Zelda Dungeon Talks: What Are Your Thoughts On The New Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Footage?

Yesterday, Nintendo kicked off their E3 presentation with a little bit of torture, as they made all of the Zelda fans around the world, and on the show floor wait just a little bit longer before we were able to feast our eyes on the new Zelda title. But I have to say once they opened up that spectacular new world for all of us to enjoy, I for one was not disappointed! My eyes couldn’t get enough, that HUGE, vast and lush open world truly blew my mind. The possibilities, oh the possibilities are endless, the hunting, gathering, cooking, shrines, weapons… I seriously felt like a kid in a candy store, I want it all! This could truly shatter every known concept of a Zelda game, and we have a name, finally we have a name!!!!!!!! What an epic adventure awaits, a true adventure, where everyone will experience it differently and solve puzzles differently, endless, I say, endless. I died, put me in a cryogenic state and wake me up in 2017!

But what do my partners have to say about all of this? On this weeks Zelda Dungeon Talks, we felt it fitting to find out; What are your thoughts on the new Zelda: Breath of the Wild footage? Jump in past the break to see what the team has to say and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!

Jon Lett – View Profile

I can honestly say that I am absolutely floored. I was truly worried that, after 2 years of agonizing nothingness, the trailer we got might not be what we really want/ But once again, Nintendo comes through, and gives me something I had no idea I wanted. Voice acting, a beautiful open world, totally new gameplay all around you, 2 awesome amiibo alongside 1 GIANT one – it is all that I could ask for at this point. This will permanently change so much about the series, keeping things interesting and giving us fans a brand new experience that will offer us the freedom that the original Zelda gave us so long ago. The new Hyrule looks ancient, broken, expansive, and detailed, and I absolutely cannot WAIT until next year, when I can go hunting for all the amiibo, and for a copy of this beautiful title. …Oh, and thank the goddesses that it is exactly the same as on NX. THANK HEAVENS.

Alasyn Eletha – View Profile

I’m completely overwhelmed by the amount of information we were given at the first real look into Zelda Wii U/NX; one thing we have learned is the title, finally. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Admittedly at first I thought ‘Eeeeh, does that really fit?’ But after having gotten mostly caught up on all the footage and new information I can say that it absolutely does fit. I think the best thing that I’ve learned so far-perhaps because it’s the only real thing I can understand right now while everything else is still processing-is that the open world isn’t just huge and immersive, but it’s alive. The world around Link can either be his friend or his enemy. It breathes as you travel, as you seek out new adventures, and so the title is only fitting. I’m very fascinated by what little we know of the story at this given time. We’re seeing elements that are set in different timelines rather than just one, and it makes me wonder if we have reached a point in the series where different timelines are starting to overlap? We will just have to wait and see I suppose.

Alexis Anderson – View Profile

I must say, the visuals are breathtaking. I really do like the art style, and I’m more than happy with Link’s design. I also loved the throwback to the original Legend of Zelda with meeting the Old Man. I am definitely scared a bit by the almost near complete overhaul of the typical Zelda format, as I’ve never really played an open world game. Most of you know my love of these games has more to do with the plot than the gameplay, so the linear formula worked for me and I’m worried the story may suffer because of the focus on exploration. However, there’s already so much intrigue surrounding it. Where does it fall on the timeline? Why did Hyrule decline? What’s with the Guardians? Why the emphasis on the Sheikah and Goddess Hylia? Not only is there a lot to explore in the world map, but also in the story. So while I remain skeptical, I trust that Nintendo can create a happy marriage between open-world and story-driven in Breath of the Wild (we finally got the name!).

Brandon Schmitz – View Profile

Having played the game on the show floor, I want to save my full-on impressions for an individual article. That said, the game provides a lot to get excited about. Although Eiji Aonuma has discussed the idea of breaking away from the traditional Zelda formula since before even Skyward Sword released, Breath of the Wild feels as if it will fully deliver on that promise. Its focus on exploration and, more surprisingly, survival, is much appreciated. Additionally, the inclusion of full-on voice acting is a breath of fresh air for the series. There’s already a ton of material for lore buffs to munch on, from the return of the Koroks to the seemingly rusted Master Sword. Seriously, what the heck is going on?

Mark Olson – View Profile

I am terrifically excited about what we’ve seen from Breath of the Wild.  The game reminds me of something Monolith Soft would create in sheer scope, but maintains that familiar Zelda feeling that fans have been craving.  I think that the changes the game is bringing to Zelda hit me in their entirety when Link procured some clothes at the start of the gameplay demo, and the player went into the inventory screen to put them on.  That gear section alone is absolutely massive!  Clearly, changing your clothing to fit the situation is going to be a big deal in Breath of the Wild, which to me evokes memories of the Souls games or Xenoblade.  This RPG-esque item management is certainly a departure from the mostly static manner in which equipment was handled in Zelda’s past, and I couldn’t be more pumped, not only for this equipment system in and of itself, but for the changes to design philosophy on the whole that this system is signifying.

Oh, yeah; the game looks nice, too.  

Thomas Jacobs – View Profile

I really like what I’ve seen so far, but I’m sort of worried regarding a few aspects of the game. The stamina bar outside of combat (when running, climbing and gliding) only serves to slow you down instead of allowing you to make your way through the game at a nice pace. The degradable and breakable weapons and shields means that you have to gather a significant number of high-powered items to get past the more powerful items. As seen in the fight between Link and the rock monster, you need to upgrade quite a bit past the regular gear to actually be able to fight the game in a way that’s not a giant VS a mosquito that can be flattened in one blow. Furthermore, I fear that Nintendo is going to exploit this item system by adding microtransactions to sell convenience in the form of weapons that don’t break and/or do more damage. Nintendo might be relatively new to the DLC scene, given what they’ve done with Mario Kart 8 and Smash 4 I don’t think this is inconceivable. And I’m not a big fan of the voice acting we’ve heard so far from the person calling for Link to wake up. But aside from those two points I really enjoyed the new footage! Sure, it’s different from what we’ve seen before in the series but it’s close enough to still feel like a Zelda game. Items seem like they can be a lot of fun, the square bombs are a stroke of genius, being able to climb almost anything looks like it’s going to be a ton of fun, being able to alter the environment like that looks fun, the multiple ways to solve puzzles in the shrines is a good idea as well, the game world looks huge with a ton of stuff to find, the tools we’ve seen so far look to be very flexible and fun to use, cooking your own food for healing and other effects could be a bit iffy but it has great potential and combat looks fun, though I’m not entirely sure how it works just yet. In either case, I’m looking forward to seeing more of the game, especially the story and the cast!