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It’s safe to say that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is like nothing fans of the franchise have ever seen before. And the game’s reveal trailer only scratched the surface of what’s possible in Link’s next adventure.

That includes the Shrines of Trials, magical areas hidden around Hyrule that’ll reward players with Spirit Orbs:

Shrines of Trials: More than 100 of these locations are scattered around the world for players to find, and in some cases finding the Shrines can be a puzzle in itself. As a result, Shrines offer more compact challenges that can be solved in a variety of ways. In order to earn a Spirit Orb from the monks who designed these challenges, players must overcome challenges or solve puzzles.

Shrines will also contain Runes, powerful items that grant special powers to Link:

Runes: While exploring Shrines, players can earn Runes. For instance, the Magnesis Rune can help Link lift and toss metal objects. The Remote Bomb has two different types of bombs: rolling spherical ones and cubical ones that stay in place. The Stasis Rune briefly stops moving objects, while the Cryonis Rune freezes water and causes an ice pillar to appear.

Link has always carried a large arsenal of weapons in his fight against Ganon, but Breath of the Wild will add breakable weapons to the series for the first time, and give Link the ability to temporarily slow time with special offensive and defensive maneuvers:

Weapons and Combat: The game contains a wide variety of weapons, many new to the series. Players must find weapons or take them from enemies, but weapons wear out as you use them. Players can also time offensive and defensive maneuvers to temporarily slow time and connect with a flurry of strikes against their opponent.

But perhaps the biggest chance to the Zelda formula is the addition of food consumption and changing weather. Instead of gathering Hearts, Link will search for fruits and vegetables or hunt animals for meat. Players can also experiment with different dishes to create a meal that provides a temporary boost. And with the changing weather patterns, Link will need all the help he can get. Especially since his sword can channel lightning:

Food: In another break with conventional gameplay for the series, players hoping to replenish their Hearts or score some easy Rupees will come up empty when they cut grass. Link can forage for a variety of foods in his environment, including apples and mushrooms. He can also hunt for food. Consuming uncooked foods gives him a modest health increase, but cooking different kinds of ingredients together will result in dishes with different effects, such as cold or heat resistance, for a limited amount of time.

Climate: From snowy areas to desert heat, Link must dress appropriately for the weather. If he needs to stay warm, he can don appropriate clothing, warm himself with a fiery torch or even eat food to maintain his body temperature and his health. Link also needs to be careful during lightning storms – if he is equipped with metal equipment during a downpour, he can find himself attracting deadly lightning bolts.

Finally, Breath of the Wild is compatible with three new Amiibo figures, as well as the Wolf Link figure from Twilight Princess HD.

There’s a lot more to digest with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but we’ll have plenty of time until it’s released for the Wii U and NX sometime in 2017.

Nintendo has been livestreaming hours of content from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild as part of their 2016 E3 extravaganza, but did you know the game will also support a trio of new Amiibo figures too?

The Archer Link figure depicts Link with his bow, while the Rider Link figure shows him sitting on Epona. But the most interesting of the thing might be the Guardian figure, which is a massive boss in the game, and the first Amiibo figure to include flexible parts. It’s not known how these figures will interact with Breath of the Wild, but they sure do look great, and they’ll be available sometime in 2017.

However, we do know how the Wolf Link Amiibo figure (which was included with Twilight Princess HD) with the game. By tapping the Wolf Link figure, players will be able to add the character into the game as a companion to Breath of the Wild’s Link.

Players can tap the Wolf Link figure once a day, and he’ll attack enemies on his own and help to hunt. Wolf Link will start with three hearts, but more health can be added to the character if the player acquired additional hearts in Twilight Princess HD. Wolf Link disappears once his health runs out.

A trailer featuring Wolf Link’s appearance in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is available after the break. (more…)

After years of teasing, Nintendo officially unveiled The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild today at the E3 Expo, and the “open-air” game looks like everything we could have ever hoped for.

The three-minute clip gives us plenty of clues about the amount of freedom Link will have this time around. He’ll be able to climb mountains and soar off into the sky with a glider. He’ll also be able to run through fields and chop down the mightiest of forests. And he can go swimming and manipulate the environment to confuse enemies.

And all of these new tricks will be needed to discover why Hyrule became a “ruined kingdom”:

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.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will be released for the Wii U and NX sometime in 2017.

We know that Nintendo plans to broadcast their first in-depth look at The Legend of Zelda Wii U/NX on Tuesday at noon (Eastern Time), but Amazon managed to get their hands on a beautiful new piece of artwork for the game a few days early. Let’s take a look, shall we…

Rock climbing has never been part of the Legend of Zelda franchise before, but there’s Link, scaling a rockface with quiver in tow. But what I find most interesting is the image’s similarities to the NES-era Legend of Zelda map. A church stands in the lower left, with the Master Sword hidden in the grounds nearby. Beyond the church lies some kind of temple, and even further into the distance stands a foreboding volcano that might just be Death Mountain.

We’ll learn a lot more about The Legend of Zelda Wii U/NX this week during the E3 Expo, and the world will finally get the chance to play the game sometime next year when it launches for the Wii U and NX.

I’ve got bad news for everyone who was hoping that Nintendo’s “All Zelda, All the Time” mantra for this year’s E3 Expo was just a prelude to a brain-busting slew of surprises. In an announcement today, the consolemaker reiterated that The Legend of Zelda Wii U will be the only playable demo available at their booth.

“At E3 this year, we’re treating people to an immersive Zelda experience,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “By giving attendees extended hands-on time with this remarkable game, they’ll be able to get a much deeper understanding of something new for the franchise.”

Nintendo is even eschewing their traditional E3 Digital Event for a special Treehouse Live broadcast, that’ll focus entirely on Zelda Wii U. Scheduled to begin on Tuesday, June 14, at 12:00 Noon (Eastern Time), the special stream will be the world’s first “in-depth” look at the game, and fans are encouraged to tune in through Nintendo.com, YouTube, and Twitch.

While this news is disappointing for fans who wanted to learn more about the NX, Nintendo wants to send one lucky fan to the E3 Expo to play Zelda Wii U on the show floor. All you have to do is send a tweet to @NintendoAmerica about what the Zelda franchise means to you using the hashtags #MyZeldaLegends and #NintendoSweepstakes by May 10. The winning fan will also be able to invite a guest because it’s dangerous to go alone.

The Legend of Zelda Wii U will be released sometime next year for the Wii U and the NX.