As Zelda fans we have been very much spoiled for the last ten years, where you can't help feel a bit disappointed when looking back at the year 2022. This marks the first year since 2012 where the Zelda series hasn't gotten any dedicated release. And even in that year you could count The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest, which was part of Nintendo Land.
But after announcing the next big Zelda in early 2013, Nintendo had seemingly made it their mission to have something on the table for Zelda every year. This could be a new top-down title, a remake, a remaster, an enhanced port, a spin-off, DLC, something. The four years before and after Breath of the Wild always had something to offer:
- 2013: The Wind Waker HD and A Link Between Worlds
- 2014: Hyrule Warriors
- 2015: Majora's Mask 3D and Tri Force Heroes
- 2016: Twilight Princess HD and Hyrule Warriors Legends
- 2017: Breath of the Wild
- 2018: Hyrule Warriors - Definitive Edition
- 2019: Cadence of Hyrule and Link's Awakening
- 2020: Hyrule Warriors - Age of Calamity
- 2021: Skyward Sword HD and The Legend of Zelda Game & Watch
This list isn't even including all the DLC Expansion Passes for the various games. But in 2022 this all came to a halt. It really might be that Nintendo had originally planned to release Tears of the Kingdom this year and weren't able to find some "placeholder" in due time.
Ports of The Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD are what comes first to mind here, where they would have been a good filler, but even these are not done out of the blue, especially after Skyward Sword HD set the bar quite high last year. You want those fluid 60FPS.
So, in the end we got nothing. Well, we did get a new trailer for Tears of the Kingdom during the September Nintendo Direct, which is how we even know the game's title by now and that it's going to be released on May 12th next year. It was also the main source of discussion and speculation this year, next to a small glimpse at the game from the February Nintendo Direct, which is where they had announced the delay.
Other than that there were some Nintendo Switch Online goodies, mostly user icons, and the release of Majora's Mask for the Nintendo 64 library, given that you're subscribed to the Expansion Pack. But these things are hardly worth the mention.
It's rare that Metroid has more going on than Zelda, where in 2022 the latest installment in the series, Metroid Dread, got two updates with the Dread Mode and Boss Rush, which were a good excuse to revisit the game once more.
Some Zelda fans may also be interested in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, because they love to enter the race with Link and the Master Cycle (Zero). And here Nintendo has revived the game with the Booster Course Pass, where they have been porting over courses from their mobile game, Mario Kart Tour. Half of this has already been released, where the other 24 tracks will appear throughout 2023.
But that's really it and therefore 2022 was a good year to check out some other games in the Action Adventure genre, where there are a variety of "Zelda-likes" and "Metroidvanias" out there to keep you entertained when Nintendo doesn't deliver. This blog took a look at Death's Door and Hollow Knight, but if you're looking for something released in 2022, there also has been Tunic and of course the big shot, Elden Ring.
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