We started the first day of E3 knowing very little about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - not even that name - and have ended it with a lot more knowledge. The Nintendo Treehouse, Eiji Aonuma, Shigeru Miyamoto and all involved excelled at demonstrating a lot of fascinating details while also steering clear of spoilers. Nintendo is stating that the E3 demo area is barely 2% of the game; whether that's entirely accurate or not, it's clear that this is a title with sensational depth.
It's been a heck of a day - especially for UK-based fans like this writer - and we'll have hands-on impressions and extensive feature content to come. We thought, though, as a final sign-off for the first day of E3 we'd summarise some key lessons we've learned about the new entry in The Legend of Zelda's series. Take this as an early shortlist of details that stood out among the crowd of reveals from Nintendo's 7-hour broadcast.
Breath of the Wild is Inspired by the NES Original
It seems, on the face of it, an outlandish claim. Yet Shigeru Miyamoto explained how, philosophically, Breath of the Wild reverts to some of the ideas of The Legend of Zelda on NES. The crux of this is freedom and survival. Nintendo emphasized that the player needs to find a way to survive in the environment, and also find their own way through the world and over-arching story; the narrative was generally hidden away in the presentation. There's even a call-back to the famous old-man that gives early advice and information, in this case stating that the opening area - The Great Plateau - is the 'birthplace of the Hyrule Kingdom'.
The basic idea of waking up in a shrine / cave and starting with nothing is key to the whole experience, yet modern technology naturally takes it a lot further...
Survival and Exploration are at the Heart of the Experience
The world of this game is enormous, Nintendo couldn't stress that point enough. Yet it's not just about charging from one location to the next, evidently you need to explore and utilise the world to get by, and in doing so touch upon entirely new ground.
We'll consider it in more detail in the days to come, but let's just say the following - Link can climb pretty much any surface, weapons and items can break, trees can be chopped down and fires started, you can hunt and forage for food that can then be cooked and combined, you discover new gear by raiding camps and, should you tackle a big foe when ill prepared, you will die quickly. Link is susceptible to the environment in other ways, needing warmer clothes (or a peppered steak, it seems) to safely traverse cold areas, and presumably there'll be a reverse effect in hot climates. Weather can change and pose challenges, and you also have to manage your inventories of clothes, weapons, food and resources; Link evidently has limits to how much he can carry. You can even use your shield as a snowboard.
In other words, there are a lot of gameplay and structural systems at play here, all of which are carefully integrated into the world. This is arguably the biggest game-changer for the series, which before now has typically minimised these aspects and kept things simple. There was dabbling with some extra elements in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, but it was relatively minor. This new entry is going all in.
That could actually be divisive, as some like the simplicity the series has previously employed, and may not appreciate this most modern of revolutions in how we play. Yet for others this level of depth will be bliss, and if balanced well these mechanics could all combine into something truly special.
Shrines Could Play a Key Role
Nintendo shied away from showing dungeons, while also dodging story elements, towns and too many NPCs. That was all deliberate, with Aonuma-san at pains to reassure viewers that all would be revealed later in the year.
We saw quite a few shrines though, which could be a crucial part of the game. They are typically small enclosed areas that consist of two or three puzzles, often utilising neat abilities such as freezing objects or producing ice platforms out of water. Early examples were short and simple, but in the final two shrines that were shared it became clear that they ramp up in difficulty.
Nintendo confirmed that there will be over 100 of these shrines, with players able to "earn special items and other rewards that will help them on their adventure". A 'Spirit Orb' also seemed to be a consistent reward, and it seems these shrines will be key for improving Link's abilities; we can't help but wonder whether those orbs will be required to 'break' a barrier at some point in the story.
We Didn't See it, But There's a Story
Despite all that was shown, it's clear that there'll be a significant plot here, even if the player's engagement with it will vary depending on how they approach the many freedoms they have in exploring and succeeding in the game's world. Treehouse staff couldn't resist remarking that the story is 'amazing', and Aonuma-san re-iterated that there was a lot we are yet to be told about the setting, Link's identity and his role in the world. There will be great flexibility in how we play, like in many enormous modern day RPG adventures, but like those contemporaries there'll still be a narrative thread running through the middle.
