We waited 532 days for a Nintendo Direct and all we got was a bad Wii port for Nintendo Switch.
Okay, so maybe this is a little harsh on The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, but your announcement was indicative of Nintendo’s biggest problem: the Japanese giant simply cannot maintain a healthy launch cadence without going back to its tried and tested strategy of I release older games, most of which we’ve played countless times before.
I have already expressed my frustration at how a disappointing number of Wii U games were ported to Nintendo Switch, often with little or no enhancement to speak of (did we really need a ‘New Funky Mode’ in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze?). But now that Nintendo’s failed console well has apparently dried up, the company has turned its attention to the Wii and even the Nintendo 3DS. We’re getting Skyward Sword HD, one of the most divisive Zelda games in recent memory, and a game that I don’t remember anyone begging for, Miitopia.
Really, Nintendo?
Instead of creating games that take full advantage of the Nintendo Switch feature set, Nintendo is apparently happy to fill the Switch game library with even more ports from its previous systems. And, to be fair, it’s easy to see why. These reissues sell by the millions, as people flock to revisit classic titles or games that they may simply have missed the first time.
But what about old Nintendo supporters, like me? Does Nintendo worry about the first day of adopting its hardware that, perhaps foolishly, will cause each generation to try something new? Honestly, when it comes to new experiences on the Switch, Mario may well jump in my head and say “fuggedaboutit”.
Nintendo’s awakening
“Watching Nintendo Direct today can often feel like déjà vu.”
During the first year of the Nintendo Switch, I admit that we were totally spoiled with success after success. In 2017, Nintendo released Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 2, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, Fire Emblem Warriors, Mario Kart 8: Deluxe, ARMS and Xenoblade Chronicles 2. I would even play 1 – 2-Switch to that list too, simply because it’s still the only game that really shows what HD Rumble on Joy-Con can do.
This stellar launch year gave the console some much needed boost and, more importantly, painted a rosy picture of what was to come. It also helped to dispel any fears that Wii U owners might have that the horrendous software droughts that plagued the previous generation were a thing of the past.
Unfortunately, Nintendo has struggled to keep its excellent start on the Nintendo Switch and has resorted to some rather unpleasant methods that, while great for new users, leave a bitter taste in my mouth.
So far, Nintendo has released (or is planning to release) 15 games that we’ve seen and probably already paid for. Virtually all of these titles come at a very high price, and Nintendo has gone so far as to launch a compilation of classic Mario games that come with a finite release date, just to encourage impulse purchases.
Watching Nintendo Direct today can often seem like déjà vu, but I had high hopes that, having spent almost two years without one, we would really see something new and exciting. How foolish I was. Instead, I watched with disgust as we were introduced to third-party games that had largely expired and waited for the inevitable new release that is sold in the guise of another lazy Switch port. Cue The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD.
Skyward bored
“Playing Super Mario Sunshine at 30 frames per second at 720p, with defects and everything, just doesn’t solve it.”
Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with bringing back older titles. I’m a fanatic for a great remastering or collection, but not when there is no effort to make the title better, or better placed on the new hardware.
There is a strange exception, of course, like the remake of Link’s Awakening – but you only need to look at Demon’s Souls on PS5 or Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Xbox X Series to see what a suitable remaster can accomplish. The recently announced Diablo 2: Resurrected also shames companies like Skyward Sword HD.
Microsoft is even making retro games that you should already have, better than ever, thanks to the FPS Boost and Smart Delivery feature. And with Sony and Xbox releasing free next-generation updates from left to right and from the center, playing Super Mario Sunshine at 30 frames per second in 720p, with defects and everything, just doesn’t solve it.
Watching The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD appear during Nintendo Direct, with its soup-like textures and faded color palette, brought back painful memories that I’d rather forget and provoked the same kind of disenchanted reaction that I felt for most of Switch offerings in recent years: I’ve played this before and will not pay full price to do it again when there’s no real incentive to do so.
Soft breath
It can be argued that the biggest news during Nintendo Direct was for a game that didn’t even exist. Nintendo revealed that no details of Breath of the Wild 2 would be shared, despite its continued silence since the game’s initial reveal at E3 2019. Other notable Switch games like Bayonetta 3, Metroid Prime 4 and the recently announced Project Triangle Strategy they are so far away that they may well have been part of a fever dream at this point.
And that says it all, really. I’m definitely not the only one who is desperate to hear more about new games on the Switch instead of reliving the past for what seems like the millionth time. Come on, Nintendo – give me something new to play now.