The upcoming 19th instalment of the The Legend of Zelda series is set to be released next year, and fans are in a frenzy as they wait for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to be released. After the game was announced in 2013, it has been delayed twice, however Nintendo has set the release date for 2017.
The history of the Legend of Zelda games is a long one, with the first game released in 1986. Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of the series, was inspired by where he had grown up: the city Kyoto, where he would regularly explore the forests, caves and nearby fields.
The game follows a young boy called Link, whose goal is to save Princess Zelda and the rest of Hyrule from the main antagonist, Ganon. However, with how many games there have been, the antagonists usually differ from each game.
The new game, Breath of the Wild, is an action-adventure open world game. From the trailers and gameplays released so far, we see Link waking up from a deep sleep and being guided by a mysterious female’s voice out of a cave, only to be met with a destroyed and empty Hyrule.
The world is told to be twelve times larger than the world created in Twilight Princess. What is most interesting about this game is the lack of clearly defined directions, instead it follows what the first game had done; allowed the player to discover where to go and what to do at their own pace.
It was also revealed that Nintendo’s Amiibo statues would be available to use in game. The player can use different Link Amiibos to unlock different and interesting abilities. Just recently Nintendo has released a new Link Amiibo especially created for Breath of the Wild.
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild shows a different style of animation compared to other games, one that is simple yet showcases the beauty of Hyrule. It is clear to see why fans are so excited about this game: it’s a new take on an old franchise, however not completely erasing old features, instead building upon them.
The game is to be released for WiiU and Nintendo Switch. Below is the trailer and gameplay.