That narrative apparently rules out a gender choice, with Eiji Aonuma explaining his reasoning for a male-only Link. In fact the name Link is fixed, it seems, due to an opening voice-over that calls him from his slumber (which it seems was for 100 years, but that may have been loose talk on the Nintendo Minute show). Some snippets did, however, show Link in a variety of outfits (which are heavily customisable depending on what you've found and are carrying) and even sporting a different hairstyle. We'll have some control over how our Link looks, even if the character himself is set in stone.
There'll be Fun Debates Around its Place in the Timeline
All will become clear on where Breath of the Wild falls in the official timeline when the story emerges in months to come, but for now there'll be fun conversations based on what we know. There were plenty of clues in the coverage, from the creatures and items that were encountered, down to the landscape itself, and also the somewhat abandoned, lifeless aspects of The Great Plateau. This writer reckons this could be a direct sequel to Skyward Sword, based on interpretations of that game's finale. Others reckon it's before or after The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and others think clues point to one of the paths after the events of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Stay tuned, it's a topic we'll likely revisit...
Yep, amiibo is Here to Stay
There's no escaping it, amiibo has a part to play in the Legend of Zelda franchise. The Wolf Link amiibo from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD is supported; scanning it brings him into the game as an assist character that can be used once a day. He tackles foes and sniffs out some resources.
Three new figures (above) were also revealed - Link (Archer), Link (Rider) and Guardian; the latter will be the first amiibo with flexible parts. How these amiibo will work is yet to be revealed, though in prototype form they're certainly among the most attractive in the range to date.
Our hope, in order to appease those that find the idea of amiibo meddling in the adventure distasteful, is that these will be optional and rather minor in their gameplay impact. As collectibles, they could be hard to resist.
It Suits the Wii U GamePad Nicely, What About NX?
This one's origins as a Wii U-only game seem readily apparent, adopting mysterious technology with the Sheikah Slate that makes handy use of the GamePad. The second screen map has had a notable overhaul, while elements of motion controls for aiming and viewing 'through' the Slate seem to have remained in place. It seems likely that, like the HD remasters on Wii U, a Pro Controller option will also be bolted in.
It'll be interesting to see how NX fits in, depending on the form the console (and its controller) takes. Will the NX have controller support with a second screen and motion controls, or will it be held back if it lacks those? We're certainly curious.
Those are some key initial points, in any case, as we try and digest all that we saw. Stay tuned to Nintendo Life for much more on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, including impressions of the demos, and also full live coverage of Nintendo's second day at E3 on 15th June.
Comments 94
This game looks so amazing, methinks.
It looks amazing but I get the feeling it is turning into a Fallout game with a Zelda skin. Not a bad thing but people may make the comparison.
Were you guys at Nintendo Life able to fly to LA and attend this Treehouse E3 presentation?
I think it is more like contemporary open world games, with various weapons and shields having stats and being able to break and inventory management. Also, a lot of different activities like hunting or cooking, to create new items. Interesting, let's hope that if you don't have much time to play you can still find shrines and main objectives without having to wander for hours.
I just hope that 100 mini dungeons and 4 main dungeons rumor is false. I hope these shrines aren't the 100 mini dungeons.
If there's one thing I want, it's lore. I really wish Zelda games have more lore in them.
The conversations throughout the day were conspicuously empty in regards to the gamepad. They didn't seem to draw any attention to its implementation.
@abbyhitter So.....you're hoping that there are 100 mini dungeons on top of the over 100 shrines in the game? Because the shrines are essentially mini dungeons. Not sure where the 4 main dungeon rumor came from, though.
Zelda was getting stale so it really needed both returning to its roots and also breaking the OoT formula. Let's how that will pay off.
You forgot about Link being able to go shirtless.
Wait. The wolf amiibo can only be used once a day? That's so stupid.
