From Breath of the Wild 2 to remakes: 10 predictions for the 35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda

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• From Breath of the Wild 2 to remakes: 10 predictions for the 35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda

We could be in for a slew of The Legend of Zelda game announcements in the coming months as we enter the 35th anniversary of Nintendo's flagship franchise (releasing on February 21, 2021). The beloved game developer and console maker certainly did the right thing last year, on the 35th anniversary of its first Mario game, with a collection of 3D Mario games for the Nintendo Switch, a battle royale title. retro and a new Bowser's Fury. mode for the port of Super Mario 3D World on Switch. We can't imagine Nintendo going slack on its other mainline franchise, which means there should be plenty of Zelda-related announcements next year, but what exactly do we think Nintendo has up its sleeve? , apart from this Breath of the Wild? 2 we've heard about since the E3 2019 trailer? We've rounded up our top 10 predictions for Nintendo's nefarious plans, from new AAA games to remakes of old favorites. Here's everything we want to see for The Legend of Zelda's 35th anniversary.

1. Breath of the Wild 2

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 (Image Credit: Nintendo) Let's start with a simple one. Nintendo has already confirmed that a sequel to the masterful game Breath of the Wild, which was the launch title for Nintendo Switch, is coming soon. We know it's a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild, with plenty of hints in its trailer about recurring enemies we might see in previous games: the Twili from Twilight Princess, the Zant mini-boss from it. game, or even Skyward Sword's great Bad Demise (more on that below). Since the trailer was released in mid-2019 during E3 Expo, we need to take stock of its development, and the franchise's 35th anniversary would be a perfect time to release Breath of the Wild 2. There have been quite a few rumours. also revolving around an upgraded Nintendo Switch Pro console, which could offer 4K upscaling for TV output as well as an improved portable experience, and what better way to launch new hardware than with an AAA Zelda experience? For more information, check out our Breath of the Wild 2 guide.

2. Skyward Sword port for Nintendo Switch

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii/Wii U) (Image Credit: Nintendo) Not everyone got to play Skyward Sword, landing as it did on the much-maligned Wii U console. Nintendo has had great success bringing its best Wii U games to best-selling Switch and Switch Lite consoles, and Amazon has even put together (and promptly pulled) a listing for a Skyward Sword port in 2020, making this prediction quite likely. The game takes place in the floating city of Skyloft, a refuge for humanity high above the devastated "Surface" that has been struck by evil forces centuries before. A port would certainly give the game a new set of fans, on a console with the proper movement capabilities. More importantly, Skyward Sword lays the groundwork for the mythology surrounding series villain Ganondorf, and his alter-ego, the Demon King ``Demise,'' which we may have seen in the Breath of the Wild 2 trailer. What better way to prepare for a BOTW 2 sequel than an update on some background?

3. 3D game collection

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64) (Image Credit: Nintendo) Mario got his Mario 3D All Stars collection, so why shouldn't Link get the same treatment? There are plenty of 3D games Nintendo could bundle onto the Switch, though there are likely to be a variety of console generations. Maybe Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64), Twilight Princess (GameCube/Wii) and Skyward Sword (Wii/Wii U) all together? Whatever happens, we're sure we'll be painfully aware of any absences, and we could absolutely see the amazing cell-shadowed Wind Waker being left out in the cold. Let's hope Nintendo doesn't limit its availability to a few months like it did with the Mario collection. Really, Nindy?

4. Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD Double Pack

The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker (GameCube) (Image Credit: Nintendo) Another lead Nintendo could take is a dual pack of Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, both of which have received HD updates for the Wii U, and shouldn't be a great task to use on the Nintendo Switch console. As the two were originally released on the Nintendo GameCube, this would be a fitting combination, while also offering two totally different Zelda titles in visual style: Wind Waker with a shaded cartoon aesthetic and the 'Toon Link' 'you know from Smash Bros Ultimate and Twilight Princess acting as the surly, cinematic older brother. Although they only come out three years apart, they couldn't be more different, the first taking place on a talking sailboat that takes you across the seas, and the second shows a Hyrule that has sunk into the sea. shadow after the invasion of a twilight realm. So it would be a great combination to show the range that the Zelda series has to offer. Currently, there are few legacy Zelda games on the last generation of consoles, and this 35th anniversary seems like the obvious time to change that.

