Google has introduced a subtle Easter egg into its search engine to commemorate the upcoming Switch 2 remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. This tribute arrives just before the game's official release.
This is not the first time Google has incorporated video game references into its platform. Previous homages include an interactive Super Mario question mark block in 2015 and a tribute to Wordle in 2022. Google has also hosted playable games like Breakout and a Pokédex mini-game.
How to Access the Zelda Easter Egg
To discover the Easter egg, users can perform searches for terms related to the new game, such as "Zelda," "Ocarina of Time," or "tloz." Upon searching, a graphic of the Master Sword will appear in the bottom-right corner of the screen. Clicking this sword will play Link's iconic "Hya!" sound effect.
Subsequently, the Triforce will dominate the screen, causing the search results page to revert to the visual style of 1998, the year the original Ocarina of Time was released on the Nintendo 64. Users can click the sword again to return the search results to their modern appearance. The article notes that this nostalgic display also serves as a reminder of how much Google's search experience has evolved, particularly with the increased prominence of AI chatbots that may not always provide source links.