We already knew there was a new Legend of Zelda game coming to the Nintendo Wii U. (Not this one). But until very recently that's literally all we knew.
Now Nintendo has spilled the beans somewhat, revealing the first hard information about the next instalment in the Zelda series.
At its E3 press event, Nintendo showed a developer's video and trailer for the game, which should be out in 2015.
Admittedly, there are still a lot of unknowns. But it's only small stuff. You know, like the characters, story, gameplay and even the game's name.
Okay, we jest -- this game is still very much a work in progress. But let's look at the things we know -- and the things we don't -- in a bit more detail.
What It Looks Like:
In short, it's gorgeous. The brief scene we saw showcased a vast, open world with bright colours, cel-shaded graphics and swaying grass. Clearly given the relative power jump of the Wii U over Nintendo's older hardware we expected it to look good. But this looks like it's drawing every last drop of power from the console - like Mario Kart 8 before it.
We also saw a brief battle which was kinetic, intense and more dramatic graphically than any in previous entries.
How It Plays:
Nintendo has issued a statement to this effect, highlighting the game's open world style and consistency with older entries:
"The newest game in the franchise, scheduled for 2015, introduces the first truly open world in a game from the series. Players can roam Hyrule Field or set off on a trek to distant mountains if they prefer. Players can get to any area they can see from virtually any direction. That’s one of the ways the game breaks with franchise norms and introduces new ways to play."
In the demo Eiji Aonuma said it will include "geographic" puzzles and genuinely open gameplay.
You'll also be riding a horse, shooting arrows (frickin' laser arrows!), and exploring the world on your own.
Zelda Wii U Screenshots
Who You'll Be:
This one is a little controversial, because the protagonist in the trailer was clearly not the same Link as in previous entries, and has a lot of people speculating that whoever the character is, it looks like a woman (or female elf?).
At this point it's just impossible to say. The character did appear female, and was wearing blue instead of green. Does that mean the game will star Zelda - finally living up to its name - instead of Link? Is Link now female? Or is it a new character entirely? We don't know - but we know what we'd like: make it Link, but make Link a girl, because it's 2014 and it's time to shake things up.
Release date:
It's out in 2015, probably. That's all we know.