Nintendo today revealed a bunch of new information on their next Zelda game, due to come out on NX and Wii U next year.
The presentation opened with a brand new trailer voiced by a woman (presumably Zelda) telling Link to open his eyes. Lots of shots of vast open world areas, and we see Link jumping, diving, climbing, swimming. We see him cooking, and cutting down a tree to turn it into a bridge so he can climb across a big ravine. We see him build pillars out of the water and use a magnet device that appears to be one of his new tools.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Here’s the new trailer:
In the trailer, Link:
- Climbs a tree, a mountain, and a castle wall
- Chops down a tree to create a bridge
- Uses a torch to set some grass on fire
- Cooks a dish with some mushrooms
- Pushes a boulder on some enemies
- Shoots down a beehive to send swarms of bees at some enemies
- Uses a magnet to lift a plank from the water
- Wears a suit of armour (!)
After an hour-long break for new Pokemon footage, Nintendo returned to talk about Zelda, with producer Eiji Aonuma saying that he designed this game to “rethink the conventions of Zelda“.
The game opens with Link emerging from what appears to be a cryogenic chamber, or a sci-fi bathtub.
After waking up, Link gets an item called a Sheikah Slate that appears to be a tool he’ll use throughout the game. “In past series we’ve used swords and magic, but this time around we’ve used technology,” Aonuma said.
Link also picks up a shirt and some pants. Sure looks like there are item stats. It looks like they each have a defence value, which is definitely new to the series.
There are jump and sprint buttons, which is also a new addition for 3D Zelda. Link picks up a tree branch, which appears to be his first sword. It also has a stat — a 2, which is presumably the attack value.
Seems like Link can climb just about anything.
The Sheikah Stone also serves as Link’s map, and although the E3 demo is limited to one specific area, it looks like the world is going to be huge.
After meeting an old man (a reference to the original Zelda‘s “It’s dangerous to go alone!” guy, Aonuma said), Link sets some things on fire, then goes and picks up an axe, which he can use to chop down trees and get wood.
Cutting down grass no longer leads to new hearts, which is a huge change for the series. In order to restore Link’s health, you’ll have to eat food like apples and mushrooms, which you can pick up (and cook) as you’re exploring the wild. “It’s almost like a survival game,” Aonuma said.
Your weapons will lose durability and even break eventually, so you can steal weapons off enemies after you beat them.
In the demo Nintendo showed off, Link explored a big ruined temple and found a nearby chest with a bow in it (attack value: 5).
Finally, after a brief hiccup thanks to the demo’s timer (you can only play 20 minutes at a time on the show floor), this happened:
Some gameplay videos:
Comments
44 responses to “Our First Look At The New Zelda, Breath Of The Wild [UPDATED]”
That looks so much better than I’d cared to hope! I’m losing my slightly-drunk-and-over-tired little mind!
Logo game strong. Both the Japanese and the English version. I don’t really care about Zelda too much but I do care about the graphic design skills on display here.
It truly is The Zelda Scrolls
What we’ve all been waiting for.
Tbh it seems more like shadow of the colossus – something about the climbing, the ambient music, the disembodied guiding voice and the vast expanse of nature. Oh, and the lack of direction.
Nah, this game looks fun! :p
Looks spectacular! Especially for Wii U hardware. Cant wait to see the NX version. I just want more info and to be able to explore now.
But does it use a normal control scheme with buttons or is it some ungainly experimental / motion-based crap? I don’t want to be burned again like I was with Skyward Sword.
It was been confirmed you can use the Pro Controller with no touch screen or motion required. Also they have motion when using the Game Pad, however they were quickly overridden by simply using an analog stick to aim.
This is the best news out of E3 – a Zelda game I can actually play without fighting with the controls!
Sounds exactly the same as TPHD and WWHD. Motion is there if you want it.
Still own those on Gamecube so didn’t bother with the remakes, assumed that at least TP HD would be waggle-heavy.
I don’t think it even supports the wii mote.
Now that’s a trailer.
Great I’m just messed up my pants and am about to start work. Thanks Nintendo. No, I mean that.
That explosion looked gorgeous.
