Nintendo's recent 40th Anniversary Legend of Zelda Direct heavily featured the upcoming remake of Ocarina of Time, but conspicuously omitted any announcements regarding remasters or ports of other beloved Zelda titles for the Nintendo Switch. This decision left many fans disappointed, particularly those hoping to see enhanced versions of The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD made available on current hardware.
Wind Waker HD, originally released on Wii U in 2013 with significant upgrades over the 2003 GameCube version, remains exclusive to that console. While an earlier iteration of Wind Waker was added to the Nintendo Switch Online Game Boy Advance library, the Wii U version offered a superior experience. It included improvements such as a resolution boost, faster loading times, and quality-of-life adjustments that streamlined gameplay, especially in the latter half of the game. Despite not achieving the same level of influence as Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker's design principles continue to resonate in modern Zelda titles, making its continued absence from the Switch a missed opportunity.
A similar situation applies to Twilight Princess HD, another Wii U exclusive that has not yet found its way to the Switch. This mirrors expectations set by Nintendo's celebrations for other major franchises. For Mario's 35th anniversary, the company released Super Mario 3D All-Stars, a limited-time bundle featuring three classic Mario games updated with improved visuals and frame rates for the Switch. The absence of a comparable Zelda compilation, especially when the best versions of iconic games like Wind Waker and Twilight Princess are confined to the Wii U, has drawn criticism.
Instead of a broad celebration of Zelda's history through remasters, the direct provided an in-depth look at the Ocarina of Time remake, which is slated for release on November 5. The remake boasts a faithful representation of the original with subtle modern enhancements, such as the addition of a dedicated jump button. While the remake is expected to be a strong entry, the lack of new life for other classic Zelda titles on the Switch suggests that fans may have to wait for a future milestone, perhaps the franchise's 50th anniversary, for such releases.