Nintendo Reveals The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Although fans have known about the latest Legend of Zelda game for some time, Nintendo hasn’t actually released very much information about the title. That all changed today, with the Japanese publisher lifting the lid on one of its biggest and most acclaimed franchises. Today’s livestream not only gave an in-depth look at the new game but also finally revealed that it will be called The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
As well as the subtitle for the title, Nintendo also showed off a number of new features and mechanics that are being introduced into the series. This includes voice acting for the first time, as evidenced by the woman speaking over the introduction of the trailer. Also included were the ability to climb trees and mountains, dive into water, glide using a gadget, and a magic-like skill that allows players to build and move objects in the vast open world.
The trailer also revealed that this Zelda game will be unlike its predecessors by putting gamers in an open world for them to explore. Not only will players have to traverse dungeons and defeat enemies using traditional gameplay mechanics, they will also have the ability to use the environment to their advantage. Some examples involved Link setting fire to a field or pushing a boulder from a cliff onto enemies below.
We also learned that Breath of the Wild won’t feature a female protagonist. This was a rumor that had been discussed a lot over the past few months but it turns out that players will once again take on the role of a male Link rather than a woman. However, Nintendo did reveal that this was something they had spoken about and that they have even considered having Princess Zelda as the character the player would control.
“So yes, there were rumors like that, and we did discuss as a staff as to what would be possible if we took that route,” said producer Eiji Aonuma. “We thought about it and decided that if we’re going to have a female protagonist it’s simpler to have Princess Zelda as the main character. However …if we have princess Zelda as the main character who fights, then what is Link going to do? Taking into account that, and also the idea of the balance of the Triforce, we thought it best to come back to this [original] makeup.”