Zelda: A Link Between Worlds Listed As 'Playable With NSO', But Let's Not Jump To Conclusions

An upcoming new library? Probably not...

by · Nintendo Life
Image: Nintendo Life

Nintendo's official website for the Zelda series has updated its entry for A Link Between Worlds with a mysterious 'Playable with Nintendo Switch Online' icon, leading some to believe that it's a hint of an upcoming expansion to the paid service. However, we're not so sure.

The site is home to a series timeline, listing every mainline game from the NES original through to the Ocarina of Time remake. The likes of A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening and Oracle of Seasons are all marked with a 'Playable on NSO' button and, indeed, you can play all of them on the service. A Link Between Worlds has been locked to the 3DS since its launch back in 2013, however. Not only is it decidedly not playable on Nintendo Switch Online, but there isn't even a library for the console.

The Reddit post that brought it to our attention hosts a fair few replies from people hopeful that the button is a sign of things to come, an indication that maybe Nintendo has made a mistake behind the scenes and spoiled the big reveal of an upcoming DS/3DS library for subscribers. Gosh, that sure would be cool, wouldn't it?

Image: Nintendo

However, there are just as many replies that seem to take a similarly cautious approach to us. You see, the button is missing on Oracle of Ages — a game that notably is on the NSO library — and none of the series' other DS games have any sign that they're playable, too. Hmm.

Adding to that, the button in question states that it's available for standard subscribers, not those with the 'Expansion Pack' bonus as stipulated on the likes of Majora's Mask, Wind Waker and Minish Cap (the N64, GameCube and GBA libraries are only for those who pay extra). We suppose there's a chance that Nintendo could release a DS/3DS collection for those who pay less, but somehow, we doubt it.

We're chalking this one up to a simple mistake, then — we wouldn't be surprised to see the message removed soon enough. There have been rumblings of a dual-screen addition to the NSO library ever since we first learnt about the Switch 2's bonus USB-C port (remember those mock-ups for an extra screen add-on?), but it feels very unlikely we'd find out like this.

Ah well, back to our 3DS copies we go, then...

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Do you think this button is a sign of things to come or a simple mistake? Let us know in the comments.

[source nintendo.com, via reddit.com]

Related Games
   •  The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (3DS)
See Also
   •  The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (3DS) Review
   •  50 Best Nintendo 3DS Games Of All Time

About Jim Norman

Jim came to Nintendo Life in 2022 and, despite his insistence that The Minish Cap is the best Zelda game and his unwavering love for the Star Wars prequels (yes, really), he has continued to write news and features on the site ever since.

Comments 3

(sighs) we're all going to jump to conclusions, aren't we?

I think chances are 50/50 that 3DS will come to the higher NSO tier soon.

The lack of a second screen would make it challenging, and it would be cumbersome to add one via USB. As much as I'd love this to be true, I suspect it's an error.

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