I already know I’ll be handing over $10 to upgrade myThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildcopy for the Switch 2, but as much as I love the game, I’m unenthusiastic about the whole affair. Despite being originally designed for the Wii U,Breath of the Wildhas always struggled against the edges of the Switch’s constraints, achieving a largely incredible feat of optimization with some obvious caveats. Although revisiting Hyrule’s open fields with theSwitch 2’s power boostis alluring, the transition is being handled in a way that leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
I’m not especially offended by the $10 itself, an upgrade price that already became standardized on PlayStation and Xbox before cropping up here. While I have no particular interest in the Zelda Notes app, which is the only particularly major addition to the upgrade, I can accept a $10 investment to play my favorite game of all time in a better way. What’s being left out is more bothersome, especially considering anyone who doesn’t already ownBreath of the Wildwill have to pay $70 outright for a Switch 2 copy of the game.
Breath Of The Wild Switch 2 Edition Doesn’t Have The DLC
Not Quite A Definitive Version
Nintendo was still relatively new to the world of DLC whenBreath of the Wildcame out, but the game’s expansion pass reflected the commitment to delivering value that’s characterized in most Nintendo add-ons over the past decade. The first DLC pack simply focused on new challenges, butthe second,The Champions' Ballad, added a major new story questand a somewhat ridiculous motorcycle. None of that, however, will be available in theSwitch 2 Edition ofBreath of the Wildwithout a separate purchase.
This isn’t the first time that a major game redux has left out significant post-launch additions, andPersona 3 Reloadoffloading theEpisode Aigis -The Answer-epilogue to DLC is a recent controversial example. The approach here feels unusually frustrating, however, especially when compared to most of the market. On PlayStation 5, popular upgrades likethe Director’s Cuts ofDeath StrandingandGhost of Tsushimainclude DLC or add meaningful new in-game content, andHorizon Zero Dawnwas repackaged into a Complete Edition that was frequently available for $10-20 not too long after the game’s original launch.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Felt So Much More Worthwhile
Everything Included In One Package
Even within the Nintendo ecosystem, cross-gen games have been done more generously, andMario Kart 8provides one of the most relevant examples.The Switch release ofMario Kart 8 Deluxefeatured all 16 DLC tracksfor the original game alongside some new gameplay tweaks. Since you can’t exactly stick a Wii U disc in a Switch, there wasn’t any direct upgrade path for backward compatibility, but that’s not an exhaustive excuse to leave this relative generosity behind.
I didn’t have much money to spare whenMario Kart 8 Deluxereleased, but I did have a physical copy of the original release, which worked perfectly well as a makeshift upgrade path. Since I had never bought the original DLC,selling my Wii U copy and buying the Switch version gave me all the new content for the first timewithout setting me back much.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxelater added its own DLC courses, so the base game has since lost its status as a complete edition.
While I didn’t take the same approach for other Wii U games that held less value,it did make me feel like my money was going to more than switching platforms. In some ways, the new upgrade opportunities are an improvement, andyou’re getting a better deal if you already have the DLCor purchased a digital copy of the game than you would with anotherMario Kart 8 Deluxeapproach. I don’t think fusing these strengths is too much to ask for, though, especially eight years after the originalBreath of the Wildrelease.
Nintendo Game Prices Make Switch 2 Editions Feel Less Fair
MSRPs That Never Fall
Leaving out theBreath of the WildDLC is an aggressive value retention gambit, and the focus on that concept is what makes everything so unpalatable to begin with.Breath of the Wildwas undeniably worth the $60 it cost at launch, andTears of the Kingdomjustified its $70 tag. They’re great enough that I’m not even particularly offended by them holding those prices years later, and that approach presumably helps Nintendo avoid the more aggressive monetization avenues employed by most competitors. Adding on top of that price, however, changes the nature of the discussion.
The Wii U era was the last gasp of Nintendo Select releases that officially dropped the MSRP of older first-party titles, with a library that included greats likeSuper Mario 3D WorldandPikmin 3. If theSelect program never returnsafter its Switch hiatus, that is what it is, butchoosing to actively raise the price of new releases without a complete content suite adds insult to injury. A Switch 2 buyer who’s never playedBreath of the Wildshouldn’t be paying a higher price for an incomplete package in 2025 than in 2017.
I don’t want to dismiss the technical work involved in optimizingBreath of the Wildfor the Switch 2, and I’m sure the Zelda Notes app took some significant development work of its own. At the same time,I’m more annoyed by the Notes app than enthused by it. I don’t care to follow any additional navigational prompts, but the inclusion of new Voice Memories and some social features are elements that I’d like to see as options within the game, not features stuck on a phone that I really don’t want to be fiddling with while exploring Hyrule.
I’m still excited about the Switch 2, but the caveats to that excitement just keep piling up. Jumping from the Wii U to the original Switch (which remains, to date, the only console I’ve ever purchased at launch) was an experience with very few downsides, and grabbing theMario Kart8 Deluxesoon after without worrying about withheld features definitely helped. The aggressive pricing of the Switch 2 system itself is unfortunate but perhaps entirely necessary. When it comes to the Switch 2 Edition upgrade forBreath of the Wild, however, I see no need for this kind of compromise.
