Forget another Ocarina of Time remake – Nintendo needs to get weird with Zelda's 40th anniversary

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Opinion | Zelda's most exciting games have nothing to do with rehashing its greatest hits

Ocarina of Time
(Image credit: Nintendo)

This February marks a 40-year milestone for one of the most influential Nintendo series to grace our consoles. The Legend of Zelda is deep in its Switch era as of 2026, with games like Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, and Echoes of Wisdom leading the charge. There's also an official Legend of Zelda movie adaptation in the works, projected for a 2027 debut. No matter how far we stray from the early days of the Famicom and NES, it's clear that Link's adventures are demonstrably timeless.

Perhaps that's why Zelda games come around like clockwork. Whether it's a 3D entry, a top-down endeavor, or one of multiple spin-offs, we usually get one 'Legend of Zelda' branded title released every year. These are hard to predict, but since the reveal of Lego's upcoming Ocarina of Time set, rumors have swirled concerning an Ocarina of Time remake.

I adore Ocarina of Time. It marks my first foray into Hyrule – the title's kooky characters, sense of endless action and exploration, and Koji Kondo's magical score all hooked me on Zelda. But I've played Ocarina of Time. Many times! I hope that Nintendo appropriately honors Zelda's 40th anniversary, but I don't think a second remake is a particularly thrilling way to do so. If you want to get an idea of what else we could enjoy, look no further than the parade of celebrations trotted out for Zelda's 25th anniversary in 2011.

Fears of the outcome

Four Swords Adventures

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Judging by Nintendo's celebrations, Zelda's 25th birthday was much more important than its 20th. 2011 saw the release of Wii game Skyward Sword, the aforementioned Ocarina of Time 3D on Nintendo 3DS (alongside a limited edition of the console), the Hyrule Historia collector's book, and worldwide tour dates from The Legend of Zelda Symphony.

Amid this festival of delights was something special: the Four Swords Anniversary Edition for Nintendo 3DS. It was sort of a remake of the Game Boy Advance original co-op game, but by bringing a single-player experience to the game for the first time and reinvigorating its online player base, it was almost a brand new release in its own right.

Could we see a similar transformation of a recent title? Triforce Heroes deserves another chance, but its reputation as a multiplayer mishap may cause some pause. Meanwhile, DS entries The Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks are languishing in the Zelda graveyard, with no official way to play them on modern platforms. The DS duo could do with a lovely little Anniversary two-pack for the Switch 2.

Hyrule Warriors trailer screenshot showing Link, a blond male character wearing green cloth amor with metal plated shoulders while wielding the Master Sword

(Image credit: Nintendo)

That's not as big a stretch as you might think. Nintendo does like to honor forgotten gems and give them a new lease of life. In 2016, Nintendo celebrated Zelda's 30th birthday with Hyrule Warriors, Twilight Princess HD, and the release of My Nintendo Picross: Twilight Princess – the latter of which is an adorable entry that only made me hungry for more Zelda puzzle games.

Hyrule is malleable, and it's already given us so many nice surprises. Give me a Match-3 game with rupees; give me Return of the Obra Dinn set in a Zelda dungeon; or Zelda-inspired Peggle where you throw bombs. Then, of course, there is a wildcard option nobody dares to hope for: a new 3D game.

Majora's Mask

(Image credit: Nintendo)

The Zelda universe is living proof that Nintendo can do much more than pump out the same games and remakes

The story of Nintendo's quick development of Majora's Mask is the stuff of legend, leaning on crafty rescoping and recycled assets to make one of the best Zelda games to date.

Could we see another smaller, more experimental Zelda game that hits a similar note? Nintendo likes to surprise and delight fans, and many would appreciate a more confined but denser Zelda world than Tears of the Kingdom especially if it meant playing a new game sooner.

The Zelda universe is living proof that Nintendo can do much more than pump out the same games and remakes, but first, we need to stop begging for the latter. Past entries have given us everything from rhythm games to a crossbow simulator and a full-blown Dynasty Warriors-like spin-off franchise... so why settle for retracing old steps?

Ultimately, we don't know what Zelda's 40th anniversary holds in store just yet. The answer will be here soon enough – but for now, I beg my fellow Link-lovers to be a little more imaginative.

Still rocking your 2011 handheld? Our picks of the best 3DS games will keep you company.

Nathan Ellingsworth
Nathan Ellingsworth
Freelance contributor

A seasoned journalist, video presenter, and prolific podcaster, Nathan is obsessed with all things Nintendo and Pokémon. After starting as features editor at Switch Player Magazine, he later became Senior Pokémon Writer for Dexerto. Nowadays, you can catch him freelancing for IGN, WhatCulture, Nintendo Life, Polygon, Lock-On, or creating his own Pokémon content.

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