Nintendo Releases First Details and Screenshots of the Legend of Zelda for Wii U

Undoubtedly the game Nintendo fans were most eager to see during today’s Digital Event was the Legend of Zelda for Wii U, and Nintendo certainly didn’t disappoint, revealing brief footage and details on Link’s next home console adventure.

According to series producer Eiji Aonuma, the next Legend of Zelda title was designed from the ground up to “revisit” the conventions of the series. In particular, Aonuma cited the first Legend of Zelda for NES as the team’s primary inspiration, which featured a vast, open world that players could explore freely. Aonuma explained that when the series made the transition to 3D, it became much more difficult to replicate the sense of vastness found in earlier titles, as hardware restrictions made progress through the world more linear.

With the next game, however, Aonuma and his team have removed any boundaries that might have stood in the way of the adventure, creating a seamless world for Link to explore. Aonuma says that such a dramatic shift from previous titles opens up countless new gameplay and puzzle opportunities for the series, as players will need to consider where they want to go and how they’ll need to get there.

Based on the brief footage that Nintendo has released, it seems players will have a lot to consider when they finally go hands-on with the game, as its sprawling vision of Hyrule just beckons to be explored. While the title is still in the early stages of development (Nintendo vaguely said it would be launching in 2015), it is nevertheless breathtaking, featuring a unique visual style that blends the aesthetics of The Wind Waker and Skyward Sword. Link also sports a considerably different look than his previous incarnations, wielding strange explosive arrows and donning a shirt reminiscent of the one worn by the Hero of Winds at the beginning of The Wind Waker. (Later Tuesday evening, when questioned on why Link looks so different in the next Zelda title, Aonuma coyly stated, “No one explicitly said that that was Link,” hinting that we may have seen a new character in the game footage.)

You can take a look at the first batch of screenshots of the game below.

What do you think of the next Zelda game? Are you excited to see the ways in which it breaks the series’ conventions? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!

Source: Nintendo Digital Event