Nintendo revealed the details for the first Zelda Wii U title at Nintendo Direct. Producer Eiji Aonuma talked about the open world nature of the new game, which allows players to go anywhere and approach areas in any way they choose. It sounds simple but the vastness of the new Hyrule indicates a lot of depth to the gameplay.

And though the gameplay showcased was short, it was amazing. We got a look at Link and Epona as they raced through various Hyrulean forests, battling a monster armed with lasers. The trailer ended with our first look at the new Link and needless to say, he maximises his minutes (or seconds) all throughout.

More information on Zelda Wii U will be provided in 2015 and we frankly can’t wait. What are your thoughts on the new Zelda Wii U? Let us know in the comments before and stay tuned for more information.

Update: Added Screenshots

Speaking to the LA Times, Aonuma stated that, “It’s not that anyone is telling me we have to change the formula. I want to change it. I’m kind of getting tired of it. If I’m getting tired of it, then I’m sure other people are getting tired of it.

“There is an essential ‘Zelda’ I feel we need to stay true to. We are still testing things, exploring our options. We haven’t landed anywhere at this point. We’re still seeing what we can do.”

Aonuma already spoke earlier about new additions to the formula, including “different ways to add on content” and expanding on the standard formula.

We may be seeing some sort of add-on content or DLC for future Zelda games according to

Working on The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and of course, The Legend of Zelda Wii U, Aonuma stated that, “We’re certainly looking at different ways to add on content that would enhance the experience for the user – maybe more places to explore or just to enrich the experience beyond what is on the disc.

“But we also have to take into consideration that if we charge for this content then it needs to be worth it for the user. So it’s certainly a balancing an act, but I can’t say that it is something we’re not considering.”

That’s certainly a new spin for Nintendo, especially since we haven’t seen anything by way of DLC for any major Nintendo titles in, well, ever.

He stated that, “The new game (A Link To The Past 2) will play very differently to the original. I think the new additions will make players see the game in a different way. And, of course, we’ll introduce even more unexpected elements in the Zelda game that we’re making for Wii U.”

Of course, it will be a while before Zelda Wii U releases, with some anticipating a late 2014 release. Meanwhile, Nintendo will be releasing an HD remake for The Wind Waker later this year on the Wii U, which features the classic GameCube game with new HD graphics.

Source: Official Nintendo Magazine UK

Pikmin 3 for the system should have been released closer to the system’s launch, he added.

“If you look back at the launch of Wii, we were able to prepare a game like Wii Sports, which at the time was clearly a new game, and launch that alongside a Zelda game. With the Wii U, we took a similar approach by launching Nintendo Land as well as a Mario game – though we’re working on Zelda for Wii U, that’s going to take us a little big longer,” he said.

“From my perspective, I think ideally it would have been nice if we’d been able to release Pikmin 3 closer to launch, but the Wii U – though it shares the Wii name – is obviously a brand new system, with new chips and graphical capabilities. It can do a lot more, and in the process of developing a lot of the features and functionality, the resources required to best utilise those features drew on some of the same resources that might have been spent developing games, thus we weren’t able to bring quite as robust a lineup initially.”

He also talked about how the system is yet to reach its full potential.

“We still have new things to learn about how to leverage the features and functionalities of Wii U in ways that create fun and interesting new ways to play, including new gameplay systems. As we become even more familiar with the hardware, we’ll be able to do more from a software standpoint. That’s an area we’re currently devoting resources to.”

Thanks, ONM.

However, a new batch of details has emerged. An anonymous source has given a bunch of details to Zelda Informer. Now, these details may be completely bogus, and none of this is officially confirmed, so while they’re interesting, and something to go on, take them with a pinch of salt.

Here they are:

– The game will be revealed in some form at E3 2013. The game most likely won’t be released until early 2014 (it’s still in the early development stages). We may see an eShop demo in late 2013.

– The game will feature a different art style than the HD tech demo shown off when the Wii U was unveiled. Early concept artwork looks like they’re sticking with Skyward Sword‘s style for now.

– Nintendo of Japan prefers Skyward Sword‘s motion controls to the GamePad. However, they are aware that some fans still prefer traditional buttons or will want to use the GamePad.

– Nintendo of Japan was surprised at how well-received the romance was between Link and Zelda inSkyward Sword and intends to flesh it out further for Zelda U. Because this dynamic was favored more in the West than by Japanese audiences, Nintendo of America is looking to popular American romance stories. Names like Twilight and 50 Shades of Grey have popped up in conversation, but the extent to which they will inspire the next Zelda is unknown.

– Developers are weighing the pros and cons for both full voice acting and whether or not Link will speak.

