Nintendo quietly drops Zelda free downloads you can claim now

Nintendo has just released some new Zelda downloads you can claim for free on the Switch.

If you’re a Nintendo Switch Online user, you will regularly receive free downloads to claim during a limited time period.

The Nintendo Switch Online Missions and Rewards section for example constantly gives you free icons and borders to use with your online profile, provided you have enough points.

Now, Nintendo is offering a bunch of new icons for classic games in The Legend of Zelda series, as a way of paying tribute to them.

The new icons are themed around Zelda II: The Adventure of Link for NES and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for N64.

To claim these icons and use them on your online profile, you need to actually play the games through the NES and N64 Nintendo Classics apps.

However, you only need to launch the games as opposed to actually playing them, so you can dip out as soon as you launch the game.

There are five icons available for Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, each one 10 Platinum Points each. Meanwhile, there are 13 icons available for Ocarina of Time, also at 10 Platinum Points each.

This new promotion might encourage more people to pick up these older games and check them out.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was the first 3D Zelda game, but is also regarded as one of the best games of all time.

Zelda II, on the other hand, was the first sequel in the series and is remembered more for its brutal difficulty. But still, it can be pretty fun.

If your main exposure to the Zelda series has been the more recent entries, both titles are worth checking out, especially if you’re a Nintendo Switch Online user with access to them.

And do remember, platinum points are a free currency so you should have plenty in your coffers simply from playing your favourite games and completing surveys.