If you had to choose one word to describe the Wii U line-up at the moment, desolate would probably be fairly accurate. It's undoubtedly to be expected, though - with the console now coming to the end of its life, after December's been and gone, there are very few games we know of that are actually in development for Nintendo's so-far ill fated home console. One of the biggest games we - along with the rest of the world - were looking forward to was the stunning open world Zelda game Nintendo debuted at E3 in 2014. But, as we all know, there's been very little shown of the game for quite some time, so a release at any time in the near future seems unlikely.
Still, while the upcoming Wii U game is MIA, Nintendo may well be planning an alternative Zelda release to help fill the gap, in the form of an "HD remake" of GameCube/Wii title, Twilight Princess. Thanks to some inquisitive types who've been poking around in the eShop code, icons, and a title have been discovered for Twilight Princess HD - a discovery which likely all but confirms its existence.
Originally released back in 2006, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was a bit of a cross-over title, launching right at the very end of the GameCube's life-cycle, and at the beginning of the then-brand-new Wii's, with the added twist being that it ended up launching on both consoles at the same time. With a bit of a darker tone to the cute-and-colourful sea faring adventure that was Link's previous game, and a new motion-orientated sword-swinging control scheme, it was a bit of a Marmite game, although it went on to be one of the best-selling entries in the series. Giving Link the power to transform into a wolf, and under the guidance of the imp-like being Midna, he sets about saving the world of Hyrule, smiting series bad guy Ganondorf and saving Princess Zelda - as always. Here's a trailer for the old game, to set the scene:
Still, news of a Zelda remake may be OK news, but what's perhaps even more interesting is what this may mean for the previously revealed open world Wii U Zelda game. Despite dropping jaws around the world in its initial debut, there's been very little seen of the game ever since, with many now suggesting the game may have been held back to be reworked, with the intention being to launch it on Nintendo's next home console, the NX. The fact that Nintendo appear to be working on a quick Zelda-related replacement then, in the form of the Twilight Princess remake, kind of suggests the rumours might be true after all.
It's not really a secret that Nintendo have been busy planning their next console move for a while, with their new machine, codenamed the 'NX', due to be unveiled some time next year (presumably at the industry extravaganza E3 in June). As such, they're likely busy diverting teams away from making Wii U games and concentrating their resources on making sure the NX has a stellar launch to make up for the Wii U's failings. Not wanting to totally abandon their fans, a remake of a Zelda game - which tend to be all round crowd pleasers for the Big N - is just the thing to fill the hole. Even if it is Twilight Princess.
As another interesting tit-bit, if the Wii U Zelda game really is being transferred across to the NX, that'll give the Wii U the dubious honour of being Nintendo's first home console to not have a fully-fledged Zelda game to call it's own. It may have had a remake of Wind Waker, potentially a Twilight Princess remaster too, and a hack-and-slash spin off in the form of Hyrule Warriors, but there no proper, exclusive 3D adventure on the platform. Poor little Link, eh? Here's hoping he fairs better on the NX!
