‘Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker’ is Coming to Nintendo Switch 2 After Nintendo’s Best Ron Swanson Impression, But There’s a Catch

I’m genuinely confused by how I feel right now. I, like many others, have been banging the drum for Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD to make a reappearance because why would you ever put them on the Wii U and nothing else? When the Switch 2 was first announced, it gave a glimmer of hope to those of us still staring out of our windows pining for the return of those classic games. And the entire time we’ve been waiting, this was Nintendo:

WE ARE GETTING ‘WIND WAKER’ ON SWITCH 2… BUT, THERE’S A CATCH

So, in the pettiest “Here, DAMN” move ever, Nintendo has finally given us Wind Waker. On Switch 2. Via Nintendo Switch 2 Online GameCube Classics. I mean, at this point, I just gotta take what I get. Because this move makes it pretty obvious that we aren’t getting the HD version. Maybe there’s still hope for Twilight Princess HD. [Editor’s Note: Still, at least everyone gets to experience the best iteration of Link!]

Now, this isn’t necessarily a problem because people will get to experience one of the best Zelda games ever. But for those of us who were there 3,000 years ago when the strength of the sails failed? We remember that particularly tedious section of the game that was the Triforce Quest. This was made even more tedious by the fact that sailing wasn’t particularly fast. So, the HD version introduced the Swift Sail. But, guess what? You — yes, you — reader who may not have been alive when the OG game dropped, get to experience Wind Waker as we did. In all its glory and (very) slight frustration.

This is still a classic game by all metrics

Don’t let me scare you away from it. From art style to story to gameplay, Wind Waker is an undisputed Hall of Fame entry in the Zelda canon. It’s just a truly odd decision on Nintendo’s part to present what is objectively not the best version of the game to fans and those who have never played it. But then again, Nintendo is somehow really good at odd decisions.