Perhaps THE most anticipated game at this year’s E3, Legend of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild was finally revealed by Nintendo for the Wii U as well as their next gen system, the NX.
Developed by Nintendo EPD and assisted by fellow studio Monolithsoft, it is the nineteenth main installment in the critically acclaimed action-adventure series, and is also the first HD Legend of Zelda game as well as the first one game to feature voice acting.
In several ways, Breath Of The Wild is a huge departure from previous Zelda games; in fact, its a reinvention of the series.
The plot..
..is pretty straightforward: Reawakening after a 100 year slumber, Link (our silent protagonist) finds the kingdom of Hyrule in ruins and an evil creature, known as Calamity Ganon, has been sealed within Hyrule Castle where it grows powerful over time. With a mysterious voice guiding him, Link must find a way to defeat it before it destroys Hyrule.
Featuring a huge open world with a day-night cycle, the game’s world of Hyrule is 12 times the size of the map in Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (which was quite decently sized itself).
Graphically..
..Breath Of The Wild is without a doubt one of the most beautiful games of this generation, with gorgeous cell shaded graphics and beautiful lighting effects; The impressive physics engine is proof that it’s also a technical marvel, pushing the Wii U hardware to its limits to showcase what the system is capable of doing.
The main gameplay is similar to previous Zelda games. Sword fighting, exploration, puzzle solving; all the Zelda staples are here. However there are a host of new gameplay mechanics introduced: Link can now jump (via a dedicated jump button) and climb every terrain in sight, however he may be restricted due the presence of a stamina bar. Link can also ride on Epona (his trusty horse), para-glide off cliffs, ride a boat and swim. If that’s not your thing, Link can use his shield as a surf board for steep and quick descents from peaks.
Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild is set to release on the Wii U and NX simultaneously in 2017.
Many gameplay mechanics have an RPG influence here: Link can collect resources from his surroundings (like fruits from trees or mushrooms from the forest floor) and from downed prey (be it the various types of enemies or wild animals) and use them in a variety of ways, from crafting materials and weapons to cooking for recovering health, and gaining bonus status effects (yep, no health-restoring “hearts” are obtainable from slashed grass or broken pottery this time around). Also be careful with those fire spells this time around, cause it will burn everything flammable around it.
Combat is..
..similar to that of Twilight Princess; slashing, blocking and parrying makes up swordfights and many other weapons (such as shields, bow & arrow, bombs, etc) are also usable. Although weapon selection is quite varied now (clubs and axes are newcomers, the latter of which can also be used to fell trees), they also have a durability meter and will break after some amount of use. Link can also equip different kinds of armor and even various costumes which can also help to battle harsh environmental hazards (such as freezing cold temperatures and scorching desert heat).
The main gimmick of this game is the Sheikah Slate, a mysterious tablet-like device that functions not just as a map but also as a telescope and provides access to certain ruins and towers, thereby also functioning as a key of sorts; it can also be upgraded via ‘runes’ that bestow special abilities to the device, such as magnetism, creating bombs and the ability to stop time, for example; these abilities and the Slate will prove useful in exploring the vast world and it’s secrets.
Speaking of secrets..
..in addition to the main dungeons, the Shrines of Trials are explorable ‘mini-dungeons’ and more than a 100 of them are dotted around the land of Hyrule. Useful treasures can be found at the heart of these Shrines but they will be protected by traps, puzzles and enemies.
As this game is non-linear, the player is free to explore the Shrines in any order of preference.
The game is also compatible with amiibo figurines: Wolf Link (first announced for Twilight Princess HD), Link Archer (features Link in the exact same pose as the cover art), Guardian (one of the sub-bosses from the game; also the only amiibo figure to have movable parts) and Link Rider (featuring Link riding his horse); when tapped onto the Wii U Gamepad’s NFC reader, each of these figurines provide unique in-game features for the player. The Wolf Link amiibo for example, can summon Wolf Link as an AI partner in Breath Of The Wild (granted that the player first used the amiibo in the Cave Of Shadows in Twilight Princess HD to save your data to the amiibo).
How excited are you for the new Zelda game? Would you be buying a new console for the game itself. Let us know all this and more in the comments.
Glad to see a much deserved Zelda article on this website! I really hope the Zelda fanbase in India increases. So many gamers out there are missing out on one of the greatest franchises in video game history.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe you can use the Wolf Link amiibo without the need of Twilight Princess HD; Wolf Link would have the default 3 hearts of health.
That is correct Abhinav, you won’t need to buy the Twilight Princess for the Wolf Link Amiibo to work in Breath Of The Wild. Not sure about the default 3 hearts of health, but I would say that is a pretty safe guess.
As for the Nintendo fan base, it’s more of an underground movement. Gaming in India is led by the grey market, then PC, and then by consoles. But its on the rise, and having Nintendo fans on our panel is testimony to the same. Cheers
Hmm that does make sense… However I didn’t hear anyone say that it also works without carrying over the data from TP HD’s Cave Of Shadows… 😛
Anyways, thank you for pointing that out 🙂