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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
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E3 2016 Preview: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild at E3 was a mind-blowing experience. Nintendo’s departure from the traditional E3 structure (all the conferences are normally held before the E3 showroom opens) meant I hadn’t actually seen any gameplay before going hands-on; the first Treehouse Live stream was broadcast when a Wii U GamePad was firmly entrenched in my excited, jet-lagged hands. After two demos spanning 45 minutes, if I weren’t in a frantic rush to meet my next appointment, Nintendo would have had to pry it away from me.

Since dazzling in three dimensions with Ocarina of Time, Nintendo has produced a new Zelda experience, anchored by overtly recognisable mechanics, with each instalment. By reducing the prevalence of releases – there have only been two console games in the last decade – a new Zelda game is like rekindling with an old friend. Their external appearance may seem foreign and they’ll have exciting stories to tell, but beneath the surface they’re still the same person you’ve always known, and it doesn’t take long to slip back into familiar territory.

That’s where Breath of the Wild is unlike any Zelda game you’ve played before; it’s the polar opposite. On the surface it resembles and captures the essence of The Legend of Zelda. But it doesn’t play anything like those that came before it.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The additional mechanics aren’t anything special in isolation. It doesn’t sound innovative to identify the inclusion of a jump button, the ability to climb, a selection of weapons, some trousers, RPG-style stats and food to restore HP. But inject them all into an open world rendition of Hyrule, and they transcend their apparent simplicity.

During E3, I was set free to explore two demos. The first spent 20 minutes running around a wide-open landscape to experiment with the strange, yet fitting control scheme. It wasn’t nearly enough time to explore the entirety of the region available for the demo, and Nintendo was quick to point out it represented just 1% of the total map, which is 12 times the size of Twilight Princess.

The second demo featured the opening 25 minutes of the story, following the events of the announcement trailer. There’s no messing about after Link awakens, half-naked, in a pool of water to the pleas of an unknown woman. He’s straight into the thick of the action, after finding a shirt. There is some guidance, more than Nintendo let on, towards the first objective, but you’ll only be pushed there after venturing well off the beaten path. However, it can be ignored. Once you’ve gained a couple of items, it’ll be possible to challenge the final boss, if you really want to upset the status quo.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Playing on Wii U, Breath of the Wild has clearly been adapted with NX in mind for some time. We don’t know what Nintendo is planning for its next controller, but it’s a safe bet to assume it won’t include a screen, as the GamePad’s isn’t used at all. During our demo, it listed the controls or could be used for off-TV play. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is the only other Nintendo game I can recall that disabled the touchscreen entirely.

Considering Link acquires the Sheikah Slate, a tablet-esque device that displays a map, inventory and quests, it’s obvious why Zelda was a showpiece at E3 2014 and nowhere to be seen last year. The GamePad displayed a map and enabled motion controls to aim when we last saw (what was then called) Zelda: Untitled (2015) played by producer Eiji Aonuma 18 months ago, much like Twilight Princess HD. The PR spin says a conventional TV map is easier to see, and that’s probably true. But we’re not stupid. Nintendo must have decided to make Breath to the Wild cross-gen on Wii U and NX much sooner than announced – before E3 last year. By that stage in development, the Sheikah Slate would have become integral to gameplay, but could still have its controls changed to offer the same experience on both platforms. As a fan of using the Pro Controller, I’m all for the traditional control scheme.

Although, when I say “traditional”, expect to be bamboozled by some basic functionality. Breath of the Wild combines classic Zelda commands with modern open world and action-adventure functionality, so some actions aren’t necessarily where you expect to find them. For starters, it’s a little weird pressing ‘X’ (at the top on Wii U) to jump, unless you’ve been playing Fallout 4 recently.

The customisation of assigning items to action buttons has been relegated to the history books. The D-Pad is given the task of cycling between melee weapons, of which Link now has many to choose from, and the Z buttons are used to aim and fire his range weapon. I only tried the bow and arrow, but he also has access to a spear.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

All of this is tiring work for our pointy-eared hero, who is now dependent on a stamina bar, which means he can actually sprint; no more rolling around under the illusion of a speed boost. But it doesn’t last long. It was almost worthless, to be honest, during the opening chapter. Link must significantly enhance his stamina before running around Hyrule becomes a viable option.

