Our countdown to the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct rolls on and today we are turning our attention back to the games. The internet has been ablaze the last few days with a string of pre-order date leaks – Best Buy says they begin on April 2 right after the Direct showcase and leaked internal documents say April 9…we will see – but whenever it releases (likely June), it’s really all about the games, and if you’re not talking Mario and friends, you’re talking Zelda.
New Nintendo Switch 2 Legend of Zelda game
There are a few titles that we already more or less know will be coming to Switch 2, and almost certainly this year – we know for sure Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokémon Legends: Z-A are landing this year for Switch 2, despite already being announced for Switch 1, and Nintendo has already shown off what just about everyone believes is a new Mario Kart game. These three are basically a guarantee alongside some less big-ticket items.
We have already detailed the speculation and retailer leaks regarding the new 3D Mario game that has still yet to surface officially, but what about Zelda?
The Legend of Zelda franchise has been a staple on Nintendo consoles since the NES days, a truly beloved franchise, and one that has catapulted the Switch 1 to new heights over the last several years with the brilliant Zelda Breath of the Wild and its sequel, Tears of the Kingdom.
It still feels a bit too soon for Nintendo to be ready with an all-new mainline Zelda title, or at least something in the BotW/TotK series, but one would have to think it is at the very least hard at work on something from the series considering it is launching its next-generation of gaming this year.
It seems as though, with a new 3D Mario game, Mario Kart 9, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and Pokémon Legends: Z-A that Nintendo is in good shape, and perhaps doesn’t need to have a new Zelda title ready for 2025, but rumors, speculation, and a leaked retailer mention are perhaps shedding some light on the matter.
The Legend of Zelda Remake/Remaster
As we detailed previously, there has been mention of a “A Legend of Zelda Remake/Remaster” on official retail listings for eShop gift cards – this mention surfaced after the Switch 2 was officially revealed back in January. This, on top of a series of rumors, suggests there is some new Zelda content in the works behind closed doors at Nintendo, and it might more than one title.
As of right now, the only palpable mentions of Zelda on Switch 2 come in the form of re-releases and remakes, as suggested in the retailer mention above.
Most of the rumors you’ll find floating around are pointing towards a The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This is an older rumor that started well before Nintendo revealed Switch 2 when reports surfaced suggesting Nintendo was showcasing the game running on Switch 2 for select developers at a private event. While this might very well end up being one those “Enhanced for Switch 2” titles or the “Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games” Nintendo has now confirmed to exist – a complete rundown on these awaits right here.
Okay so, that’s pretty cool – a re-release or rather just an enhanced edition of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for Switch 2. It very much sounds like we are going to have to buy the game again here, but it’s still unclear as to exactly how Nintendo will be treating these Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games at this point: “Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive games and Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games can only be loaded on a Nintendo Switch 2 system.”
This quote from Nintendo seems to make it clear that these aren’t just Switch 2 titles you can stick in your Switch 2 and get some upgraded visuals. But this also means that, if there is indeed a Breath of the Wild remaster coming, it might be a whole lot more than a lazy port for Switch 2.
With that out of the way, what say you about these Zelda remakes for Switch 2? Well, the internet seems to think we will be getting one of the following: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, or The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.
It certainly wouldn’t be the first time Nintendo re-released a classic with the HD moniker at the end for its latest console – it has done this several times across various franchises, Zelda included.
Now it could shock the world and deliver a remake of the original Legend of Zelda, but that’s a serious development job and one that would have to have been in the works for years now – you think we would have heard at least something about this by now. And it could deliver some sort of remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past and just completely shut the internet down in the process, but that feels far too lofty at this point.
Ocarina of Time is one of those (brilliant) blocky N64 titles that ages like milk in terms of the visuals. Don’t get me wrong, it is an absolute classic, but if Nintendo is going to completely remake this one from the ground up, it’s going to be a serious job – this is not, perhaps as much of a thing as the early NES/SNES titles, but still a whole lot more than say, what it did to get the Skyward Sword HD on store shelves.
The retailer leaks of this remake, of course, could be referring to something in Nintendo’s adorable diorama art-style, like we see in the Link’s Awakening remake. This is no small feat, and perhaps makes the idea of remaking these older title more plausible this early in the cycle, but my bet is still leaning towards Twilight Princess with The Wind Waker a close second at this point.
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