Last year Nintendo marked the 35th anniversary of Super Mario Bros with a number of limited-time events (including the release of Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy as part of a bundle set, and launching the addictive Super Mario Bros 35 on the Switch). I liken the Super Mario franchise to Nintendo’s heart – and I liken the Zelda franchise to Nintendo’s soul.

This year The Legend of Zelda turns 35, and given the fireworks around Mario’s 35th birthday, it seems highly likely Nintendo will mark Zelda’s birthday in a similar fashion.

In light of this momentous moment, I have a few things on my wishlist…

1. A remake of either the original Legend of Zelda or A Link to the Past. I respect the first game for being… well, first, but A Link to the Past is my favourite Zelda title of all time. For a brief moment Breath of the Wild overhauled it… but in the end, A Link to the Past retained the position. A remastered version (think Link’s Awakening) would be glorious.
2. Breath of the Wild 2. This game was teased back in 2019 and appeared to be using the same game engine and map as the first one. Hopefully this means the sequel is well into development and not too far away. Releasing it in the 35th anniversary year would make sense.
3. A Mario Maker-style game, built around making maps and dungeons. A somewhat disappointing version of this found its way into Link’s Awakening on the Switch (as a subgame), but I’m talking something fully realised as its own, unique game.

Nintendo being Nintendo, the chances are whatever they decide to do, it will come out of the blue. The only thing I truly believe we’ll see is Breath of the Wild 2. Beyond that, we could well get some truly wacky ideas, in the way only Nintendo can manage.