Nintendo Loves Remaking 3D Zelda Games, But For Some Reason, Not The 2D Classics

After months of speculation, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was unveiled for Switch 2 during this week’s Nintendo Direct. It’s the latest in a long line of remakes and remasters for Zelda 3D titles, but also raises the question: Why aren’t there new versions of the franchise’s first three mainline entries?

Nintendo has never remade The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, or The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. These 2D classics for NES and SNES are what made people fall in love with the action-adventure series to begin with. They even feature gameplay features still seen today in the series, like puzzle-filled dungeons, pot breaking, and satisfying secrets to discover.

Weirdly, the only 2D Zelda to get a proper remake is The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening on Switch. That’s the fourth entry in the mainline franchise, and while a dark-horse favorite of fans, it doesn’t have the same widespread acclaim as A Link to the Past. In fact, to this day, many still consider that SNES game as the pinnacle of the series.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past did get re-released on Game Boy Advance, with multiplayer-centric The Four Swords added on to the experience. That game’s version of Hyrule was also remade in A Link Between Worlds–so maybe Nintendo considers that 3DS title to be a remake of sorts.

But still, in a world where every 3D Zelda game has received the remake or remaster treatment (including Switch 2 Edition upgrades), it’s a bit odd Nintendo hasn’t given the same glow-ups to the original triforce of games in the franchise. Sure, I’d prefer new Zelda games over these, as someone who remembers playing A Link to the Past as a kid. But at the same time, those 2D classics deserve a second time in the spotlight.

Meanwhile, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time will see its second remake later this year on Switch 2 after previously getting a 3DS makeover in 2011. Nintendo withheld showing any gameplay in the reveal trailer, which hopefully signals bigger changes than just a visual overhaul.