‘The Legend of Zelda’ just celebrated its 35th anniversary, but we’re left wondering what else Nintendo is doing to celebrate the occasion?
In case you missed it, one of gaming’s most beloved franchises, The Legend of Zelda, celebrated a major milestone over the weekend. It turned 35. With such a big occasion on the cards, many predicted Nintendo would capitalise on the nostalgia.
Then, as fate would have it, the company announced a 50-minute presentation. The showcase would focus on new releases coming to the Switch for 2021. It was also the first of its kind in more than 500 days. We foolishly predicted some big pretty things before the event took place. We were left sorely disappointed.
Between a slew of B-tier releases, a handful of ports and a Splatoon sequel nobody really asked for, the presentation was arguably a letdown. As for Zelda, we scored news on an expansion pass for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, some themed Joy-Cons and the reveal of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD.
But is that all we’re getting?
When Mario celebrated the exact same milestone just last year, it was met with a barrage of goodies. There was the announcement of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, a new Mario Kart and the incredibly adorable Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros. We even finally got Super Mario 3D All-Stars – the triple-pack collection of Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy. It was a bright moment in the shitshow that was 2020.
For Zelda, on the other hand, we’re left scratching our noggins. In last week’s Direct, Breath of the Wild 2’s director Eiji Aounuma popped up to quickly temper expectations. In the short video message he said the following: “Development is proceeding smoothly, and we should be able to bring you some new information this year. For now, we’ll have to ask you to wait just a bit longer.”
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Pending a minor miracle, we’re guessing that means you won’t be seeing the game until 2022 at best. However we’re expecting big things from the follow-up, so we’re happy to let them take their time.
So what about a collection akin to Mario’s? That one seemed more plausible, but the reveal of Skyward Sword HD throws things into doubt. After all, why package up three games when you can sell them individually for a full price tag?
Honestly, we wouldn’t be shocked if Nintendo gradually announces Switch remasters of classics like Ocarina of Time and Windwaker. The latter even got its own Wii U remaster in 2013, so a port would be on the easier side. These could also be gradually rolled out throughout 2021 to help bolster Ninty’s more sporadic release calendar. As a financial decision, it makes a lot of sense.
If you’re a hardcore Zelda fan though, it’s not exactly the news you were hoping for. But with Skyward Sword HD only a few months away, it’s still something.
Aside from that, let’s just cross our fingers and hope that Nintendo is still planning to announce some kind of belated birthday bonanza.
