Zelda Direct 9/8/26 Review: Timeless masterpiece among dull merch.

In the realm of video games, there are stories that can stand the test of time, thus creating memories that would last a lifetime. One of these games is The Legend of Zelda, turning 40 years old this year. Stories like these can inspire others, like the late Robin Williams naming his daughter after the titular princess. 

 

Starting the stream off, we have a look at an orchestra playing themes from all over the franchise, accompanied by gameplay throughout the 40 years. It focuses on classics like the NES games and modern masterpieces like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, and focuses on the three main characters of the franchise: Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf. This was a wonderful way to start off, as I loved every second of it.

 

Second, Miyamoto has revealed the release date for The Legend of Zelda movie, coming April 30th, 2027. No footage of the film was shown, but we do know that it won't be a straight adaptation based on a single game. I think Nintendo might do the same thing with the Mario movies and do their own dedicated directs for each trailer. 

 

We also got small updates on the Nintendo Museum, Nintendo Today, a new Lego set, action figures from Hasbro, lore books of the franchise, a Mineru amiibo from Tears of the Kingdom, playable Ocarinas, and even more goodies to look forward to. We even have a concert tour based on the various songs of the franchise. Starts in Japan, but will be working its way through North America, Europe, and Australia by next year. These all look and sound exciting, perfect for any fan who wants to 

 

The biggest thing about this direct is the upcoming Ocarina of Time remake, and there's a reason why this will not come to Switch 1. This game is absolutely gorgeous with its setting. The characters, though, feel a bit out of place, and I think it's just to keep their styles from the original N64 game. The game also looks to play pretty well, keeping what makes OoT special and adding elements of later games to this remake, like item swapping with a single button, camera controls, swimming, and jumping manually. The showcase also reveals the first part of the first dungeon and shows elements of combat, the open-world Hyrule Field, and Hyrule Castle Town, all of which are perfectly remade for the Switch 2. From playable Ocarina to voice acting for cutscenes, and even connection with the Nintendo app to share tunes and missions, it is shaping this game to be a great reason to get a Switch 2. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake launches only on Switch 2 on November 5th. 

 

They then show off a few small things for the rest of the Direct, including new Amiibo figures of Young Link and Young Zelda, and even a Zelda-themed Switch 2 to buy near the game’s launch. And finally, the Direct wraps up with a brand new trailer for the Ocarina of Time remake, showcasing even more faithful recreations of the original. 

 

After the Direct, I came to realize that despite there being very few things to show off, they showed off the new Zelda game beautifully. The other merch that was shown off did not hit the same, and I would have loved for there to be an actual movie trailer for the upcoming movie. I felt like they could have done more for that, but the Ocarina of Time remake does overshadow anything else shown off. For what it is, this was not bad.

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8/10