9 Zelda Games Not Available On Nintendo Switch
You’ll need one of Nintendo’s older systems to play these Zelda games.
Nintendo has tried to make as many Zelda games as possible available on the Switch because of how popular it is.The success of the Switch is closely tied to the success of the Legend of Zelda series. Breath of the Wild was a big part of the Switch’s early success.
Over the years since the Switch came out, and especially since the start of Nintendo Switch Online, a lot of the main Zelda games are now playable on the platform wherever you are. But there are still some key items that aren’t there. So, which Zelda games will you have to play on more than one system to finish?
The Wind Waker
The Wind Waker is Link’s first single-player journey that can’t be played on the Switch. This journey at sea is well-known for being the first game with Toon Link. It was the first major Zelda game for the Game Cube, and because it became such a cult classic, it was remade in HD and put on the Wii U in 2013.
The Wii U Game Pad isn’t used much in this version of the game, so a move to Switch seemed inevitable. However, as the Switch gets older, it feels like Wind Waker may have been forgotten.
Twilight Princess
Twilight Princess was the second single-player Zelda game for the Game Cube. It was also the first game for the Wii. This darker take on the Zelda formula was very popular, and Zelda fans were looking for a big story like this.
Like The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess got a new version on the Wii U in 2016. This was the last year the Wii U was in use before the Switch took its place. Even though the Switch is coming out soon, no work has been done to bring either version of this dark Zelda game to it.
Phantom Hourglass
Phantom Hourglass was the first new Zelda game to come out for the Nintendo DS. It was a straight follow-up to The Wind Waker. Toon Link is controlled by touching the screen, making full use of the DS technology. This gives him a unique way to fight and lets him sail his new sailboat across the ocean.
Since Phantom Hourglass relies on the touch screen, it would be hard to port it straight to the Switch. However, a remake in the style of Link’s Awakening would be the best way to get this story on the Switch.
Spirit Tracks
Spirit Tracks takes place many years after Phantom Hourglass, in a world that is now on land and linked by trains. Some Zelda fans don’t like how the train works, but it is a clever way to link the settlements instead of an open world, which would not have been possible on the original DS.
Like Phantom Hourglass, this game relies a lot on touch screen controls, so a straight port wouldn’t work. However, a remake similar to Link’s Awakening would be good for this game as well.
A Link Between Worlds
A Link Between Worlds is another single-player Zelda game that is not on the Switch. This well-liked 3DS game is a new take on the famous 2D Zelda game A Link to the Past, which can be played online with a Nintendo Switch.
Even though the game is based on A Link to the Past, it has a whole new story and a new way to play where Link can turn into a picture and move around the map in different ways. A Link Between Worlds doesn’t use the touch screen like the Zelda games for the DS, so it would be much easier to port.
Four Swords
Even though Zelda’s online games aren’t as popular as the single-player ones, they are still a lot of fun and add to the overall story of The Legend of Zelda. For example, Four Swords was first released as a bonus with the Game Boy Advance port of A Link to the Past, but it is also where the enemy Vaati made his first appearance in the series.
This game lets you take control of one of four different colored Links with your friends. It’s a short but fun journey. This game was put on the 3DS as a free download for an anniversary in 2011, and it showed once again how fun it is to play with other people on handheld systems.
Four Swords Adventures
With Four Swords Adventures, a full original update to the first Four Swords, the game proved to be popular enough to warrant a follow-up. This is one of the harder Zelda games to play, since it was made only for the Game Cube and was meant to be played with Game Boy Advances.
This is one of the harder Zelda games to get and play because both the accessories you need and the game itself are expensive and hard to find. This is a shame, because this is one of the most interesting and unique online Zelda games.
Tri Force Heroes
Tri Force Heroes is an original multiplayer Zelda game that builds on the Four Swords games but adds a little more depth and gets rid of the purple Link, making it a three-player adventure.
Snake Game is about working together and talking to each other, but it is also about dress. Link can pick up items as he goes through the levels and turn them into clothes. These outfits give Link special abilities. We can see this concept in Breath of the Wild, and it’s fun to think that Tri Force Heroes might have been the source of this idea.
3DS Remakes
Both the original Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask for the N64 can be played on the Switch through Nintendo Switch Online, but the remakes for the 3DS, which came out in 2011 and 2015, can only be played on the original system.
Even though the original games are still fun to play, most people think that the 3DS remakes are better because the graphics are smoother and there are other changes to make life easier. It’s great that people with a Switch can play these games, but it seems like a missed chance when a better version is locked on an older system.
