New Zelda title coming to Wii U in 2015, will feature entirely open world

By AJ Dellinger June 10, 2014

nintendo announces new open world zelda game for wii u coming in 2015 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Gamers got their first glimpse at the newest installment in the Legend of Zelda franchise during Nintendo’s presentation at E3 2014. The new title will put series protagonist Link in an open-world environment. Nintendo might be trying to reboot its image with gamers, but it’s apparently not entirely ready to give up on its big franchises.

No longer will doors act as load screens in the new Zelda. The title will opt for an open-world style, allowing players to explore freely, and enter any area of the game from anywhere. Zelda is also getting a bit of a face-lift for its Wii U release. Nintendo is applying a crazy cell-shaded design style that looks like a combination of Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword. The result looks like it could result in a beautiful world, and may end up wearing some impressive character and environmental details once the game is launched.

The short preview video shown by Nintendo also hinted at some other changes that are coming to the world of Zelda, including destructible environments. In the clip, Link also appeared to be equipped with a new bow that had a sort of sci-fi element to it.

The new Zelda game is expected to be released sometime in 2015.

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AJ Dellinger is a freelance reporter from Madison, Wisconsin with an affinity for all things tech. He has been published by…

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