This game looks absolutely brilliant! There are very few series that get a guaranteed day one purchase from me but the Zelda series has always gotten just that, and judging by what we have seeen today this game will be well worth the wait. Usually when it comes to open world games I am kind of meh about them since it seems like every series is open world nowadays but when it comes to Zelda I can't help but feel genuinely excited, and that doesn't happen very often for me.
I see it. It's Zelda does open world. I will say a lot of comments I've seen say "take zelda out of the name and it's just like any open world game" but the feel is different. The art direction, the background audio, and emotive elements even interaction with the environment seems well thought of. Striking flint to make a fire, chopping trees to make bridges, physics based puzzles, a lot of the things I saw other games do not do. It encourages environmental experimentation. Even if it was just fallout with a zelda skin, I'd still play the game because it's ******* zelda.
@Ephidel - Please don't partially censor profanity. Preferably, please avoid it altogether, as per the Community Rules. Thanks.
As much as I adore Zelda games, and the traditional OoT formula, I must say that I am extremely excited about this change of pace! At last, the new Zelda will feel definitively "New"! Not just a rehash, (again, not dogging the other Zelda's. I love them all dearly)
I have a feeling I will dump quite a few hours of my life into this game.
Also, I really love the fact that you can fight with different weapon types! Spears, axes, stalfos arms.... I'm so in!!
What........the.........heck, Nintendo? This game looks like a guaranteed GOTY already! This totally blows last year's E3 out of the water for sure.
Finally an open world zelda game
I do hope that you are able to wear the classic hat at some point in the game though... I'm gonna miss it ;(
I love that this is inspired by the original Nes Zelda. In my opinion that was the best.
Just found out about the Wolf amiibo and I'm really annoyed. Watching the video on the eshop it looked so cool having a wolf as a sidekick. He killed tjings, ran around you, he acted so happy. And I wouldn't even be all that annoyed if we could just buy the amiibo to have a really cool sidekick in the game, but you have to have save file from TP on it.
So not only are they locking one of the coolest aspects I've seen so far of the game behind an amiibo, but they are locking it behind playing another $50 game w/ that amiibo as well.
I know a wolf sidekick isn't necessary, but there really wasn't anything else that I thought was new and cool.
@Spoony_Tech @Captain_Gonru What do you guys think of the pay walled sidekick? Not the game in general, just the amiibo usage locked behind another game.
I was lucky enough to check out the demo at e3. It lasted about 50 minutes with the first 20 having you just dropped in the middle of the map and told to explore, and the next 30 minutes started from what seemed like the beginning of the narrative. It was both classic zelda and completely new at the same time. I didn't get very far in my exploration because I needed to look at everything before I moved on, but what I did see was incredibly refreshing.
In hindsight, I'm glad Zelda is getting all the attention, it guarantees that the NX is getting a killer app right at launch. It will entice many that skipped the Wii U hopefully.
@Yoshi The rumor came from one of Gamexplain's sources that apparently exists.
@Mega_Yarn_Poochy I think this game is going to be placed after Wind Waker in the timeline. WARNING, SPOILERS AHEAD. In the end of the game in Wind Waker after Link kills Ganon, the platform they were battling on outside the castle is flooded with water, and Link and Zelda began to float up to the surface, but the King of Hyrule decided to drown with his Kingdom. But he told them that Hyrule was not lost and the land they would set down would be the New Hyrule. Possibly making the BotW the "Birthplace of Hyrule" after Wind Waker
But, I could also say that Skyward Sword once viewed the land on the ground as a dreadful place, but now they have gone down to it and it is the "Birthplace of Hyrule"
after Skyward Sword
Since we have seen any plot or characters yet, it's hard to tell, but the Old Man says that it is the "Birthplace of Hyrule" so I could see either one of these becoming true.
"The lack of gender representation is enough to reduce my interest."
There's always the possibility that the NX will be backwards compatible with the Gamepad, and you'll be able to use it in addition to a no-screen controller (that's how I played Pikmin 3). Personally, I think the NX controller will have some sort of screen, but it won't be nearly as large as the Gamepad.
@rjejr
It means I gotta get playing Twilight Princess now!! There's time before the game comes out.