– A well-known character from a past game is returning in some way. This character may or may not be the in the same role and/or form as they was in the past.

The influence Skyward Sword seemingly has on this project seems really interesting, and the recurring characters sound interesting. And voice acting? Yes please!

So our curiosity has definitely been piqued.

What do you guys think? Tell us in your comments below.

Come on, let’s admit it- we have all been waiting for Nintendo to announce new mainline The Legend of Zelda and Mario games on the Wii U, and the day they do that is the day that everyone will jump to buy the system. Everyone wants a new Zelda, a new Mario.

Nintendo hasn’t been secretive about that fact that there will be new Zelda and Mario games on the Wii U, and Nintendo boss, Satoru Iwata is at it again now, saying that Nintendo will announce the two- sometime in the future. Fucking tease.

“We will announce the launch schedules for new 3D Zelda and Mario games in the future, but this is not the right opportunity for me to indicate when we will make such announcements,” Iwata told IGN.

Nintendo is also currently working on a new Zelda 3DS title, that isn’t a remake. So yes, the next few years might be good ones for Zelda fans.

Stay tuned for more info.

According to Shigeru Miyamoto, in an interview with Game Reactor (the below quote in question coming from NeoGAF, this won’t be happening any time soon.

“Really, with every game we develop, Zelda gets bigger and bigger. It’s reached a point where, if we had to do it entirely inside Nintendo, we would have to dedicate ourselves exclusively to Zelda given the dimensions it has reached. That’s why Nintendo is working with more and more companies either in-house or subcontracted, like Monolith or Grezzo. Ultimately, Mr. Aonuma is very close with these kind of companies in his work, so the possibility of Retro Studios making a new Zelda, following a good proposal, isn’t a farfetched idea at all and could be totally possible.”

“But on the other hand, so far the design and script was created within Nintendo and this must continue. Even though Retro Studios is qualified, in the end they would have to be in very close contact with us, and, being outside Japan the distance and timezone differences would make communication more complicated. Retro Studios should be a company that is more focused on developing projects with less dependence on Nintendo; they’re probably not the most appropriate [for Zelda].”

That would seem the most logical answer, but the time won’t be long when fans outright demand a change. Then again, if the company can continue making Mario a platforming title, you can sure as hell bet they’ll try to restrict Zelda to it’s more traditional action adventure format.

Miyamoto has said that Zelda Wii U was still in the research phase and it will use updated control systems.

“With the last game, Skyward Sword, that was a game where you had motion control to use your weapons and a lot of different items, and I thought that was a lot of fun,” Miyamoto revealed to EW.

“But there were some people who weren’t able to do that or didn’t like it as much and stopped playing partway through it. These controls will be “evolved” for the next Zelda.

“We’re in the phase where we’re looking back at what’s worked very well and what has been missing and how can we evolve it further.”

Accessibility is one of the major things that Nintendo is after while designing the game. It should be something that a lot of people will play.

“We’re seeing how the way that tastes are broadening in video games and you have some people who prefer more casual experiences, and you have some people who prefer sort of those more in-depth experiences.

“Obviously, as a company that’s been making games for a very long time, we tend to be more on the deeper, longer game side of things. But really what we continue to ask ourselves as we have over the years is, ‘What is the most important element of Zelda if we were to try to make a Zelda game that a lot of people can play?'”

“So we have a number of different experiments going on, and [when] we decide that we’ve found the right one of those to really help bring Zelda to a very big audience, then we’ll be happy to announce it.”

Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

Back in 2000, when the Gamecube was revealed, Nintendo showed off a tech demo for a Zelda game, with ultra-realistic graphics, with Link dueling with Ganon in what seemed like his chambers. When they announced the real Zelda title for the GCN, it turned out to be Win Waker- a cartoony game with charming, cel-shaded visuals, and fans went berserk with disappointment and anger.

Just to make sure that you’re not too hopeful, Nintendo has warned you that the HD Zelda video shown this E3 was just a tech demo, and the final product may not necessarily look like what we were shown.

“You probably remember that when we introduced the GameCube, we showed a somewhat realistic Zelda demo,” said Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma in a recent interview with Wired.

“And what we actually created was the cel-shaded Wind Waker. So when we show a graphic demo, people think, ‘Oh, this is what the next Zelda will look like,’ but that’s not necessarily the case.”

However, he explained that Zelda was often used as a template to test the Wii U’s graphical potential, and how they wanted to utilize it. “We talked to each other a lot about several elements [during Wii U’s development], one of which was, ‘How exactly will the HD graphics work?’ In doing concepts for that … we used Zelda assets quite often to examine, OK, how real will we make this look?”

Well, at least they warned us this time.