Nintendo fans are very excited to see what comes of The Legend of Zelda in 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 big Zelda release coming this year is The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, a remastered edition of The 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 of Zelda'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 of The Legend of Zelda so 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 HD stands alone in 2021. Although it's a strong and influential game on its own, it seems a little lonely without any other parts of Zelda's history coming to Switch to celebrate with it. Skyward Sword HD is a great pick for the anniversary, but Zelda fans can't help feeling like there could be more going on this year.
Skyward Sword and Zelda Fans' Expectations
Skyward Sword was a surprise announcement on its own. Although its strong story and major contributions to Zelda lore were great, some fans weren't fond of its reliance on motion controls. Those fans are looking forward to Skyward Sword HD's adjusted controls that 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 of Breath of the Wild, which stands at the very opposite end of the Zelda timeline from Skyward Sword. They make an interesting contrast and show how far Link and Zelda have come.
However, Nintendo set up some really specific expectations for The Legend of Zelda's anniversary last year with the Super Mario anniversary. It famously launched Super 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 that Super Mario 3D All-Stars brought three major games under the same roof to celebrate Super Mario's birthday. Considering that kind of effort, it seemed natural that Nintendo would decide to do the same thing for the Zelda anniversary this year.
Nintendo has instead made it pretty apparent that it's not doing anything like that. If it was, then it seems like Skyward Sword HD's solo announcement would have been replaced with the announcement of some kind of Legend of Zelda All-Stars compilation. The spotlight is on Skyward Sword alone. Even though Nintendo has clearly done a lot of work on Skyward Sword for 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.
Skyward Sword's Worthy Zelda Companions
Zelda fans felt pretty confident that they knew what would be in a three-game Zelda compilation released for the 35th anniversary. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time seems like an obvious choice, considering how many Zelda fans swear by it as the best game in the whole franchise. Ocarina of Time was responsible for establishing Ganondorf as a major recurring antagonist, as well as introducing classic items like the titular Ocarina. Even so, it looks like Ocarina of Time isn't coming to Switch like Zelda fans expected.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker seems 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 beloved Zelda titles out there. It already got a Wii U port before, so Nintendo would have a leg up in porting it. Nintendo also could've gone for Twilight Princess on Switch, which could've linked Skyward Sword and The Wind Waker, bringing the Gamecube-Wii generation of Zelda games together on Switch.
In spite of all these great options, Nintendo is only putting Skyward Sword on 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 2 is more likely to come out in that window if it comes out this year, in spite of leakers claiming Breath of the Wild 2 won't release until 2022. If Nintendo is planning to release anything other Zelda remakes, its running out of time to announce them.
Helping Skyward Sword Stand Tall
Nintendo has certainly gone a long way in making Skyward Sword HD a success on Switch. On top of adding button controls, Nintendo also promises that it's updated Skyward Sword's motion controls to improve them. There's also clearly still interest in replaying Skyward Sword, seeing how well Skyward Sword sold preorders in February. In spite of all this, though, there's still just something strange about Skyward Sword coming 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.
Maybe Breath of the Wild 2 is the only game that Nintendo wants Skyward Sword to pair with. Nintendo fans are already expecting the company to talk in depth about Breath of the Wild 2 at E3, so if this is really the pairing that Nintendo has in mind, then how it handles the Zelda franchise at E3 will make Nintendo's mindset clear. If Skyward Sword HD is alone in its quest to sate fans until Breath of the Wild's sequel comes out, then hopefully it really lives up to its adjustments. Maybe the 40th anniversary will come with a Zelda compilation more like what Nintendo fans expected this year.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD releases on July 16 for Nintendo Switch.