I wonder if there will be items you find in dungeons at all this time around, or if the runes and weapon pickups are all
the game appears to focus on the sheikah tribe, no?
seems like link uses apple pay to get into the shrines.
I feel like this game takes place in the distant future, probably later in the timeline than any Zelda to date. I'm only basing this assumption on one thing, so I could be wrong of course...
...the Master Sword looks old and whithered. There are large chips in the blade and in general it looks like it's been standing on that pedestal forgotten and alone for centuries.
@PK_Boss11 Isn't Phantom Hourglass a direct sequal to Wind Waker though?
@Loui Phantom Hourglass is a sequel to Wind Waker in that it details the journey that Link and Zelda have while searching for a new land to create New Hyrule. It doesn't rule out having another story alongside it detailing what happened to the old Hyrule. It is a stretch in my opinion, but the argument is valid.
@Detective_TeeJay my thoughts exactly, I'm hoping it takes place in the child's timeline. A hundred years or so after the events of TP.
I mean how else can they put Wolf Link in the game?
@hylian1996 There ARE Koroks though, so that's pretty peculiar. Hmmmmmmm...
@Loui @Yoshi Yeah, the game could be placed after PH when they find the new lamd
But I just came up with a cool idea, please comment on how it sounds to you.
Breath of the wind will start a fourth path of the storyline after Oot.
Now there will be where Link
Succeeds in beating Ganon as a child
Succeeds in beating Ganon as an adult
Does not succeed in beating Ganon
Runs and does not face Ganon (BotW)
This would explain the ancient Sheikah artifacts and the broken Temple of Time. Perhaps Link cremated himself until he thought he was ready to beat Ganon (100 years) This would put a unique spin on the whole series
Let me know whatcha think
@Captain_Gonru I didn't even think of NX, that's a good point. And I don't own TP b/c I already played the complete game on Wii and really I wasn't all that impressed w/ the update.
I wrote on another thread that I think the game should give us a generic brown wolf sidekick and the amiibo could skin it into wolf Link w/ the little chain and sound effects. Or even better, let us play as the wolf w/ the amiibo. But don't take away my "pet", that's just mean.
@Jacadamia true, perhaps it is a return to old Hyrule from Wind Waker, essentially busting my theory.
Wolf Link, Sheikahs, and Koroks existing all together. Reminds me of the Rito frieze they found a while back when TP HD got released.
@PK_Boss11 interesting... but wouldn't that new event of Link hibernating for a century, essentially result in either Link being defeated or the hero missing (adult timeline)? The latter resulting in the goddesses flooding Hyrule.
@rjejr Actually this is the first I've heard of it. How are they going to lock that on the NX as well?! I think they will also come to their senses and just allow it to be the Amiibo that unlocks the content. They will also most likely re-release the Amiibo around game launch. I'm not really worried either way as I have both but I can't see them going through with that.
@abbyhitter Those of us that live in the US were there!
I just realized, Nintendo has been avoiding spoilers completely for this game...you look at past Zelda trailers and you see story cutscenes and bosses. Don't think the trailer showed off any major bosses at all. (I think the Thardus Jr. guy and...the other thing were just mini-bosses)
The game has to take place some time after Wind Waker, as the Kokiri have already evolved into Koroks in the game, which iirc only happened after the Great Flood.
@hylian1996 Well perhaps out of Link's going into hiding the Sheikah were reborn and pushed back Ganon in order to protect the Royal Family, explaining the Shekiah Slab and there prescence in this title
Would also explain the corroded Master Sword
In terms of story, The Legend of Zelda became like call of duty; There is barely any mention of the previous heroes, no meaningful history is told, you are still left wondering what happened with the other Links, who's the dad, who's the grandpa, who is related, who is completely not linked to the previous link, and etc.? I couldn't think of anything more beautiful than coming up with a way (after all these years) to bring an old Link back again..
Finally got this pre-order, I will get the Wii U version first, and NX version later that is until I know what the console felt like.