Sadly, this isn’t enough for me to invest any further in Nintendo. Skyward Sword was horrible, despite my love for previous installments, SS was a major letdown.
It looks nice enough but the style hasn’t completely worked for me, not compared to Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. Good luck Ninty but no NX for me.
Your loss i guess.
Never played a Zelda (ever) That….. might…. change…
Getting a bunch of Shadow of the Colossus feels
I got the same feeling too, I haven’t played a Zelda since I had an N64 so Majora’s Mask and Ocarina of Time.
Without playing it yet though this looks like a worthy successor…
Is anyone else seeing a janky frame rate?
This looks gorgeous. Not “rush out and buy an NX” gorgeous, but I’ll still play the shit out of it on the Wii U. Sign me up!
Frame rate is awful. I have a feeling this is what happens when you run it on the WiiU.
There wasn’t even much happening onscreen. When there’s some sort of effects heavy action scene, the framerate is going to be a slideshow. This is exactly what happened with Hyrule Warriors 3DS if you weren’t using the New 3DS. Massive frame drops in busy scenes.
Zelda with survival elements, huh.
DayZ elda?
Hmmm “resurrection chamber” and “long slumber” and “shine on Hyrule /again/”. It sounds as though this is one of the Links from a previous game, perhaps this serving as a direct sequel. Since the Master Sword is in the Lost Woods, it may be a sequel to ALttP?
Technically then wouldn’t it have to be a sequel to LBW? 😛
Feels to me like a sequel to Wind Waker, though in a “what if the hero failed?” alterna-timeline. Which is kind of worrying (namely because I hate that what-if BS they pulled :P).
Could even be a sequel to Ocarina of Time. After all, there is a timeline where adult Link dies. Could this be part of that timeline?
Ah yeah, good one.
Either way, it looks like an interesting departure from the normal Zelda gameplay. And frankly, it’s gotten me excited for a Zelda game since Ocarina.
Ok. I’m officially buying an NX when it is released next year. I still have a PS3 and barely touch it for gaming.. but whenever I’ve had a Nintendo system, I’ve always played it more than all the others. This title is what I need to make my decision concrete.
My son will be 3.5 by the time the NX is expected to release, so it’s a perfect age to get a new console in the house.. and what better than Nintendo for young kids (and old ones! 🙂 )
I’ve noticed this too, but I think in this game is a stylistic effect for mountains and the such. Some parts of the game seem quite vibrant.
Weapon durability, chopping down trees for wood, I wonder if there’s a hunger mechanic too.
You restore health by eating.
There’s no hunger mechanic. Eating is only necessary for healing and stat-boosting.
Never thought id say this ….Nintendo wins E3
I haven’t actually cared for anything out of E3 this year. This is the only thing I’ve gone, yeah, I’ll buy it probably.
One thing I’ve noticed about a number of games in the last year is the amount of, what I like to call “colour washing filter”.. I really dislike this washing out of colours on games that are cartoon-like. I can understand doing it on the more realistic games, but the lack of saturation on a game like Zelda makes me scratch my head. I hope it’s something that will either change before release or only looks washed out because of this gamelay recording.
Looks pretty swish
Hey @markserrels – he climbs!!!! *hi five*
Seems like the climbing is a simple animation that looks the same no matter what is being climbed. Almost looks like he’s climbing a wide ladder…lol.
I hope this runs well on Wii U and is the game to stop me regretting buying that console.
That game play demo seems to be running on the Wii U and it looks amazing! Seems to run well. Also, there’s so much to love on the Wii U, you shouldn’t regret buying it 😉
I think I need to have a good look for some titles. I play a bit of Mario Kart 8 with my girlfriend and not really anything else ever. Any suggestions? Couch multi-play encouraged.
Well some games that my partner and I enjoy are: Smash Bros, Rayman Legends, New Super Mario Bros U, Super Mario World, Yoshi’s Woolly World, and we’ve dabbled in Splatoon and Pokken but they’ve never really grabbed us like the other titles. Wii U is definitely the console for local multiplayer games, definitely suggest checking some of these titles (if not all) out.
I cant believe how amped i am for this, been a zelda fan since ocarina of time but this has shattered my expectations. Viva la nintendo!