Some Nintendo fans have been clamouring for the company's own take on achievements and trophies ever since the Xbox 360 generation started the trend in 2005, and the publisher is now finally giving in with the Switch 2 editions of its open-world Zelda games - but it's also making you pay for the privilege.
During its Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, the company showed off the Nintendo Switch 2 editions of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, which come with improved framerates (goodbye, cursed Korok Forest) and higher resolutions.
The Switch 2 editions' main difference, though, is its integration into the Nintendo App. While playing Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom on the shiny new console, you'll be able to set waypoints from your phone, get help finding hidden secrets, and, most notably, unlock achievements through the app. Screenshots from the Direct show that the app tracks things like the number of shrines you've completed and rupees you've collected.
ZELDA'S GONNA HAVE AN ACHIEVEMENT SYSTEM LET'S GOOO pic.twitter.com/l0igKph96pApril 2, 2025
Nintendo hasn't yet confirmed how much the upgrades will cost in most territories, though the Japanese Nintendo website says you'll need to lay down 1,000 yen (roughly $10) to upgrade Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, which is slightly egregious for a relatively minor next-gen upgrade. At least the Switch 2 upgrades will be available at no extra cost if you're subscribed to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.
Part of the fun of achievements/trophies is also the fact that they're a cross-game form of progression that's tied to your account rather than one specific title, and they can also force you to play in really creative, unexpected ways to get that 100% completion. The Zelda achievements so far just seem like a series of checklists counting how much stuff you've done across Hyrule, which is a little disappointing since Breath of the Wild was in part so acclaimed because of how it threw away the typical checklist-y design of most modern open-world games. You were exploring for exploration's sake - not to tick some arbitrary boxes.
For more, check out the upcoming Switch 2 games and all the launch games available come June 5.
