rebirth of a legend
The Legend Of Zelda returns with some big surprises in store...
Everything you need to know about the new improved Zelda.
even the casual player will know that E3 week is the most important on the gaming calendar. For a few days in June the entire videogames industry descends on LA to show off their wares, which this year included two new consoles from Microsoft and a suite of new games from Sony, headlined by a reboot of God Of War and the latest from Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima.
Despite the dominance of Xbox and PlayStation, it was The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild that was hailed as game of the show – impressive seeing as it was playable only on the soon-to-be-mothballed Wii U. Red Alert was able to play a 50-minute demo, and while Nintendo kept most of the plot details secret, Breath Of The Wild begins with Link awakening from a 100-year sleep in a scene oddly reminiscent of the beginning of Alien.
Though all Zelda games have technically been open world, the environment in Breath Of The Wind is 12 times larger than any previous game, with an emphasis on non-linear exploration and tackling objectives in whichever order you want. Link can now climb almost any vertical service and even has a specific jump button – something the series has always avoided before, in order to distinguish itself from a pure action game. It will also be released on Nintendo’s next console, codenamed NX. There was even a clue that the NX would not have a tablet-style GamePad, since Breath Of The Wild barely uses it. In fact, producer Eiji Aonuma actively disparaged the concept, admitting, “We realised that having something on the GamePad and looking back and forth between the TV screen and the GamePad actually disrupts the gameplay, and the concentration that the game player may be experiencing.” A new world awaits...
The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild arrives later this year.