Our coverage of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild continues with some more gameplay! If you want to brush up on the first glimpses of Breath of the Wild, check out this article here. We’ll be looking at each segment separately during this analysis, so let’s get started.
Part One: The Beginning
During Nintendo’s second segment, we were introduced to the first few minutes of the game. In it, we see Link waking up in a pool of water inside a cavern known as “The Shrine of Resurrection.” We don’t know much about it, only that it is the place where Link will wake up half-naked, find a mysterious tool known as the Sheikah Slate, and that he will find his first pair of clothes there.
When Aonuma said that they were going off the traditional Legend of Zelda formula, I don’t think anyone was expecting this drastic of a change.
At the very beginning of the game, we found Link waking up in a strange bath. Was it a stasis pod? Is this how Link is resurrected in every game? So many questions, and yet so few answers!
One answer we do find through the demonstration is that Link has been asleep for some time. While the shrine is called the Shrine of Resurrection, it seems to be less of a literal resurrection as opposed to a stasis chamber. Could it be that Link was left here by someone or did he enter the chamber willingly? It does appear to support the theory that this game takes place after Twilight Princess though.
A new feature showcased during the first presentation was the ability to equip different sets of clothing. Listed under armor, the player can choose a variety of different sets ranging from heavy armor to boxer-style underwear. Each armor set will grant different abilities and swapping between them will be necessary as the player progresses.
Not far away from the Shrine of Resurrection is one of the most commonly found locations in the Legend of Zelda series: The Temple of Time. Players shouldn’t be expecting to find the Master Sword here, however. Instead, they will find it in a severely damaged state. It’s currently unknown what happened to Castle Town or the forest surrounding the Temple of Time (depending on this game’s placement on the timeline), but it’s likely that we’ll return to this landmark sometime in the future.
While we didn’t get much else during the first segment of the show, this little Korok did appear during the brief bit of exploration. We don’t know what purpose they’ll have in game — or why they are here since they’re typically associated with The Wind Waker — but it could mean the Deku Tree is nearby. After all, the Kokiri did turn into the Koroks in a different timeline. Maybe the same happened after Twilight Princess? The Temple of Time was suspiciously close to a giant tree marked with Kokiri symbols in that game, after all.
Part Two: Exploration Presentation
During the exploration segment, we got a quick view of the in-game map. The map and runes in the game are accessed using the Sheikah Tablet. The tablet can also be used to scope out enemy camps and scan enemy health.
The blue square symbol just left of center is where players start the game, and the red symbol is where the demonstrators traveled to during the segment. This took most of the thirty minute segment, and the map we’ve seen in the past was much larger than this tiny area, so we should be prepared for a long journey upon release.
One of the neat features that was unexpected for a Legend of Zelda title is the ability to climb walls. Depending on how full Link’s stamina gauge is, players can slowly climb up any wall in the game – provided they aren’t a smooth surface.
The importance of weapon durability was highlighted in this segment as well. Many of the weapons used during this segment became damaged over time and eventually broke. Players will need to steal weapons from enemies or find other methods of acquiring weapons, else suffer the consequences of being left unarmed.
Part Three: Shrines and Runes
Shrines are important in the game and serve as mini-dungeons that equip Link with new runes, items, and treasures. The runes currently released to the public include the magnesis rune, remote bombs, and stasis rune.
Magnesis allows players to manipulate any item in the environment. This includes metallic boulders, sheets of metal, and even the player’s dropped weapons. Players can also move while picking up these items, as well as toss them about, which increases the number of possible applications.
The remote bomb rune does exactly as one would expect: explode at the press of a button. There are two kinds of remote bombs: round and square. Thanks to the new physics engine, round bombs can be used to roll down hills while square ones are for practical and precise explosions.
Stasis is an interesting rune in that it serves two functions. The first is to stop moving objects in place, while the second is to hold objects in place so Link can add momentum to them until the timer runs out. In the second case, the momentum Link applies when using a heavy weapon will eventually catapult the object in the direction of the applied force.
Depending on the rune, there will be a cooldown before Link can use them again. The only rune displayed that has no cooldown as of this build of the game is the magnesis rune.
Part Four: Amiibo
Fans who bought Twilight Princess HD will be happy to know that Wolf Link will be available as a traveling companion in Breath of the Wild. To get him, all you need to do is tap the Wolf Link amiibo, and suddenly he will appear to help you in your quest!
Wolf Link’s health is dependent on how many hearts the player had upon completing the Cave of Shadows. While summoned he will hunt wild animals, attack enemies, and sniff out objects.
There are also three new amiibo coming out alongside The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. These include the following:
In order: Archer Link, Guardian, and Rider Link
It’s currently unknown what these amiibo will do in the final game, but they are in the final stages of development. Furthermore, the Guardian amiibo will have bendable arms for all your diorama needs.
Part Five: Other Stuff
The rest of the show was used to show off mechanics such as cooking, more exploration, and so on. Hunting, gathering, and cooking seem to be integral to earlier gameplay. Without doing these things players will have a hard time reaching certain climates or fighting more difficult opponents.
For example, peppers can help Link survive in cold environments. Meanwhile, high quality foods can boost Link’s health beyond his full health bar. What other abilities can be gained from this feature are not yet known, but there seems to be a wide range of meals Link can prepare, and the number of abilities are sure to match.
With all that said and done, are you excited to see what The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has in store? Will you be buying the Wii U version or hold out for the NX? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
