Author: Evan Hahn

Zelda games are full of references to one another. Many of the references are by name. It’s hard to go five minutes in Breath of the Wild without stumbling on a location named after a previous title: Koholit Rock is likely a reference to Link’s Awakening‘s Koholint Island, Gorko Tunnel shares its name with Skyward Sword‘s traveling Goron, and Horon Lagoon references Oracle of Seasons‘s Horon Village. Eldin, Faron, and Lanayru are named after the golden goddesses Din, Farore, and…

Nintendo just wrapped up a presentation about the Switch 2. The hour-long Direct featured dozens of first and third-party games, a detailed hardware overview, and a collection of new accessories. We learned a lot about the new console: new features like GameShare, updated tech specs, and new doodads like an updated Pro Controller and the Nintendo Switch 2 Camera. And we learned that the console will launch on June 5th, 2025 in just 64 days. The presentation showed off Mario…

Today, Nintendo offered some updates on the backwards compatibility of original Switch games with their new system. When Nintendo announced the Switch 2, they were quick to mention that the new system would be largely backwards compatible with the original Switch. Most physical and digital games should work without issue, they said, but they offered scant details until today. According to a compatibility test published by Nintendo, nearly all of their 122 first-party games pass “basic compatibility testing” with no…

Nintendo has announced the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, updating their gamepad for the new system. At first glance, the controller looks similar to its predecessor, but it has several subtle differences. There’s a new C button on the front, with which players can launch the new GameChat feature. This new social feature lets you chat by voice, share your game screen, and more. The back of the controller adds two new mappable buttons: GL and GR. You can assign…

Nintendo is frustratingly tight-lipped about their upcoming releases. Each morsel of information — trailers, social media posts, and interviews — offers tantalizing insight into future games. We know almost nothing about the next Legend of Zelda game, but after digging through dozens of interviews, we can learn a small amount. Let’s examine what little we know, as of March 2025.   Evan HahnEvan Hahn is a computer programmer, technical author, and Zelda fan. Ocarina of Time is his favorite in the…

The Zelda series has many landmark entries, but a lot of fans agree that two stand out as the most influential: Ocarina of Time and Breath of the Wild. Ocarina refined the formula that would shape the series for nearly 20 years and Breath boldly set a new direction for the franchise. Everyone agrees that these two games had a huge influence on the Zelda series, but which one was more influential? Breath of the Wild came out eight years…

In January, Nintendo revealed the Switch 2 with an enticing teaser video. Finally, after years of speculation and rumor, the company’s next console was shown off. On one hand, this announcement was exciting! The Switch 2 boasts several new features that promise to be an upgrade over the current generation. The new device is larger, which should bring better ergonomics and a more brilliant screen. It’s also expected to have better performance and is sure to have a slew of…

A long-time marketing manager from Nintendo of America recently shared an inside scoop on the company’s earliest marketing efforts. In August 2024, Gail Tilden sat for a panel at the Long Island Retro Gaming Expo. She shared behind-the-scenes details about the NES, Nintendo Power, The Legend of Zelda, and much more. The Video Game History Foundation’s podcast just published a recording of the session, which is full of exciting information including details about early Zelda commercials, Nintendo Power, and even…