The 35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda series is coming up, and Nintendo might pull another Super Mario 3D All-Stars and release a Zelda 3D All-Stars collection for the Switch. This raises the question of what games would make it into the collection, especially considering how low-effort the Mario one appeared to be to many fans.
A subscription to the Nintendo Switch Online service gives access to the first three games in The Legend of Zelda series. The system also has Breath of the Wild, the remake of Link's Awakening, the two Hyrule Warriors games, and a sequel to Breath of the Wild is on the way. Zelda fans have no shortage of content on the Switch, but there are still some huge titles from the series that have yet to make the jump to the system.
February 21 marks the 35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda series. If a Zelda 3D All-Stars exists, then it will likely be announced shortly before or on the anniversary. The two most likely games to appear in the collection are Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. The games in Super Mario 3D All-Stars are run through enhanced emulation, so it would be easy for Nintendo to do the same with the N64 Zelda games. There is also the possibility of the 3DS ports of both games coming to the system instead, as they had upgraded visuals and included new quality of life features. These games would require a lot more work to port, however, so it is possible Nintendo would choose to go the easier route and use the N64 originals.
Other Zelda Games For A 35th Anniversary Collection
Two of the remaining Wii U exclusives that haven't made the jump to the Switch are the HD remasters of Twilight Princess and Wind Waker. These have been notable omissions from the Switch's library for a while now, and it makes sense for Nintendo to hold them back for the Zelda 3D All-Stars collection. The two N64 Zelda games and the Wii U remasters would make for a great collection, even if Nintendo did charge full price for them, as it did with Super Mario 3D All-Stars.
A port of Skyward Sword is also a possibility, but it feels like Nintendo would sell that separately. It would take a considerable amount of work to remaster Skyward Sword, both in terms of its visuals and completely redoing the control scheme. There have been reports of a Skyward Sword port for the Switch in the past, and it could be something announced this year, but it's unlikely to be part of a collection. The same can be said for the Zelda games on the DS and 3DS. They used 3D graphics, but they would take so much work to port that they may as well be remade from the ground up.
A Zelda 3D All-Stars that included minimal ports of the N64 and GameCube Zelda games would still be an amazing collection, considering the caliber of the games on offer. It's unclear if Nintendo has plans to release such a collection, but players will know for sure soon, as the 35th anniversary of the Legend of Zelda series is only a few weeks away.