Nintendo has been promising to shake up The Legend of Zelda for years without following through. Sure, each new entry in the series may tweak a few things, but the end product still feels very much like traditional Zelda. Well, that may finally be changing with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
After Nintendo revealed the first Breath of the Wild trailer yesterday, they spent most of the rest of the day streaming the game. They didn’t show off much in the way of story, but they did demo a lot of new mechanics, and it looks like longtime Zelda fans may have some adjusting to do.
First off, the world of Breath of the Wild is much larger and less structured than in the past. You can go anywhere, and do pretty much anything as long as you have the skill. You also aren’t restricted to just a few weapons and pieces of gear. Weapons and clothes are now found all over in the wild, or can be taken from enemies. Hearts and rupees also don’t spring forth from the grass anymore. Instead, you have to create helpful items using a crafting/cooking system. You can check out Breath of the Wild‘s introduction above, and some exploration gameplay below.
Nintendo didn’t show off any full Breath of the Wild dungeons (although they promise they exist), but they did demonstrate a “Shrine of Trials.” These shrines are basically mini dungeons that reward you with various items, and Nintendo says there will be over 100 of them in the game.
Finally, here’s series-creator Shigeru Miyamoto talking about how Breath of the Wild is intended to be a bit of a throwback to the original NES The Legend of Zelda.
There’s even more Zelda footage to be found on Nintendo’s YouTube page (for those who just can’t get enough). The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is expected to launch alongside the Nintendo NX next March.