Wonky melancholy
Goomba
February 21st of this month is going to mark the 40th anniversary of the The Legend of Zelda series. While some are stating that it's going to be a nothing burger, I completely disagree. When we look at past Zelda anniversaries since the 25th, Nintendo has consistently released games to celebrate them.
The 25th carried with it Skyward Sword and Ocarina of Time 3D.
The 30th brought us Twilight Princess HD and Hyrule Warriors Legends as well as a rerelease of Skyward Sword on the Wii U eShop.
For the 35th we got Skyward Sword HD and a special edition Zelda 1 game and watch.
I'll discuss here what I find most likely to be released, and what I hope will be released.
Most likely
Twilight Princess and Wind Waker HD
These are two remasters that have been stuck on Wii U. I believe they will be brought to the Switch due to their above-average financial performance on Wii U and the popularity of Twilight Princess specifically. Twilight Princess was after all, the most popular Zelda game before Breath of the Wild. These will also be relatively easy to bring to switch because they already have HD textures.
Despite what YouTubers are claiming, it's very unlikely these will be a switch 2 exclusive. Switch 1 still has a large install base and Nintendo has a history of supporting older platforms with ports. We'll likely see a situation similar to Super Mario Galaxy/Pikmin where the games are released individually and in a combo pack.
I do not think that the switch 2 GameCube classics including Wind Waker will disqualify it as the Wii U version holds several major upgrades over the GameCube version such as cut down filler and gyro controls. Furthermore, Nintendo has stated multiple times that a game being on the Switch Classics line does not disqualify it from a remaster.
Less likely: Oracle of Seasons and Ages remake
This is something that's been rumored for the last two decades. I find it unlikely primarily because greezo has already veered towards developing original 2d games and I doubt they would invest time into developing a remake of these games even if using the same engine they used for Links Awakening and Echoes of Wisdom.
Moderately likely: Ocarina of Time Remaster/remake
Ocarina of Time is one of the most popular Zelda games pre-BOTW. It's consistently sold well on almost every platform that it's been released on. We could see a remake/remaster of it, but don't set your expectations too high. I doubt we're going to see a gorgeous ultra 4k remake of OOT. If it's releasing soon, it's likely been in development for Switch 1 initially, which means that it's going to be limited by the Switch in terms of visual scope, even if it is moving development to Switch 2.
It's also extremely unlikely that Nintendo is directly developing this remaster.
If it exists it's likely being developed by a smaller studio. Also, there's a chance that it could be that it's going to be a remaster of the 3DS version with slightly upgraded character models similar to Luigi's Mansion 2 HD or Miitopia.
Still, I'm going to put this as only a moderately likely announcement as Twilight Princess has wider appeal.
My hopes
Personally, what I hope to see is firstly, a Twilight Princess HD port with 60 fps and fixed input lag. Twilight Princess is my second-favorite Zelda game and it deserves to have an updated release on Switch 1/2. The Wii U version of Twilight Princess was mediocre with a bad frame rate, a downgraded inventory system, and input lag. A switch version could fix these issues if there's actual effort put into it.
The other thing I hope to see is a new Triforce Heroes game. I loved Triforce Heroes on the 3DS. I found the multiplayer to be extremely enjoyable as it required actual coordination. I found it to be better designed than Link Between Worlds which had overly easy puzzles and combat. If the game is rereleased or gets a sequel on Switch/Switch 2, it could give people a better chance to discover how great the Triforce Heroes formula actually is.
It would also be a great way to show off the new voice chat features of the Switch 2.
Anyway, all this is speculation. If any of these predictions don't come true , please don't burn me at the stake.
The 25th carried with it Skyward Sword and Ocarina of Time 3D.
The 30th brought us Twilight Princess HD and Hyrule Warriors Legends as well as a rerelease of Skyward Sword on the Wii U eShop.
For the 35th we got Skyward Sword HD and a special edition Zelda 1 game and watch.
I'll discuss here what I find most likely to be released, and what I hope will be released.
Most likely
Twilight Princess and Wind Waker HD
These are two remasters that have been stuck on Wii U. I believe they will be brought to the Switch due to their above-average financial performance on Wii U and the popularity of Twilight Princess specifically. Twilight Princess was after all, the most popular Zelda game before Breath of the Wild. These will also be relatively easy to bring to switch because they already have HD textures.
Despite what YouTubers are claiming, it's very unlikely these will be a switch 2 exclusive. Switch 1 still has a large install base and Nintendo has a history of supporting older platforms with ports. We'll likely see a situation similar to Super Mario Galaxy/Pikmin where the games are released individually and in a combo pack.
I do not think that the switch 2 GameCube classics including Wind Waker will disqualify it as the Wii U version holds several major upgrades over the GameCube version such as cut down filler and gyro controls. Furthermore, Nintendo has stated multiple times that a game being on the Switch Classics line does not disqualify it from a remaster.
Less likely: Oracle of Seasons and Ages remake
This is something that's been rumored for the last two decades. I find it unlikely primarily because greezo has already veered towards developing original 2d games and I doubt they would invest time into developing a remake of these games even if using the same engine they used for Links Awakening and Echoes of Wisdom.
Moderately likely: Ocarina of Time Remaster/remake
Ocarina of Time is one of the most popular Zelda games pre-BOTW. It's consistently sold well on almost every platform that it's been released on. We could see a remake/remaster of it, but don't set your expectations too high. I doubt we're going to see a gorgeous ultra 4k remake of OOT. If it's releasing soon, it's likely been in development for Switch 1 initially, which means that it's going to be limited by the Switch in terms of visual scope, even if it is moving development to Switch 2.
It's also extremely unlikely that Nintendo is directly developing this remaster.
If it exists it's likely being developed by a smaller studio. Also, there's a chance that it could be that it's going to be a remaster of the 3DS version with slightly upgraded character models similar to Luigi's Mansion 2 HD or Miitopia.
Still, I'm going to put this as only a moderately likely announcement as Twilight Princess has wider appeal.
My hopes
Personally, what I hope to see is firstly, a Twilight Princess HD port with 60 fps and fixed input lag. Twilight Princess is my second-favorite Zelda game and it deserves to have an updated release on Switch 1/2. The Wii U version of Twilight Princess was mediocre with a bad frame rate, a downgraded inventory system, and input lag. A switch version could fix these issues if there's actual effort put into it.
The other thing I hope to see is a new Triforce Heroes game. I loved Triforce Heroes on the 3DS. I found the multiplayer to be extremely enjoyable as it required actual coordination. I found it to be better designed than Link Between Worlds which had overly easy puzzles and combat. If the game is rereleased or gets a sequel on Switch/Switch 2, it could give people a better chance to discover how great the Triforce Heroes formula actually is.
It would also be a great way to show off the new voice chat features of the Switch 2.
Anyway, all this is speculation. If any of these predictions don't come true , please don't burn me at the stake.