The game looks amazing. It looks to me like it's in the Wind Waker timeline which would be very cool to revisit that universe, if in fact it is.
@PK_Boss11 The presence of the Master Sword makes it seem very unlikely that it will take place in the Adult Link timeline. Remember, at the end of Wind Waker it was frozen inside of Ganon's forehead. The Master Sword doesn't exist in the new land discovered in between PH and ST. The only way I can see it being in the adult timeline is if it's thousands of years after Spirit Tracks in Old Hyrule where all of the water evaporated or something.
Your theory about a fourth split from OoT is interesting though.
I think it's possible this game takes place a few centuries after Zelda II. The last known presence of the Master Sword in the Fallen Hero timeline is when it was sealed at the end of ALBW. A new incarnation of Ganon would be present, as I'm pretty sure Demise's curse wasn't broken in LoZ when Ganon was killed.
I wonder when do you get that suit of armor that Link had on? I swear they may need to add a time mechanic because I am going to be wandering all over Hyrule while the Sheikah Slate is yelling at me for not saving the world ASAP. "Link you should go here..." "brb burning down the forest!"
I can't stop watching the trailer. I tried to resist watching the gameplay stream but what I did see looked really fun. It feels oddly emotional to see Link back in action, like the return of an old friend. It's a wonderful feeling.
@Captain_Gonru they do allow for a base of three hearts simply because you own the amiibo...(???)
@Acein210 - I was thinking <i>The Legend of Skyrim</i>, which is A-OK.
It reminds me of the old instruction manuals come to life, especially the NES one....definitely a good thing.
@rjejr They mentioned on one of the treehouse streams that if you scan Wolf Link straight out of the box, he would only have three hearts. So you can still use him without TP HD, he just won't last very long later in the game.
Its a big day for Nintendo, and while I try not to post here too often, I did want to say that everything looks gorgeous in BotW. However I have seen possible Sony employees on some Nintendo forums trolling the graphics with mindless technical arguments, and verbatim scriptage under different user names lol. Maybe just crazy fans, as while I've given all 3 companies my $ over the years, I also am guilty of rooting for my favorite. Even though N is a distant third in this gen, I believe that Sony still recognizes what kind of game maker and tech company they're up against in a longterm scenario. And didn't they just call one of their E3 games a "Zelda killer?" So they acknowledged Nintendo. Well even if NX is seen as failure, imho Nintendo should never stop making consoles, and never license their IP's out to the other 2, as what goes around...most often does come around (Nintendo's popularity and possibly 3rd party parity one day). Anyway...I can just imagine the amount of love they've put into this game over the last 2 yrs. It has been their "baby" for sure.
"Nintendo is stating that the E3 demo area is barely 2% of the game; whether that's entirely accurate or not, it's clear that this is a title with sensational depth."
Some advice here. Japanese people are all but liars, in fact, making a statement like this, would be considered highly insulting there. If they say it is 2%, it is 2%.
Either way, I am looking forward for this game!
It has always been clear to me, this is gonna be a day one purchase, probably on the wii u (will wait and see about nx). However, I was not too impressed with what they had to show. It kinda reminded of other games - not saying this is a bad thing, but still. In the end this could be one of the last games that I will ever buy.
I was a bit unsure from first impressions due to the big level of change from past entries, but the more I am seeing the more I like it so far
@PK_Boss11 Lol, so this game could be the storyline option of Link shirking hero duty and becoming a hobo/ mountain man that lives off the land? Sounds like an interesting game theory ;p
Though if that were the case, it'd be interesting if the story progression is to see the world turning from a peaceful nature filled land to ruins as darkness encroaches...
So it's definitely coming to NX? Does that make the Wii U the first console ever to not have its own dedicated Zelda game? Other than the Virtual Boy.....
@rjejr people whine about amiibo not having great features and being useless, when theres a good use for it they whine about it locking content. Ppl cant make up their minds
Oh I am so loving the sound direction in this game!
