to a proven fastest route.⁠1

The useful question is what each trick replaces. Reaching a rooftop is impressive, but its competitive value depends on whether it bypasses something a runner would otherwise have to do—and whether getting into position costs less time than the shortcut saves. A strange animation can be incidental to a valuable discovery; an extraordinary leap can still lead nowhere useful.

The next meaningful advance would be a documented solution to Zfg’s remaining roadblock, followed by a timed run showing what the route changes. The same test applies to floating, chest launches and the Hookshot Jump. For now, the remake has given runners more ways to challenge Hyrule’s intended paths. Whether those paths lead to a faster finish remains open.