When The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker made its public debut, it was met with a blend of confusion and anger. As the Nintendo GameCube had stunned players with the ambitious fidelity of Rogue Squadron and Wave Race, the cel-shaded, cartoony approach was in contrast to the Link seen during the 2000 Space World demo. Some dreamed of a more “realistic” Hyrule, trending darker and more dramatic. They’d eventually get something more tribal tattooed in Twilight Princess, but in the interim they’d have to eat crow. Wind Waker is in frequent rotation for the best in the series, illustrating the greatness possible when Nintendo sticks to their guns creatively. A legacy I’m concerned they’re willing to bail on.
Over the last month, two rumors were confirmed true. That some their most popular games would be seeing modernized remakes, with a complete visual overhaul. They are The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Star Fox 64 respectively. The Ocarina teaser shows a doll-like young Link napping in a more finely textured tree house. Tapestry and visibly woven threads feeling reminiscent of Game of Thrones. Star Fox, judging by its recent demo, is not bluffing on the “remake” aspect, as the arrangement and enemy placements across Meteo are a near replica.
In both instances, it’s unclear what a visual revamp is ultimately going to provide. People have been vocal about Star Fox’s high fidelity being to an uncanny fault. Ocarina is playing a more dangerous game, vying to usurp the emotional investment people have with the original, its atmosphere and appearance being a huge component for that. Being the most popular entry in their series is not the only connection the two games have, which may reveal what Nintendo’s longterm angle is here.
The surprise Star Fox remake approached on the heels of the surprise Star Fox appearance in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, where his Glen Powell powered role turned out to be more than a cameo. Meanwhile, more set leaks and brand guides are being spotted from Netflix’s upcoming live action adaptation of The Legend of Zelda, with a Hylian expansion to Universal’s theme parks likely on the way. Cross-media endeavours seem to be a big priority for Nintendo right now. They can be mighty profitable, as we’ve seen from the backwinds generated by Fallout and The Last of Us’ TV adaptations. But they also demand a bit of woodworking, whittling, carving, as something too distinctive will inherently look out of sync across appearances.
Nintendo’s relationship with its own branding seems counter-intuitive at times, even self-destructive. It’s believed that the stagnation in series like Paper Mario was the fault of refusing to modify the standard appearance of Goombas and Koopa-Troopas, which the original games did plenty of. Since the success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie (the Minions one, not the Bob Hoskins one), this course seems to be steering in a new direction. Denizens of the Mushroom Kingdom have begun to more closely resemble their on-screen counterparts, the most dramatic being Donkey Kong, who debuted an entirely new look in Mario Kart World.
To invest on style and fashion is a risk, but its one that’s always seemed to paid off for Nintendo. Making Wario more subversive and dadaist elevated him from Mario counterpart to a more self-sustaining weirdo. Splatoon feels like one of the most contemporary games in their library, and the love it receives from its younger, queerer audience seems reflective of this landing. But to play this cross-media game wholeheartedly requires lobbing off these inconsistencies. Polishing ones self until they are a frictionless sphere. It sounds logical in the board room, but it performs pretty disastrously, with games as indistinct as Concord becoming some of the biggest wrecks in gaming history.
Nintendo’s made plenty of these idiosyncratic risks in the past, successfully, and have coasted off them for multiple console generations. In a world being awashed in AI, which creates horrors out of the lowest common denominator by design, I would hate to see gaming’s most storied feel pressured to reduce themselves just to blend in. We’re already passed out from the fumes. Ennui for over-produced gaming trends manifesting as memes. One of the most memorable being a AAA rendition of Super Mario Bros. It’d be surreal if we end up in that exact place despite the omen.