It’s been a little over a week since the release of
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake, but Zelda fans are already hungry for more (and I include myself
there!).
And while Nintendo hasn’t announced another major release for the
franchise just yet, a curious discovery on the company’s official
website has sparked speculation that one beloved adventure could finally
be making its way to Nintendo Switch Online.
A Link Between Worlds Appears to Be Coming to Switch Online
Following the remake’s launch, Nintendo recently launched
a new section
on Nintendo.com dedicated to the full catalog of games in The Legend of
Zelda franchise.
Called “Game History”, the page lists the series’ entries in release
order, allowing visitors to explore the history of Hyrule and see which
platforms each adventure originally launched on. You can also sort and
filter the games however you like, and there’s even a lovely little
feature that shows how old you were when each Zelda game came out!
However, the most interesting detail is that Nintendo’s website also
indicates which games are playable through Nintendo Switch Online. And
that’s where things get a little strange.
As spotted by fans on
Reddit, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is currently listed as
playable with Nintendo Switch Online on the official website. That’s
particularly interesting because the 2013 adventure was originally
released for
the Nintendo 3DS
and isn’t currently available through the subscription service.
As spotted by fans on Reddit, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is currently listed as playable with Nintendo Switch Online on the official website.
Naturally, this has led some players to believe Nintendo might be
preparing to bring the beloved handheld classic to modern platforms and
just let that accidentally slip! But I gotta say, A Link Between Worlds
is widely regarded as one of the standout entries in the franchise, and
its unique mechanic of allowing Link to transform into a painting and
move along walls would definitely make for a welcome addition to the
Switch Online library.
Still, not everyone is convinced this is an intentional tease. Some
players believe the listing is simply a website error that Nintendo will
eventually correct – after all, the company hasn’t announced any plans
to introduce Nintendo 3DS games to Switch Online, and the service
doesn’t currently offer a dedicated 3DS game library.
It is important to highlight that, at the time of writing, Nintendo
hasn’t publicly addressed the listing or announced that A Link Between
Worlds is coming to Nintendo Switch Online. And the game is still marked
as playable through the service on the official website, but that alone
isn’t enough to confirm anything!
Of course, this wouldn’t be the first time Nintendo fans have found
themselves digging through official websites for clues about upcoming
releases. And considering how many classic Zelda adventures remain
unavailable on modern hardware, it’s easy to understand why this
particular discovery has generated excitement.
For now, I’d recommend keeping expectations in check! A Link Between
Worlds joining Nintendo Switch Online would be fantastic news, but until
Nintendo says something officially, this is still firmly in rumor
territory. Hopefully, it’s a mistake that the company won’t be
correcting anytime soon.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Release Date
2013-11-22
ESRB
E For Everyone due to Fantasy Violence
Developer
Nintendo EAD
Publisher
Nintendo
