Daily Debate: Would You Like to See a Zelda Olympics Spin-Off Game Like Mario & Sonic?

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games is a spin-off series with more games than I realized. The series started in 2007 to celebrate the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics, with its most recent title representing the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. If you were curious, yes, they’ve done Winter installments too.

With the Paris 2024 Summer Games right around the corner, it got me thinking of all of the mini-games and athletic challenges Zelda characters face in their journeys. Link is particularly Olympic and would likely nab medal after medal if he competed. Link’s Crossbow Training gave fans a peek into how a sports-based Zelda title would look, but what if it went the whole nine yards and embraced the Olympics like Mario and Sonic?

I think it has the potential to work just as well as Mario & Sonic, though it would appeal to a different audience, unless the game also chose a fun character cameo to collaborate with (Bayonetta or Samus, anyone)? The Zelda series has already primed Link for so many Olympic events, it’s hard to count.

I considered events like the diving challenges in Tears of the Kingdom or the infamous pumpkin-shooting and gallery mini-games in Skyward Sword and Majora’s Mask, respectively. It would be impossible to ignore every horseback-riding challenge throughout the series or any time Link needed to swim like a pro. Clearly, Link covers countless categories, making it a natural choice on Nintendo’s part to sign him up right away. Several more events come to mind, including wrestling, sailing, snowboarding, and many others.

And, obviously, swordplay would be a main event.

I’m inclined to think “Link at the Olympics” would make a fun title because of its diversity. It could be more than fencing, equestrian, and archery. If it really capitalized on all of the mini-game references and skills Zelda characters have, it would make for an incredible tribute to all the games and its competitive NPCs — looking at you, Yeta.

Do you think a Zelda-inspired Olympics title would go over well? Or would you prefer another sports-like, mini-game spin-off without the Olympics flair? Let us know your thoughts below!

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