The Nintendo Switch needs Zelda remasters. Up to this point, it only has one: Link’s Awakening, which was fantastic. That being said, in the interim between now and when Breath of The Wild 2 comes out (not poised for this year), Nintendo needs more Zelda. They need to capitalize on Breath of the Wild’s success, which has been, consistently, one of the best sellers for the past (almost) three years on the Nintendo Switch. Breath of the Wild 2 has been pushed back internally from its initial plans to release in 2020, so Nintendo needs more Zelda content to continue the series’ momentum. While remasters of Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and Majora’s Mask have all come out, none have been slated for the Switch at this point.
Ocarina of Time is prime for a release on the Nintendo Switch in all its remastered glory. It is, by many, considered to be the best Legend of Zelda game and one of the greatest games of all-time. It was released in remastered form for the Nintendo 3DS, but it hasn’t seen the same treatment on any other platforms. The same goes for Majora’s Mask. While we can’t expect Nintendo to release every major Zelda game, Ocarina, at the very least, is a classic. It would be a travesty to not put it on their most successful console in recent memory, the Nintendo Switch.
When The WInd Waker was first unveiled, it was met with mixed reactions. Many were adverse to the cel-shading graphical style, although at that point it was incomplete. As it stands today, The Wind Waker is like an interactive cartoon and even the original version still stands up by today’s standards. One of the very first remasters Nintendo released for the Nintendo Wii U was The Wind Waker. If one even thought it to be possible, Nintendo managed to make the game look even better. The Wind Waker is not only the most underrated Zelda game, but one of the best. Its story is second-to-none and its characterization of Ganondorf is only second to Ocarina of Time and gives the villain an ounce of humanity. It also references the latter, which is a beautiful touch, as its the same Ganondorf, only in the Adult Timeline.
Nintendo needs to release the remaster for the Nintendo Switch, especially considering that for all intents and purposes, the Wii U was a failure. Not many got to play the remake.
Twilight Princess originally came out with the launch of the Nintendo Wii in 2006. It was lauded as one of the best Zelda games to date and one of the most anticipated games of all-time, along with Breath of the Wild, considering it launched a new successful Nintendo console. I recently re-played the title on the Nintendo Wii, and it still looks great, but the remastered version for the Wii U is unparalleled. If only it had motion controls! It’s an incredible remaster though and one of the best Nintendo has done to date. Again, the remaster came out for the Wii U, which had a low install base. Many Zelda fans didn’t have the opportunity to play the remaster. On top of that, Nintendo would be introducing this game, and the others, to a whole new generation of gamers who have only played Breath of the Wild. It’s a win-win situation. There is no reason for Nintendo not to be releasing these games on the Nintendo Switch, given it, and Breath of the Wild’s, success.
Skyward Sword hasn’t received a remaster of any kind since its release in November of 2011. It’s prime for a remaster/remake though. It not only has one of the best stories to ever grace a Zelda game, but it also has some of the most innovative gameplay. Some say that the motion controls are a bit wonky, but I never had a problem with them. Bringing the game to the Switch would introduce the beginning of the story, as Skyward Sword is literally “The Legend of Zelda”, to newcomers to the series. They would be able to understand how everything started, and tap a market that has been, to this day, untapped by Nintendo. These remakes and remasters, bar Link’s Awakening, need to happen. It would be wonderful to include them, save Skyward Sword as its unlikely it would be included, in a Zelda HD Collection.
The Legend of Zelda is one of the most storied franchises in the history of gaming. There are so many Zelda games that deserve a high-definition makeover, but realistically there can only be so many. Nintendo would be foolish not to release a few HD remasters from the series though, especially with the successes of Breath of the Wild and Link’s Awakening. It would introduce a different kind of Zelda to a new generation of fans of the series, some who weren’t even born when many of these games came out. Nintendo needs to capitalize on this, and from a business perspective, it makes perfect sense. There’s no reason not to do it, especially for the games that were already remastered.
Nintendo has the opportunity. They have the momentum of the Zelda franchise. Now they have to capitalize on it.