@IceClimbers Of what we know, yes it does make it hard to have the master sword in the timeline after wind waker, but it's what we don't know that makes it interesting. Maybe the Master Sword was frozen with Link, which would explain the corrison
I however still like the idea of a fourth storyline split though
Honestly at this point, until we know some npcs and the roles of Link and the Guardians, it won't be easy to predict. Maybe the Guardians are like the Master Sword in the sense that when he uses them for help if they are everntually good, that Ganon gains power but also now has a weakness
I'm starting to wonder if the NX controller could look like the Sheika Slate. BotW being one of the first NX releases could be used to hype the controller a little bit.
Also if the scrolling shoulder buttons are added, switching between weapons etc. would be more fluid compared to the Wii U version.
Either the Wii U version will be the poor man's version, or the NX won't be showing improved graphics. So if both versions are the same there won't be a rush to buy the NX.
The game sounds a bit like what Assassin's Creed has been doing for a while now and I thought the new Zelda together with the NX would give us better graphics, getting away from the cartoony Zelda style.
@Warioware Goodness, where have you been? The dual release issue was broken a while back and has been discussed at length around here. Welcome back
@zool I think the 'cartoony Zelda style' is part of what makes a Zelda game a Zelda game. I hope Nintendo never drops the artistic exploration it does with Zelda visuals. Last thing I want is for it just to become another title chasing lifelike graphics.
The game is beautiful, no doubt about it.
I'm a bit concerned with the new things its doing though. Still, I'll get it when it comes out cause who knows? Maybe this is for the best.
@rjejr Some info on IGN stating that you can use the amiibo without a TP savefile, you just get only three hearts. (Not sure how reliable IGN is. They also said that BotW would be compatible with the pro controller.) Anyway, I guess it's a fun extra to have wolf link as a companion, but it's still locked behind a paywall, no getting away from that.
http://uk.ign.com/articles/2016/06/14/e3-2016-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-amiibo-revealed-wolf-link-support-explained
So it's Minecraft, Monster Hunter, and Skyrim all rolled into one, with Zelda charm sprinkled on top?
I could get in to that!
This looks amazing.
To me, this game is set in the future. It's either a direct prequel to Wind Waker or set many years after Spirit Tracks. Since the land of Hyrule is in decay, the Temple of Time is in ruins, and the Guardians look like they've been asleep for centuries, it has to be set in futuristic timeline. I hope it's a direct prequel to Wind Waker and shows the events leading to the flooding of Hyrule.
Most are thinking this takes place after Wind Waker; what if however this game takes place post Ocarina, but before the great flood that sank Hyrule. We might even have an ending where Ganondorf is successful, or better yet, one where Link is responsible for the Great Sea flooding the whole kingdom.
@Sakura @Shadowkiller97 Thank you both, that makes sense, as I've always wanted that wolf amiibo, I just didn't want to pay $50 for it. This also probably means they will sell it separately, so that's good news as well. It also explains the "once a day" use. I can live with 3 hearts. It actually adds a little strategy to the amiibo usage, have him out for running around fun, or save it for a boss battle.
Ok, I'm interested again.
I'm sure it will be fun, every Zelda game is, but nothing about it is really getting me giddy like a kid, as I was the first time I saw Ocarina of Time for example. I believe it's entirely possible for a new Zelda to have that effect on me, even today (games like Journey, Rime, Mother 3, Shovel Knight, The Witness, Uncharted 4, No Man's Sky, Cuphead, Vanishing Realms, Inside . . . manage it with aplomb, in various ways), but this Zelda hasn't managed it. For me it comes over as just a random game in the crowd, nothing particularly special or awe inspiring in any way, and certainly not considering the kinds of epic game experiences we've been seeing on the competition's consoles for a couple of generations now. I was hoping for a little bit of that sense of genuine wonder and magic that the very best Nintendo games have given me in the past, but Breath of the Wild has left me largely indifferent. Right now, I'm simply going through the motions. Maybe that will change going forward. . . .
@Kirk No offense intended, but I think you might be in the minority here and it kind of surprises me that anyone who is a fan could feel that way. I felt super giddy watching that trailer. I could feel the excitement in me rising and, as @8itmap_k1d said on here earlier, seeing Link on a new adventure is like seeing the return of an old friend.
