It’s the 35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, and we’re all anticipating a big celebration from Nintendo. Of course, we’ve got Breath of the Wild 2 coming soon, but surely Nintendo has more in store for one of its most iconic series. One of the best (and easiest) things would be a Zelda Collection for Switch. However, after the lackluster and pricey Super Mario 3D All-Stars, Nintendo really needs to go all out with this one.
Will a Zelda Collection come to Nintendo Switch?
Tomorrow we’re getting the first big first-party Nintendo Direct since 2019. Given that it’s a big year of anniversaries for the Big N, there’s no telling what might be revealed. Given the recent release of Super Mario 3D All-Stars and the enthusiastic reception it was met with, it’s very possible we’ll see a Zelda Collection announced for the Switch soon.
So far, the only Zelda games available for the Switch are:
- The Legend of Zelda (Nintendo Switch Online)
- The Legend of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (Nintendo Switch Online)
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Nintendo Switch Online)
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
That means only 4 out of the 19 mainline Zelda games are available on Nintendo’s current console. Strangely, more Zelda titles were available on the Wii U during its short lifetime than can be played on the Switch right now.
A Zelda Collection is a no-brainer for Nintendo, which is the only reason I have some doubt it’ll be developed. Nintendo continuously ignores opportunities to monetize its back catalog. When it does, we get overpriced, half-hearted products like Super Mario 3D All-Stars with weird caveats like them only being available for a specific amount of time.
If Nintendo does release a Zelda Collection for the franchise’s 35th anniversary, it needs to have some care put behind it. Even if the 2D and 3D titles are separated into two volumes, Nintendo should put the entirety of the series on the Switch. I don’t expect a massive remaster of multiple titles, but fans should at least get the chance to play them on in some form. It’s mindboggling that you have to hack a Switch to actually play most of Nintendo’s hits on its current-gen hardware. With a Zelda Collection, Nintendo could offer fans a way to pay for its classics instead of taking down ROM sites that provide a service the company is unwilling to.
