This Nintendo Direct delivered quite a bit of pulled punches for Zelda fans that included an immediate Nintendo Switch Online release of A Link to the Past and Four Swords for the Game Boy Advance, a graceful golden Zelda themed Switch Lite, and an all-new 2D Legend of Zelda game that is being released this year starring a playable Princess Zelda. But let’s not forget that there was another Switch game announced during the Direct that old school lovers of Zelda should also take note, and that is the Nintendo World Championships: NES Deluxe Edition.
Gamers familiar with the competitive video game scene will know right away how valuable it is to have this game in their collections, but it’s also advantageous to the average player. Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition is based on the actual custom cartridges that Nintendo provided contestants during Nintendo World Championship events. It does, however, have one important difference – the new release version now has local eight-player and online play capability, which allows players to compete against each other in over 150 speedrunning challenges for classic NES games like Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II: Adventure of Link, and more. It will also include bonus Legend Challenge and Survival Mode options to keep the competitions fresh.
Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition will release on July 18, 2024. It is currently open for preorder on Target, Best Buy, GameStop, and the MyNintendo Store in the regular and Deluxe editions. While there is a notable price difference between the two versions, the Deluxe edition will have a replica of the gold-toned special NES cartridge that was used by Nintendo World Championship contestants in 1990. It’s a great way for aspiring speedrunners to get their feet wet into the speedrunning scene. There are even hints and tricks that the game provides players to help them master tricky maneuvers. Check out the trailer from the Direct below.