So then, I'm kind of curious? What is it about the game that has you less than excited? Anything that you think would instead make you more interested?
@FiveDigitLP Simply seeing a new Zelda game isn't enough to genuinely excite me and get me kiddy like a kid—not once I get passed the first few minutes of excitement at just seeing something new in general—although it really does seem like that is enough for a whole lot of people these days. After the first few minutes, however, I need to see something genuinely special in the game to feel that real sense of awe and wonder. I don't really see that here. I see a rather generic and bland looking open world action-RPG with largely not very impressive presentation or graphics, which may or may not have some gameplay elements that make it more fun to play than the likes of The Witcher III, Skyrim, Horizon: Zero Dawn, etc.
Now, I'm not saying it will be a bad game; all things being equal, I'm sure it will be great fun to play, but so are all those other games, and, by comparison, this New Zelda game just seems like a less impressive equivalent on Nintendo's console, which may or may not [arguably] play a better game.
What I'd like is for it to at least blow those other games away in some obvious way, in at least one aspect of the game design, to really be worthy of being the next big Zelda epic we've all been waiting on for quite some time—the one that's ideally supposed to get me all giddy like a kid—because those games definitely blow it out the frikin' water in terms of presentation and graphics right now at least (and who truly knows about the relative quality of Zelda's gameplay right now).
Because, at the very least, we can objectively say that those game utterly blow away Zelda in terms of overall presentation and graphics, but we cannot objectively say that Zelda beats or even equals those games in any particular aspect right now (although I'm confident it will certainly be up there in terms of gameplay, if not necessarily more notable in any way). And that's where I stand on this Zelda right now; I'm mostly left largely underwhelmed.
I mean, seriously, look at this stuff by comparison:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ_G6XiHoUA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx8kQ4s5hCY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5Xx3MdqdgM
naked Link for Sm5sh
It's all pretty, revolutionary (for Zelda standards) and exciting, but...well...why is Link right-handed?
@Lady_rosalina I'm not whining about the amiibo unlocking he wolf, I'm whining about needing a save file from another game on that amiibo to unlock the wolf. A game I already played on the Wii, and some people probably played on the Gamecube.
Turns out that was the way it was presented, but you don't need the save file, just the amiibo, so I'm ok w/ it now. Would be cooler if the amiibo let you play as the wolf, like we did in TP, that might be a neat bonus for a TP save file, but to let you just run alongside you, I like the way they did do it, not explained it, 3 hearts out of the box.
People will always complain about amiibo though, it's DLC, and DLC is worth complaining about. We pay full price for a full game, we shouldn't need to pay more to unlock things. If they want us to pay extra to unlock things, then the game should be free to start, not $60. And any $13 amiibo should be a playable character.
My only problem with this Zelda game, is that it will make the next one look bad, in that this one is so new and different, there's no way the next will be able to catch up with the surprise.
@Tsurii I love the fact that the music also doesn't persistently play. Don't get me wrong I adore persistent soundtracks so much so that half of my music collection is video game osts. Yet at first when they showcased that I was annoyed because that "wasn't the way its supposed to be" tm.
However, the music playback style and even the sound direction makes the fights more poignant and tense when the music gears up during your fight. That is one thing I really like about WW; how your hits had a musical cadence. I swear I'm like a squirming puppy over this game.
@Kirk I totally understand where you're coming from with that opinion! The Wild Hunt was impressive and I'm very hyped about Horizon Zero Dawn! It's hard not to draw comparisons, and we definitely should. Nintendo's got they're work cut out for them to "catch up" in terms of technology and design. One thing that's kinda holding them back is the outdated hardware of the Wii U.
In any case, I couldn't be more excited for Breath of the Wild! I think it looks fantastic and the promise it holds is exhilarating!
While the game might not have many truly new and unique features to it in comparison to other games, and many other modern games are far ahead of it in terms of execution and robustness in specific aspects, I feel that the way it's all put together in this one is nothing short of magical! There's that special Zelda touch...