The stamina meter is also used to fuel Link’s newfound athleticism to climb walls, trees and mountains with muscular prowess; all of a sudden he’ll have Bruce McAvaney taking notice. It’s a restriction that ensures Link doesn’t morph into Nathan Drake. Incoming Zelda mechanics have often been confined by a strict timer, which is what makes the brilliant puzzles work. While climbing has become fashionable amongst action games, Breath of the Wild ensures it still behaves like a Zelda mechanic.

The concept of being confined by his items and personal abilities is more prevalent than ever before. Previously, an inaccessible area signified backtracking after completing a dungeon in which a new item had been unlocked. Breath of the Wild is predicated on a very different system.

In less than an hour, Link had a couple of swords, a stick, a club and a giant axe to cycle between, but all had limited durability. They weaken with each passing blow and soon need to be replaced, or else risk an embarrassing vulnerability arising during combat. Items have become disposable and replaceable. They’re no longer worshipped, and as far as I can tell, there won’t be many majestic chest openings; the freedom of an open world doesn’t allow massive segments to be locked behind the heavily scripted revelation of a specific item.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

This has allowed Nintendo to rethink combat. Enemies no longer generate in predetermined patterns around the world. Instead they converge in small groups with strength in numbers. While some are stationed as lookouts, others will rest and some will have laid down their weapons to huddle by a campfire, giving Link an opportune moment to strike. He could decide to pick up an unguarded spear and use it against his foe; or knowing his sword will crumble at any moment, he could throw it at one enemy and allow another to pick it up, unaware of its critical weakness.

Stealth tactics have never been explored on this level in the Zelda universe. They’re governed by a meter indicating how much noise Link is generating, which is greatly reduced by crouching. Presumably, there will also be outfits and weapons that make less noise than others. It’s joined by a temperature gauge that goes beyond “red is bad”. It wasn’t required during the E3 demo, but Nintendo explained it will alert Link to change into warmer clothes in cold areas, and be used significantly during dungeons, which I also didn’t get to see.

While all of this felt strange as a veteran Zelda fanatic, the biggest surprise was yet to come: there are no hearts hiding in household pots or cut grass. The health meter remains consistent, but Breath of the Wild’s Link regenerates health through food, some of which can be cooked at campfires for greater potency. He’ll hunt and scavenge to stock up on edibles, which instantaneously replenishes hearts. When it’s safe to do so, sleeping will refill the life gauge and skip forward time between night and day.

For collectible enthusiasts, Breath of the Wild will launch with a series of new amiibo, but it’s Wolf Link from Twilight Princess HD that’s most intriguing. Injecting him into the action gives Link a travel buddy – and a vicious one able to decimate enemies with a brutal pounce, at that. It’s not clear how this fits into the narrative, if at all, as the entire story structure remains a mystery.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

As noted by fans watching the live streams, rupees were surprisingly absent throughout the demo. Like hearts, arrows and bombs, you won’t find them lurking in tall grass or even in treasure chests. I have no idea how the economy works in Breath of the Wild, but there will be a currency used to buy and sell items. Perhaps it will make rupees more valuable. They’ll be prized if hard to acquire, and you won’t be able to horde them until a major item appears in a shop if they’re required to gain basic necessities. At this stage, the best we have is speculation.

After scurrying away from the Nintendo booth, all I could think about was going back to play more, knowing I didn’t have the time (and that Nintendo wouldn’t let me play any later in the game). There’s still so much we don’t know. The story remains a mystery, we have no idea how quests will be structured in an open world with this radically new item system, and what about dungeons? Most of all, how will it look on NX, and will it be the definitive version? March 2017 is so far away…


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About the author

Ben Salter

Ben has been writing about games in a professional capacity since 2008. He even did it full-time for a while, but his mum never really understood what that meant. He's been part of the Stevivor team since 2016. You will find his work across all sections of the site (if you look hard enough). Gamertag / PSN ID: Gryllis.