Nintendo had somewhat of a quiet year in 2020. With Animal Crossing finally releasing, Ninty relied (mostly) on re-releases of old titles to get them through such unprecedented times.
2021 is shaping up to be a jam-packed year for Nintendo, that’s if you believe in the rumour mill, feeding it your soul in exchange for on-the-fence information. Let’s start with the (late) mid-gen hardware refresh for the Nintendo Switch, the heavily rumoured Switch Pro.
Nintendo Switch Pro in 2021?
Sources such as Nintendo Life point to an upscaled 4K approach with an upgraded Nvidia Tegra x1 chip that runs the current Switch model. Alongside a mini LED screen to allow for deep blacks and full-colour pallets, the Switch Pro is geared up to upgrade the Nintendo experience in the way the News line of 3DS consoles dreamed.
Pocket-Lint makes a good argument for the Nintendo Switch Pro to release in 2021 with multiple sources claiming so, but will it eventually surface? The Switch Lite was deep in the rumour mill before being officially revealed by Nintendo last year; maybe it’s time for hardcore players to get a hardware refresh. Recent titles such as ‘Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity’ show that the current hardware struggles to keep up with increasingly demanding releases. Is the writing on the wall with this one? Let’s hope so.
Nintendo: The Legend of Zelda 35th Anniversary
‘The Legend of Zelda’ franchise will be celebrating it’s 35th anniversary this year. With the ‘Super Mario 3D All-Stars Collection’ and ‘Super Mario 3D world‘ re-release appearing in Mario’s birthday celebrations last year, fans want the same for Link and co.
Two HD remasters begging for a re-release on Nintendo Switch from Wii U are ‘The Windwaker HD’ and ‘Twilight Princess HD‘. Maybe Nintendo has been waiting for this moment?
‘Skyward Sword HD’ has been in and out of the rumour mill since Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma teased a port at the Zelda Orchestra Concert in Nov 2018. Whilst it’s a beautiful game that showcases the Wii’s motion plus controller, it’s not a fully accessible outing. Then there are the hardware limitations which stops Skyward Sword from being the most visually stunning title in the franchise. Vanilla controls and a port would be most welcome.
BotW 2 Making Fans go Wild?
Finally, ‘Breath of the Wild 2’ has the whole Zelda community confused and excited simultaneously. Will Gannon make a full return? Will Breath of the Wild 2 improve on the originals formula? Or will it only be a glorified DLC pack? Hopefully, we will all get some concrete details on a release date and some plot points to over analyse.
Other anniversaries are gracing 2021 for Nintendo. ‘Donkey Kong’ is celebrating 40 years of existence this year. Whilst DK hasn’t received much attention recently; a collection could happen as a timed-exclusive. Everyone has a set of DK bongos still, right?
Metroid is also enjoying it’s 35th Anniversary this year. Let that sink in for a moment Retro Studio fans. ‘Metroid Prime 4’ has been in the works (and in development hell) for a while now; maybe this is an excellent time to release a definite release date and full trailer? Let’s not forget the HD Collection treatment of previous prime titles, which would be a beautiful treat for every Nintendo Switch owner.
Releasing This Year?
Looking forward to other notable titles in development, we have ‘Super Mario 3D World + Bowsers Fury’ incoming. The highly anticipated ‘Bravely Default II’ will follow that on 26/02, with ‘Monster Hunter Rise’ making its way home to Nintendo on 26/03.
Currently in development are some highly anticipated titles such as ‘Bayonetta 3’, ‘Baldo‘, ‘Monster hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin’ and ‘New Pokémon Snap!’ These titles are either released in 2021 or have a chance of releasing this year.
When I say 2021 belongs to Nintendo, I don’t say It lightly. A new console release, a slew of re-releases and a couple of highly anticipated first-party sequels are just what Dr Mario ordered.