Besides, where in the Wild Hunt and Horizon Zero Dawn are heavily combat focused (with occasional RPG dialogue in quests), Breath of the Wild has puzzle elements in a much bigger role. And the unique open-world twist of truly allowing the player to go anywhere right after getting out of the Great Plateau, with zero hand-holding, just makes my heart pound!
And did you see the freedom of movement in this game??
It's so cool that you can climb virtually anything, then drop down, use your glider and then jump on your shield to surf down a slope, then jump again off from the surf and continue with the glider, hit a wall and grab onto it immediately and start climbing for some elevation. Man oh man, I can't wait!!
@Moshugan Well, I do hope it has that special Zelda touch.
The freedom of movement is very cool in principle, I love the idea of it, but I'm not sure it's been executed entirely spectacularly here. It looks a bit clumsy and shoved in there to me, if very functional and mechanically solid enough, like they just said "OK, turn on the 'climb everything' button without really designing the structures and character animations to really look well matched to such a feature and fully polished for the most part. In most other games that have such free world navigation, although not so free as this, they really take the time to make that stuff look highly polished these days, so the character really looks like he's climbing very specifically to the various parts of the structure/building/cliff/whatever he's currently on. Here it comes across like the code must just say "climb generic climbable surface".
It's this "polish" that I find lacking in much of what I'm seeing in the new Zelda, and not necessarily in terms of gameplay execution—that I can't quite tell yet—but just in terms of the overall presentation and graphics. THAT is what's missing from so many modern Nintendo games to me, even the ones that most people consider highly polished examples of current-gen Nintendo games, and to me personally, that element of game design is and always has been extremely important in any game that's to be considered truly great and truly worthy of praise. Virtually all the very best, classic, and beloved Nintendo games have it in abundance (and that was very true relative to the time they were released).
Am I seriously the only one that felt like Link was in a Xenoblade game (with a little bit of monster hunter) while watching all of this? It's exciting to me as Xenoblade and Zelda are my 2 favorite series and I really enjoyed Monster Hunter 4.
So hyped for this game and I'm liking it's about exploring like the first Zelda but the one that blow me away as a kid was a Link to the Past and getting the same feeling about this Zelda and those Amiibos oh yeah.
@edcomics They don't want it to be overused, but if it has 20 hearts and you only play once a day for a few hours you may not even need to worry about losing him until the next day. Plus, if they let you feed him to heal then he will be the ultimate Zelda companion.
@abbyhitter
I don't see how the shrines wouldn't be the mini dungeons. I'm perfectly fine with that. I just hope there are more than 4 main dungeons. I hope there's at least 6 with Ganon's castle being the 7th.
I'm getting whatever special edition comes out for this game. I will get the Wii U version, since I think I'm giving the NX at least one year before I get it.
I don't mind a more solitary experience for Link, personally. The NES Zelda was exactly that and it was perfectly fine. As much as having a town or two would be cool, if this ends up with just the old man and, eventually, Zelda (and the bad guy somewhere in the world), I could live with this as long as the gameplay is special and (somewhat) revolutionary. Just making it this open and vast is a step towards achieving that, but the dungeons shouldn't stray too far from what Link to the Past started, which was making the puzzles to progress not based on just killing all enemies in a room.
The big drawback? Potentially no real overworld quests to do for NPCs, but that's not a big loss.
This is probably going to be Shadow of the Colossus done right as far as the overworld is concerned.
I hope the rest of the world not shown in E3 is just as exciting (or better) as the area we´ve seen. Wouldn´t mind having a few towns there, Zelda 2 style.
@Luffymcduck Agreed, we need more towns, people, villages, etc etc.
@RandomBlue Ya, finally. Boy, I was starting to think the day would never come. I was about ready to start programming my own open world Zelda, but now I won't need to. Pretty hyped!
@gcunit Very very late response to you! Sorry yeah my June and July were crazy at work so I must have missed the dual release talk and announcements. As somebody who likes the Wii U though it's still a bit sad that it's not going to have a Zelda to call its own like almost every other Nintendo system has had.
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