E3 2014: Nintendo promises open world gameplay with Legend of Zelda for Wii U

Nintendo says the game will 'break the boundaries' of previous Zelda titles

James Vincent
Wednesday 11 June 2014 08:18 BST
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Nintendo has unveiled a new Legend of Zelda game for the Wii U, promising that the title will take advantage of the console's (relative) power to offer a larger game world and more freedom for the player.

Alongside a range of new titles for the Wii U and 3DS, Nintendo briefly teased gameplay from the new Zelda title, showing a large, grassy world in a beautiful art style.

Speaking in an official video Nintendo Producer Eiji Aonuma described the game world as "quite vast", saying "in this world you can even reach the mountains in the far distance if you walk far enough."

"We couldn't create such a wide world like this in the past," explains Aonuma. "By having such a vast field to explore with no boundaries, you can go into any area anywhere from any direction, so the puzzle-solving in the game begins the minute the player starts thinking about where they want to go, how they'll get there, and what they'll do when they arrive. "

A snippet of gameplay shows an older looking Link attacking a tentacled monster with magic (and, it seems, explosive) arrows. The style of the game seems quite closer to the light and airy, painterly style of Wind Waker and the Skyward Sword.

Nintendo is not being any more specific than 2015 for a release date for the new game. If it's anything like Mario Kart 8 then we can be sure it will give the Japanese electronics giant - and its ailing console - a boost.

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