2015 is quickly becoming one of the most important years in recent memory for the video game industry, with a hoard of anticipated software cramming up the calendar. And during its pre-recorded Direct presentation this morning, Nintendo announced that a new entry in the beloved The Legend of Zelda series will release for Wii U in 2015.
In revealing the long-anticipated game, the company’s Eiji Aonuma outlined the vast scope of Link’s next chapter, which is said to place few boundaries on the player as they venture forth into the luscious realm of Hyrule.
“As far as what you can do with such a vast field to explore, as soon as those boundaries are removed, it means you can enter any area from any direction. So the puzzle solving in this game begins the moment the player starts to think about where they want to go, how they want to get there, and what they will do when they arrive.”
Though short in length, the serene, jaw-dropping footage teased an expansive open-world setting for players to explore. Draped in a cloak and on horseback (Epona, potentially?), our protagonist suddenly dashes from the scene with a destructive tentacle monster in pursuit. After stunning the beast, Link rips off the guise to reveal a yellow and blue tunic and, in what was effectively the mic drop moment, charges up a special, transformative arrow as the screen fades to white.
After it was briefly teased through a rather enticing tech demo alongside the Wii U reveal three years ago, Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda is finally releasing onto the company’s flagship hardware, the Wii U, in 2015.