At E3, Nintendo just unveiled the latest trailer for the new Zelda game, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The game looks absolutely stunning. The art design makes it look like a Studio Ghibli film, perhaps even more so than Ni No Kuni, a video game Ghibli actually collaborated on. At the very least, it has a very strong Hayao Miyazaki vibe to the whole proceedings.

Breath of the Wild finally takes Link into an open-world environment, and it looks like there’s no shortage of things for our mute hero to do. There’s tree climbing! Lumberjacking! Bush burning! Cooking! Hunting! Setting traps! Gliding! And so much more!

The trailer also showcases different outfits for Link including armor, which is a neat addition for the character. I’m very curious to see how all of this comes together in the final game and if this is truly a step forward for the Zelda series. No offense to the folks at Nintendo, but the games had started to become a bit stale and it felt like every installment was chasing Ocarina of Time, which, granted, is an impossibly high bar. But with Breath of the Wild, Nintendo may have finally topped themselves. The game looks worth the price of admission for the visuals alone. I’ve watched this trailer more than once, and it doesn’t get any less breathtaking.


Here’s the official synopsis for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The game is due out in 2017 on the Wii U and NX.

Step into a world of discovery, exploration and adventure in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, a boundary-breaking new game in the acclaimed series. Travel across fields, through forests and to mountain peaks as you discover what has become of the ruined kingdom of Hyrule in this stunning open-air adventure.

Here's the press release with more info on the game:

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild represents the next great boundary-breaking adventure from Nintendo. The game marks a new pinnacle for the franchise, and today Nintendo gave the world its first look at the immense, living and breathing world of the Wii U version of the game at the E3 video game trade show in Los Angeles. The game challenges and surprises players at every turn, while giving them incredible freedom to explore the massive world found in this open-air adventure.

 

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild breaks boundaries for the franchise and for games as a whole,” said Nintendo of America President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime. “Where you go, how you get there, the order in which you do it, and the items, weapons and approaches used to solve puzzles and defeat enemies are all up to you.”

 

Today Nintendo gave fans just a taste of how The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild takes the franchise to new heights. Nintendo’s booth at E3 immerses attendees in the world of the game. As E3 attendees investigate Hyrule, they can explore the game any way they want because the world is so vast and players are not required to take a pre-determined path. This sense of freedom and vastness will truly come alive in the final game when the experience isn't limited by the restrictions of a show floor demo.

 

During a Nintendo Treehouse: Live demo, Nintendo showed that heroic Link needs to be resourceful as he explores his environment. It’s important for players to become familiar with their surroundings so they can find weapons or collect them from defeated enemies. Food helps Link sustain his hearts and can give him a temporary boost or ability that will sustain him.

 

The game breaks with some conventions from the series. For example, many of the minor enemies are no longer scattered randomly around the world, as many now live together in colonies. Link can climb towers and massive structures to get a bearing on his surroundings. He can even reach the top of mountains – any mountain he can see, he can climb. He can paraglide to lower areas or even use his shield to slide down a mountain. Link will travel across fields, through forests and to mountain peaks.


 

The game’s wild world surrounds Link, and he must pay attention to changes in climate, as a shift in weather or temperature can affect the environment and his ability to survive in it. A sudden downpour might douse a roaring campfire or a lightning storm might be attracted to Link’s metallic weapons. Players might need to bundle up with warmer clothes or change into something better suited to the desert heat.

 

More than 100 Shrines of Trials dot the landscape, waiting for players to discover and explore them in any order they want. As players work their way through the traps and puzzles inside, they’ll earn special items and other rewards that will help them on their adventure. Puzzles in the game often have multiple answers, and secrets can be found everywhere. Exploration and discovery are a huge part of the fun.

 

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is scheduled to launch simultaneously for both the Wii U console and Nintendo’s next system, code-named NX, in 2017. The game also includes compatibility with amiibo, which are sold separately. Nintendo announced a new series of amiibo figures specific to the game that includes Link with a bow (“Archer”), Link on horseback (“Rider”), and a “Guardian” that is the first amiibo with flexible parts. The existing Wolf Link amiibo works with the game as well: When players tap a Wolf Link amiibo to the Wii U GamePad controller, Wolf Link will attack enemies on his own and help players to hunt. He has three hearts, unless players carry over save data from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD. Wolf Link disappears when his hearts run out. Details can be found at http://e3.nintendo.com/amiibo/.

For more video game trailers, click the links below:


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Image via Nintendo
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Image via Nintendo

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Image via Nintendo
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Image via Nintendo