Nintendo fans are very excited to see what comes ofThe Legend of Zeldain 2021. This is the franchise’s 35th anniversary, and so it only seems natural that Nintendo wants to release some big things to celebrate one of the oldest and most influential action-adventure franchises out there. Right now, a bigZeldarelease coming this year isThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD,a remastered edition ofThe Legend of Zelda’s origin story. It’s a perfect choice for this year’s celebration. It came out ten years ago as a part ofZelda’s 25th anniversary, so it’s great that fans get to check in with it again this year.
However, there’s something a little off about Nintendo’s handling ofThe Legend of Zeldaso far this year. Before the year began, fans thought that a lot more games in the series would make a comeback, or at least that Nintendo would have other supplemental releases ready for the 35th anniversary. Instead,The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HDstands alone in 2021. Although it’s a strong and influential game on its own, it seems a little lonely without any other parts ofZelda’s history coming to Switch to celebrate with it.Skyward Sword HDis a great pick for the anniversary, butZeldafans can’t help feeling like there could be more going on this year.
RELATED:How The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Paved the Way for Breath of the Wild
Skyward Sword and Zelda Fans' Expectations
Skyward Swordwas a surprise announcement on its own. Although its strong story and major contributions toZeldalore were great, some fans weren’t fond of its reliance on motion controls. Those fans are looking forward toSkyward Sword HD’s adjusted controlsthat make motion controls optional rather than mandatory. That’s only one of many enhancements that Nintendo has come up with for the game, too. There’s a lot of reason to look forward to replaying it, especially in the context ofBreath of the Wild,which stands at the very opposite end of theZeldatimeline fromSkyward Sword.They make an interesting contrast and show how far Link and Zelda have come.
However, Nintendo set up some really specific expectations forThe Legend of Zelda’s anniversary last year with theSuper Marioanniversary. It famously launchedSuper Mario 3D All-Stars, a Switch port of three of Mario’s most famous and beloved 3D platforming adventures. Although its limited run was controversial, fans were delighted thatSuper Mario 3D All-Starsbrought three major games under the same roof tocelebrateSuper Mario’s birthday. Considering that kind of effort, it seemed natural that Nintendo would decide to do the same thing for theZeldaanniversary this year.
Nintendo has instead made it pretty apparent that it’s not doing anything like that. If it was, then it seems likeSkyward Sword HD’s solo announcement would have been replaced with the announcement of some kind ofLegend of Zelda All-Starscompilation.The spotlight is onSkyward Swordalone. Even though Nintendo has clearly done a lot of work onSkyward Swordfor this remaster, it’s a little hard for Nintendo fans to change gears and settle for one Switch port rather than three. It’s also a little hard to imagine why Nintendo would scale down like this.
RELATED:The Case for Traditional Dungeons in Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2
Skyward Sword’s Worthy Zelda Companions
Zeldafans felt pretty confident that they knew what would be in a three-gameZeldacompilation released for the 35th anniversary.The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Timeseems like an obvious choice, considering how manyZeldafans swear by it as the best game in the whole franchise.Ocarina of Timewas responsible for establishing Ganondorf as a major recurring antagonist, as well as introducing classic items like the titular Ocarina. Even so, it looks likeOcarinaof Timeisn’t coming to SwitchlikeZeldafans expected.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Wakerseems like another game that would’ve been more than worthy of joining a bundle of remasters for Switch. Its groundbreaking sea-faring exploration and cel-shaded art style make it another one of the most recognizable titles in the series, and it’s another one of the most belovedZeldatitles out there. It already got a Wii U port before, so Nintendo would have a leg up in porting it. Nintendo alsocould’ve gone forTwilight Princesson Switch, which could’ve linkedSkyward SwordandThe Wind Waker, bringing the Gamecube-Wii generation ofZeldagames together on Switch.
In spite of all these great options, Nintendo is only puttingSkyward Swordon Switch this year as far as fans know. Although it’s possible that Nintendo announces another Switch port at E3 that’s aimed at a holiday 2021 release, it doesn’t seem likely.Breath of the Wild 2is more likelyto come out in that window if it comes out this year, in spite of leakers claimingBreath of the Wild2won’t release until 2022. If Nintendo is planning to release anything otherZeldaremakes, its running out of time to announce them.
Helping Skyward Sword Stand Tall
Nintendo has certainly gone a long way in makingSkyward Sword HDa success on Switch. On top of adding button controls, Nintendo also promises that it’s updatedSkyward Sword’s motion controls to improve them. There’s also clearly still interest in replayingSkyward Sword,seeinghow wellSkyward Swordsold preorders in February. In spite of all this, though, there’s still just something strange aboutSkyward Swordcoming to the Switch alone. It’s supposed to be the plot point that kickstarts every other game in the franchise, so it seems most natural for it to be paired with some of the biggest stories that it’s responsible for.
MaybeBreath of the Wild 2is the only game that Nintendo wantsSkyward Swordto pair with. Nintendo fans are already expecting the company to talk in depth aboutBreath of the Wild 2at E3, so if this is really the pairing that Nintendo has in mind, thenhow it handles theZeldafranchise at E3will make Nintendo’s mindset clear. IfSkyward SwordHDis alone in its quest to sate fans untilBreath of the Wild’s sequel comes out, then hopefully it really lives up to its adjustments. Maybe the 40th anniversary will come with aZeldacompilation more like what Nintendo fans expected this year.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward SwordHDreleases on July 16 for Nintendo Switch.
MORE:How The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 Can Incorporate Malice
