Let's Talk About some potential 1st party Switch ports

 Why stop at just the Wii U?

A couple of months ago I made a list of all of the Wii U games that, at the time, hadn't made their way over the Nintendo Switch yet. In the first two years of its life especially, the Switch saw many titles of its predecessor ported over. It made sense. The Wii U was a disappointment, a failure, but the quality of its titles was not one of the reasons why. The Switch architecture isn't that different from the Wii U's and giving them a second chance on a much more successful platform was the logical thing to do. With 2020 a bit of a dry spell when it comes to 1st party Switch releases many have been looking at Nintendo's history for their gaming needs more and more.

I had a lot of fun compiling that Wii U ports list, even getting one prediction right already with Pikmin 3 (not that it was that hard to predict, but still). As such, I've decided to make another one. This time though, I'm not limiting myself to just the Wii U. I've cherry-picked games from across the entirety of Nintendo's consoles, both home and handheld, which I would like to see make their way over to the Switch. As some of these titles are pretty old, you have to think more in the line of remakes and remasters this time around. I will also be excluding any Mario title from this list. With Mario's 35th anniversary quickly approaching and the rumours of many 3D Mario games getting the remaster treatment, I feel listing a game like Super Mario Sunshine here would unnecessarily keep up space.

Update September 5th, 2020: So literally the very next day after this post went live, the Mario 35th anniversary Direct and Super Mario Sunshine and many other Mario games will indeed get the Switch treatment.

All right then, with the introduction out of the way let's dive in and start with two games that come up in these types of lists more often than not.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)

Not even three weeks ago yet another report popped up that Skyward Sword would get the HD remaster treatment like all of the other 3D Zelda's before it with it being listed on Amazon. Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask got 3D remasters on the Nintendo 3DS while The Windwaker and Twilight Princess got their HD due on the Wii U. So, why not complete the set and put Skyward Sword the Nintendo Switch? It could use some improvements. It's not a bad game by any stretch of the imagination, but certain design aspects rubbed people the wrong way. From the heavy reliance on motion controls that don't always work to the stamina system and the heavy amount of backtracking. All things that are, shall we say, are less than optimal about the game. We've seen however with the Windwaker for example that Nintendo isn't above diving a little deeper into these remasters and make some structural changes.

That game was originally criticized about how long the quest to find all of the shards of the Triforce was. With the remaster, Nintendo reworked this part of the game. They streamlined the quest, making it much more bearable to get through. Yet another reason why Skyward Sword Switch would be a good idea? Breath of the Wild. That most recent 3D entry in the series is hailed as one of the best games in recent memory and its approach, the open-world and amount of freedom were praised by many. What a lot of people might not know is that a lot of the features in Breath of the Wild were first introduced in Skyward Sword. The stamina system, the ability to craft and even some of the 'openness' of Breath of the Wild were present in Skyward Sword. It's just that Breath of the Wild mastered these concepts, while in Skyward Sword they felt only half-baked. Using what the Zelda team has learned from Breath of the Wild to readjust these mechanics and yet another one of the problems of the game are removed.

Even with all of these rumours and (possible) changes, there is still one obstacle that stands in the way of a Switch remasters. The motion controls. Enemies can only be damaged if you slash your sword at a certain angel and many puzzles require (precise) motion controls as well. These would be harder for the Switch to replicate. Luckily, Skyward Sword relies on the Wii motions plus gyro controls for its motion instead of the IR sensor as do the Switch's joy-cons. Maybe not as precise or ideal, but it would do the job. The motion controls are more of an obstacle for handheld mode and the Switch Lite. Nintendo has released some games that only work when not docked to the TV, but these are few in numbers. They're not keen on doing so as it limits the game's appeal. As Zelda is one of their core franchises I don't see them limiting the game in that way. They would need to do some heavy re-adjustments to make the game work with traditional button controls and I don't know if they'll be able to do that. They just might though with some sort of ingenious idea that no one else but them has thought of but its this obstacle that hinders a Skyward Sword remaster the most.

Update February 18th, 2021: Skyward Sword HD  has been revealed in the latest Nintendo Direct and will hit the Nintendo Switch in July.

Metroid Prime Trilogy (Wii)

Yet another Wii title that got rumoured in the past already is Metroid Prime Trilogy. Rumours about this remaster/port have been rampant ever since the announcement of Metroid Prime 4 with even some more credible sources backing these claims up. Allegedly, the remaster/port was developed simultaneously during the production of 'original' Metroid Prime 4. Nintendo intended to release it a few months beforehand to hype up 4 and bring newcomers up to speed. When the development of 4 was restarted Metroid Prime Trilogy was put on ice. Rumours are just that rumours. While I put a lot of emphasis on them in both this post and the previous one, the best way to approach them is to assume that they are false. Even if they are false though, I still think that a Metroid Prime Trilogy remaster for the Switch is an excellent idea. Just as the rumours said, releasing this game in the build-up to Metroid Prime 4 is just what the franchise needs.

While Metroid is one of Nintendo's older and more recognizable franchises it has never really had a breakout hit, never managed to appeal to a general audience. The original Metroid Prime was as close the franchise ever got to that point. It's the reason why, I think, Nintendo chose to revive the Prime brand with 4. It's their best chance to make Metroid a premier franchise for Nintendo and with the general effect Switch releases have had on their respective franchises, record sales and an increase in popularity, it's now or never for them. Metroid Prime Trilogy Switch could benefit this strategy greatly in either one of two ways. To serve as an appetizer to the main course. 'Metroid fans! You're anxious for Metroid Prime 4's release? Here is a top-notch remaster of the originals for you to keep yourselves busy with! Non-Metroid Fans! You don't know what Metroid is (but want to know more)? Why not try out Metroid Prime Trilogy to get a good feel before 4 comes out? It's a 3-1 package, that a bargain!' See what I mean when I say it would be a good starter?