5. A link to the new version of the past.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Nintendo Switch) (Image Credit: Nintendo) One of the best and cutest Nintendo Switch games we saw last year was Link's Awakening, a remake of the 1993 GameBoy title, featuring a modern makeover with 3D enhanced visuals (although descendants still are). So the door is wide open for another Zelda game to get a similar treatment, and we think A Link to the Past is an obvious choice. This 1991 game was first released on the SNES, as the third title in the Zelda series, and marks the first appearance of the iconic Master Sword. It's available to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers in its original format, but a tweak certainly wouldn't be a problem. The inclusion of the Four Swords multiplayer adventure mode would only sweeten the deal.

6. Special Edition Consoles and Joy-Cons

(Image credit: Nintendo) It's a commemorative event, and it's Nintendo - no one would be surprised to see a dedicated console or Joy-Con skins to mark the occasion. We had the same amount in early 2021 for Mario, with the blue and red reskin of the main Switch console, and a similar green and gold combo with sword and shield iconography from the series would make home gaming even more... .Zelda-y.

7. More free Zelda games on Nintendo Switch Online

(Image credit: Nintendo) Nintendo is running out of NES and SNES titles to add to its Nintendo Switch Online service, often several months at a time without new software joining its emulator of classic games, and it's about time. that we begin to see more. 'other platforms join the fray. For the GameBoy family of handheld devices, we got to see The Minish Cap (GameBoy Advance) or an Oracle of Seasons/Oracle of Ages pair (GameBoy Color) make an appearance; If Nintendo dared (gasp!) to bring a 3D Zelda game to the service, then maybe even Majora's Mask or Nintendo 64's Ocarina of Time could make an appearance. We're not holding out, though, as a slow release of full-price remastered remakes would be much more lucrative for Nintendo in the long run, though its recent release of new games on the service could signal a bigger deal. next release of titles from another platform.

8. Super Smash Bros. Fighters. Definitive DLC

(Image credit: Nintendo) There are two things we don't know: first, what Nintendo's Zelda birthday announcements will be this year, and second, which Smash Bros Ultimate DLC fighters haven't made it to the popular fighting game yet. . Could it be that the ads overlap? There are still only three DLC characters to reveal in Smash Bros Ultimate, and while the Zelda series is already pretty well represented - with characters like Link, Young Link, Zelda, Toon Link, Sheik, and Ganondorf on the roster - there are definitely more bizarre supporting characters. which would be great additions in their own right. The raving fairy enthusiast Tingle, of so many Zelda game cameos, would certainly bring rosy-cheeked mayhem to the screen. The more serious additions could be Midna or Zant from Twilight Princess, especially if they were announced alongside a Switch port. Midna's powerful twilight hand, along with her terrifying multi-fisted form, would be very exciting to cast into action; The villainous Zant, on the other hand, with his spinning attack and ferocious punches, could either be an all-around contender or create an interesting echo fighter based on Ganondorf's current set of moves.

9. The Legend of Zelda's Battle Royale

(Image credit: Nintendo) If you didn't pay attention to all those Mario announcements, we're sorry to inform you that there's a side-scrolling Mario battle royale out there, and we wouldn't pass up Nintendo to release an iteration of Zelda in some form. . Perhaps a similar 2D game where you have to cut opponents off the screen, or a Fortnite copier that sees hundreds of Links and Zeldas hanging over Hyrule, shooting arrows and bombs as hordes of Moblins charge from the horizon... wait. , that looks pretty good. Let's do it!

10. The Legend of Zelda AR game

(Image credit: Aakash Jhaveri) Nintendo has had huge success with its Pokémon Go AR game, and it's already inspired many imitations, like Harry Potter: Wizards Unite or The Walking Dead: Our World. All we want is a BOTW-inspired take on finding Korok Seeds in Hyrule, though we're limited to moving between the kitchen and our bed at the moment.