The Legend of Zelda is one of the most respected franchises in all of gaming. Debuting as an NES exclusive title in 1986, The Legend of Zelda created an immersive title filled to the brim with varied and diverse dungeons for players to tackle. Many consider the game to be the first true adventure game, and it isn't without its reasons. Creator Shigeru Miyamoto sought to replicate his childhood memories of exploring the countryside, and the game really translates those feelings of exploration and being lost quite beautifully.
Over the years, its formula has evolved multiple times and has mostly managed to remain relevant and increasingly ambitious. 2021 marks the 35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda series ,and fans are already zealous contemplating all sorts of theories and speculations about the gifts or surprises that Nintendo could have planned. While the impending release of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 would be great as a celebration, there are some other possibilities that could be better off filling those shoes.
A Remaster/Remake of a Classic Zelda
As much as fans would like to see The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 release this year, it'd be great to see one of the classic titles in an entirely new light. Many rumors have been running rampant recently, regarding the release of a classic Zelda remake. This could imply any of the earlier titles, but fan-speculation and rumors suggest a remake of one of the N64 titles. This leaves fans with only 2 options: either Zelda: Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask. Since these games are widely regarded as the best Zelda games, fans would love to see a remake of these games for the Nintendo Switch.
In addition to these 2 classics, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass also has a decent chance of a remaster for the Nintendo Switch. Just like the N64 classics, many rumors can be found online regarding the possibility of this game's remaster. Perhaps the most important of these rumors is about Nintendo filing a new trademark for Phantom Hourglass, which may suggest the developer is onto something.
While all three of these games are still playable to some extent, many modern gamers find the controls and relatively low framerates to be quite cumbersome. The 3DS remasters of the N64 titles also suffer from some of the same issues, hence a decent remaster or a remake would be a great gift for fans looking to visit these titles. Nintendo has shown its willingness in bringing such classics to life with recent releases such as The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, and fans believe the likelihood of one of these remasters to be the highest.
Something Entirely Else
Another possibility seems to be revolving around fans receiving something entirely new for the occasion. After all, the Skyward Sword announcement was slightly surprising, but it's a way for many newcomers to explore the lore's roots. However, there are no known rumors about the development of an entirely new Zelda game, and the relative silence around the Breath of the Wild 2's release points towards the chances of something like this being really slim. That being said, a surprise announcement of a new Zelda game has some possibility. Fans shouldn't expect much from this, as the best-case scenario could be just a formal announcement like Metroid Prime 4, if anything happened in this realm at all.
If that turns out to be the case, many fans want to see a spinoff title featuring princess Zelda as the protagonist. Princess Zelda has been shown as a competent fighter in Super Smash Bros. and many fans believe that she may star as a playable character in the upcoming Breath of the Wild 2 as well. The likelihood of such a thing happening is quite unlikely as Zelda's mage playstyle would be a radical departure from the heavily melee-oriented Zelda: Breath of the Wild. That should be a main game though, and as it stands, any new product before BotW2 is likely some sort of spin-off.
Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 Won't Probably Release This Year Anyway
While the recent Nintendo Direct presentation may have featured a bunch of new and interesting titles, the notable absence of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 has gotten fans worried. Ever since the announcement of the game at E3 2019, fans have been speculating a lot about the release date for the game and many believe the release date of the title to be sometime in 2021. Nintendo has mostly remained silent regarding the game's development and COVID-19 related delays must have probably pushed the potential release date to a much later date.
During the recent Nintendo Direct, all that was shared on the matter was an assurance statement that the development is going well, and fans would hopefully be treated to more information later this year. While some fans believe that Nintendo is being intentionally shy in revealing minor details in favor of a big surprise announcement this year, most signs point otherwise. The Legend of Zelda series is one of Nintendo's dearest franchises and it would be pretty absurd to see the developer refraining from building up more hype for what could be its biggest game of the year. Even if Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 somehow makes it in time for a 2021 release, it wouldn't be a true "surprise" as opposed to the other rumored and unannounced titles.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 is in development for the Nintendo Switch.