Nintendo’s E3 presentation this year was predictably exciting, and it saved some of the best news for last. The company’s flagship seriesThe Legend of Zeldais getting a lot of love over the next year or two despite Nintendo’s claims that it would not be doing anything special for the 35th anniversary. Witha new trailer forBreath of the Wild 2coming alongside news of new DLC forHyrule Warriors,a smaller but no less notable announcement may have passed many viewers by.
Nintendo is releasing a special Game & Watch unit loaded with classicZeldacontent. The tiny console will include the originalLegend of Zelda, its sequelZelda 2: The Adventure of Link, and theoriginal Game Boy version ofLink’s Awakening, too. If all of that is still too modern for the true retro enthusiasts out there, it will also include a version of the Game & Watch gameVermin, with Link as the controllable character.
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It may not have the high-octane thrills of today’sBreath of the Wild 2news, but this looks like it could be a delightful little addition to the collection of any Zelda aficionado. The first twoZeldagames are classics in their own right and laid the groundwork for what would become one of the most beloved and enduring series of video games in history. In fact the developers forBreath of the Wilddirectly cited the original game as a huge influence on their approach to world design. On top of that, any Switch owners who picked up the remake from 2019 may well be intrigued to take a look athowLink’s Awakeningcompares to the original version.
Die hard Nintendo fans will notice the similarities between this anda similar offering for theSuper Marioanniversary last year. As with theMarioversion, the unit can be used as a clock or as a timer as well as for playing the included games. Whether theZeldaGame & Watch will be subject to the same limited availability as theMarioone remains to be seen.
All in all, the system appears to be a pleasant little reminder of the series' roots, and a way to carry around three classic games in an easily portable and unobtrusive fashion. It’s a little window intoZeldahistory, and with any luck, this will keep some fans distracted for long enough for Nintendo to try and keep to itsprojected release window of 2022 forBreath of the Wild2.
Game & Watch: The Legend of Zeldawill be available from November 12th.
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