Typing Zelda into Google activates an interactive Easter egg featuring the Master Sword. Clicking the weapon sends the search engine back to its 1998 interface as Nintendo launches a remake of the Nintendo 64 classic.
Nintendo enthusiasts searching for information on the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 release encountered an unexpected piece of interactive nostalgia on the web. Entering zelda
or Ocarina of Time
into the search bar makes a glowing, animated Master Sword appear in the bottom-right corner of the browser window, hovering above its pedestal in the Temple of Time as reported by Video Games Chronicle.
Clicking or tapping the blade drives it directly into the pedestal, triggers a sound effect from Link, and momentarily replaces the tab with a golden Triforce loading screen. The browser then transforms into a facsimile of how Google looked in 1998.
Recreating the 1998 Search Interface Without AI Features
The resulting retro page strips away modern features like AI Overviews, images, and advertisements. Instead, it displays plain blue hyperlinks set in a Times New Roman-style font, accompanied by short excerpts ranked by relevance alongside the vintage logo complete with its old exclamation mark and chunky grey search buttons.
The throwback page also restores the classic I’m Feeling Lucky
button alongside a footer that reads Copyright ©1998 Google Inc.
as noted by Martin Cid Magazine. Rather than serving as a static archive of 1998 web content, the retro layout pulls live search results and runs them through the period styling, meaning current news articles about the upcoming game appear in the vintage list according to Martin Cid Magazine.
The effect remains isolated to the specific search query and vanishes as soon as the user searches for a different term or clicks the Master Sword a second time to restore the modern layout according to Martin Cid Magazine. The tribute joins a roster of enduring interactive search secrets, including inputs for do a barrel roll
and super mario bros
documented by Video Games Chronicle.
The original Nintendo 64 game features a central mechanic where adult Link places the Master Sword back into its pedestal in the Temple of Time to travel back seven years into the past as young Link. While the game separates its two eras by a span of seven years, the Google Easter egg bridges a much larger chronological gap of 28 years back to the foundational year of the web browser itself.
Nintendo Switch 2 Release Timing and Market Context
The timing of the tribute coincides with the launch of Nintendo’s high-profile remake scheduled for Thursday, November 5. The original game debuted in North America on November 21, 1998, sharing a birth year with the search engine itself as Shacknews pointed out.
| Edition | Price | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Digital Edition | $59.99 | Nintendo Switch 2 Download |
| Physical Cartridge | $69.99 | Boxed Copy with Textured Foil Cover |
The remake arrives at $59.99 for the digital version and $69.99 for the physical cartridge following Nintendo’s pricing structure for Switch 2 downloads.
Series producer Eiji Aonuma admitted in Paris that he experienced some nervousness regarding the release, noting that some of the younger developers on the team had never experienced the original N64 version. Aonuma argued that this lack of direct familiarity actually served as an advantage during the development of the updated title.
Social media users responded to the Easter egg with widespread enthusiasm for the minimalist search design, with comments on X asking Can we just… keep it like that now?
Forever.
as GamesRadar+ reported.