Nintendo recap: Breath of the Wild 2 delayed and Master Sword theories abound

Hello everyone, and welcome to the latest Nintendo recap! We got some sad but expected news this week that the Breath of the Wild sequel was delayed. However, during the delay announcement, we also got a peek at a decaying Master Sword, which has gotten fan theories flying. In other news, Kirby's latest game has sold really well and there's a rumor that Call of Duty will be coming to Switch. There's even more to discuss so let's dive in.

Breath of the Wild 2 delayed until Spring 2023 and Master Sword theories fly

When Zelda series producer, Eiji Aonuma, originally discussed the Breath of the Wild 2 release date during E3 2021, he said the team was "aiming" to release by 2022, but didn't promise anything. After several months of silence, Nintendo officially has a delay announcement that pushes the sequel's launch until sometime in spring 2023. While it's sad that we'll need to wait a while longer, it's always a good thing when a developer takes the time to perfect their creation rather than throwing out a messy game. We wouldn't want another Cyberpunk 2077.

During the minute and a half announcement, Aonuma apologized to anybody who was hoping to play this year, but explained, "in order to make this game's experience something special, the entire development team is continuing to work diligently on this game, so please wait a while longer." While he was talking, we were also shown a short new clip that has never been seen befor. Link is adorned in his Greek-like garb and pulls out the Master Sword with his clawed hand while standing before a floating ball of yellow light. The Triforce on Link's right hand glows, but when he unsheathes the iconic weapon, we see that the lower half of it has seemingly melted away.

This revelation created a huge buzz across the internet this week as fans theorized what could have happened to the Master Sword and what it will mean for the main storyline. Some speculated that Link could have used it to deflect a powerful attack, but then got damaged in the process. Others wonder if his creepy arm might be sapping its strength so he can't use it for very long. Another question fans asked is if this damage has awakened the spirit Fi, first seen in Skyward Sword, from within the Master Sword and if she will have a role to play.

Of course, nerfing one of the game's most powerful weapons is a common thing when it comes to sequels, so it's not surprising that something has happened to the Master Sword. It's possible that we'll be spending a good chunk of the new game bringing it back to its full power. But as of yet, we don't have any definitive answers. The iMore gaming team will keep our ears to the ground and will report as soon as we learn more.

Nintendo 3DS celebrates a bittersweet 11th anniversary

It's crazy to think that the dual screen handheld that supported 3D viewing is already over a decade old, having released in 2011. If that feels a little strange to you, it might be because the New 3DS XL, the last iteration of the 3DS handheld, released in 2015 — two years before the Switch launched. Want to blow your mind further? The original Nintendo DS came out 18 years ago in 2004. If it was a teenager, it would be preparing to go to college or get its first full-time job. Crazy huh?

The DS family has proved to be one of the most successful gaming systems of all time, taking the second-highest selling position just behind the PlayStation 2 with 154.02 million systems sold. Its success is partially due to h ow many classics came to the handheld over the years, including several Pokémon games, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, and many more.

Of course, with the news that the 3DS and Wii U eShops are closing in a little over a year from now, it's bittersweet celebrating this system right now. Undoubtedly, prices for certain physical cartridges will increase once digital versions are no longer available. Not to mention, the gaming systems themselves that offer digital versions of the most popular 3DS games are sure to increase in value.

Kirby and the Forgotten Lands is off to a great start

Kirby and the Forgotten Lands released over a week ago and seems to be doing very well for itself. It came in as the highest selling physical game across all console platforms in the U.K. Boxed Top Ten for the week of March 26, according to Gamesindustry.biz. It's great to see Forgotten Land performing so well, especially when you compare it to how other Kirby games have sold on Switch. I thoroughly enjoyed this relaxing platformer, even if it was a bit on the short side.

For the most part, the Nintendo Switch seems to be the place to breathe new life into older franchises, which we've seen with the success of Metroid Dread, the improved catching mechanics of Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the game-changing open-world style of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and many more. Pulling Kirby into a more three-dimensional space instead of strictly being a sidescroller is a magnificent change and those Mouthful Modes are absolutely hilarious while providing new puzzle-solving options. Hopefully, Kirby continues to sell well and HAL Laboratory is rewarded for the new direction they've taken the series in.

Call of Duty might come to Switch according to rumor

According to a Call of Duty (CoD) leaker on Twitter who goes by RalphsValve, Activision is looking to bring Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Remastered to Switch. If that's true, then this will be the first CoD game ever on the hybrid console. It's hard to say whether or not this is a true so take it with a grain of salt. However, we do know that Microsoft president Brad Smith has already talked about wanting to see the franchise on Switch after Microsoft announced it was acquiring Activision Blizzard, as seen on NintendoLife.

"We'd like to bring it [Call of Duty] to Nintendo devices. We'd like to bring the other popular titles that Activision has, and ensure that they continue to be available on PlayStation, [and] that they become available on Nintendo," Smith said.

We've already seen some movement on CoD coming to PlayStation despite the Microsoft deal, and it would make for easy money if it came to Switch as well.

See you next time

That's everything from this week. Now that I've breezed through Kirby and the Forgotten Land I'm spending my free time playing Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright on Nintendo 3DS.

Breath of the Wild 2 is a little further off now, but there are still plenty of other fun games headed to Switch this year and I'll be here to cover them. Have a great weekend and I hope you enjoy whatever games you're playing.

Until next time.

- Rebecca Spear