Releasing it after Metroid Prime 4 wouldn't be a bad idea either. It would give (new) fans something to follow up their Metroid Prime 4 experience with, get more familiar with the franchise and keep the momentum going. Either way, let's hope a Metroid Prime Trilogy remaster for the Switch is something that Nintendo will bring us one of these days.

Ever Oasis (3DS)

With those two Wii games out of the way, let's move on to titles that have a lesser chance of making it to the Switch but are once I personally really like to see. First up: Ever Oasis for the Nintendo 3DS. Ever Oasis is a game that I want to see on the Switch simply because I feel it deserves another chance. Developed by Grezzo, a long time collaborated of and published by Nintendo, the game is about you taking on the role as the head of an Oasis. You're tasked with growing the Oasis by convincing as many people to set up shop there. It's a wonderful little title that sadly got completely buried due to the poor timing of its release. It came out in June of 2017, right when the Nintendo Switch was the cool new kid on the block.

With everyone's attention on the Switch and not the 3DS it, alongside fellow 3DS release Metroid: Samus Returns (hello connective tissue!) simply flew under most people's radar. It's sad really, the game is pretty good and something that should appeal to many Nintendo fans. It combines the adventuring and dungeon exploration from Zelda with the general art-style and town management system of Animal Crossing, all wrapped up in a beautiful ancient Egyptian aesthetic. A re-release on the Switch would give this game another shot at finding an audience as well as providing people with something similar, yet different at the same time. With how successful both Zelda and especially Animal Crossing have been on the console, it's hard to imagine the game wouldn't be a success.

Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade (GBA)

Basically, what I want, is another Fire Emblem remake. When Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia was first announced the 'Echoes' part of the title immediately caught my attention. 'Echoes as in from the past? Are they covering their bases here for future Fire Emblem remakes?' The answer, as it turns out, is yes. The 'Echoes' branding is meant to mark this title as a remake and the developers have said that they do intend to keep using that branding for future remakes. Shadows of Valentia remains the only Fire Emblem remake at this time but with Three Houses being the most successful entry in the series (no doubt due to the 'Switch effect') for them to roll out another entry in the series to keep the momentum going is not a bad idea.

Now, why did I pick the Blazing Blade instead of any other Fire Emblem game? Well, for two reasons. Aside from that I personally just want to play the Blazing Blade specifically, that is. Firstly, this game was the first Fire Emblem title to make its way to the West as just 'Fire Emblem'. It's a title that a Western audience would recognize more easily than most of the other titles in the series, while still being old enough that a remake would bring many, clear, improvements to the title. While it was Awakening that broke through to a general audience, made it one of Nintendo's bigger franchises (and even saved the entire brand) this would have never happened if this game hadn't made its way to the West first. I think it deserves some more love and attention for that.

Secondly, what many people might not know is that the game is only one half of a larger, two-part story. It's a prequel to another game, the Binding Blade, which never saw the light of day outside of Japan. Most people in the world never go to see the end of this tale. With a Blazing Blade remake, which is ideally followed up on not much later with the Binding Blade's one, this epic tale could finally see completion outside of Japan.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky, Darkness & Time (DS)

You know what, I can actually be very brief with this one. The original Pokémon Mystery Dungeon got a remake on the Switch at the beginning of this year and did pretty well. The Explorer games are the most popular of the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games and used the same architecture as the originals making a remake not that hard to produce. You can provide fans of the Mystery Dungeon series a 'new' game pretty soon after the original while also giving older fans a wonderful update to most beloved games in the series. They would even be able to fix some of the issues that plagued Mystery Dungeon DX. Many of those were problems that the original had, were addressed in explorers, but strangely kept in this remake. Following up a successful Pokémon remake with the remake of its superior sequel? That's what you might call a 'good idea'.

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages & Oracle of Seasons (GBC)

Closing this list is a game that's in a very similar situation like the one that came before. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages & Oracle of Seasons. Originally developed for the GBC, these two games are the only games in the series to be split into two versions (no doubt taken from Pokémon) and were produced using the assets of their predecessor Link's Awakening DX. That game also got a remake on the Switch not that long ago so the same 'easy to develop for' goes for this one as well. Just like Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, the potential remake of these games would address a problem people had with the remake that came before it. Many felt that Link's Awakening on the Switch was too short of a game for its price, that it didn't have enough to offer.

The differences between the two Oracle games aren't that big. One focuses more on puzzles while the other does so on combat. The big gimmick with these games was that if you completed one of them. Enter that code into the other version and that game would see slight alterations in e.g. plot turning that version into the 'sequel'. They could easily put both versions into one package, let you choose which of the two play first and turn the one you didn't pick into the 'new-game plus' mode of the game. Boom. The lack of content problem is fixed. Again, follow up a successful remake with the, relatively cheap to produce, remake of its original successor? That's a sound thing to do.

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Well, that's the end of the list. There is, of course, no way to tell if these games will or won't make their way to the Switch. Nintendo is Nintendo and Nintendo does what Nintendo does best is being unpredictable. Their chances of making it over to the Switch might be pretty low at the moment but was nonetheless fun for me to dig into Nintendo's library see what they had to offer. I've certainly still got many ideas left in the tank when it comes to Switch releases so don't be surprised when I pump out another one of these before the year's out!