A Quick Glimpse of the Master Sword
During our hands-on time with Breath of the Wild at E3 this year, we got to experiment with a number of different weapons and gadgets at Link’s disposal. And while it was certainly cool to be utilizing a wide range of melee weapons with the hero of time, every Zelda fan really just wants to wield the Master Sword and save the day.
Well, we didn’t see any combat with the all-powerful sword, but we did get a few very brief looks at it. Link had it sheathed on his back above, and you can see the familiar handle and decoration. Meanwhile in another clip, while Link is on an airship, you get to see a another flash of sword detail.
It’s nothing groundbreaking, but fans will surely be excited to see the hero of time reunited with his trusty weapon after previous promotional images had it looking a little rusted and unkempt (pictured above).
Open Mission Structure
The second Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild trailer of The Game Awards 2016 had Bill Trinen and Nate Bihldorff giving us a close look at more gameplay footage, namely them taking on some sort of quest. Whether or not this was a ‘main quest’ in the game remains to be seen, but the two ventured off into a deep jungle area to try and reach a shrine. Though the pair never actually revealed what was inside this particular shrine during the trailer, it was the way they got to this point that proved most notable to fans.
We’re all aware that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild features an open world for players to explore at their own leisure. However, it seems that this freedom has also crept into the way players can take on missions. While Bill tried to run headfirst into the enemies guarding the shrine, failing miserably, Nate decided to make use of Link’s newfound traversal abilities and swam, climbed, and used stealth to assassinate a number of enemies before reaching the boss. Finally seeing the way that Breath of the Wild’s quests can be tackled in different ways, albeit with varying success rates, was a great way to show just how expansive the game really is.
This Character
During the first trailer of the night for Breath of the Wild, we got a quick glimpse of a female character walking across a large field carrying something in her hands. The featuring of this mysterious character wasn’t itself particularly notable, but her appearance is surrounded by a bunch of interesting details.
There are two important things to notice here. First, she’s wearing the same blue and gold combination Link has been seen wearing in countless trailers, yet no other character up until this point has matched our protagonist. This may mean that the character we’re seeing here has some significant relevance to Breath of the Wild’s storyline, which still remains largely shrouded in mystery.
In the character’s hands, you can see something glowing and it looks awfully similar to a Sheikah slate. It doesn’t confirm anything by any means, but considering the Sheikah Slate is an integral part of Link’s inventory, it certainly suggests that this character, perhaps Zelda herself, will play a central role in Breath of the Wild.
A Split-Second Appearance
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s first trailer of the evening certainly crammed a ton of details into a short amount of time. While we’ve already covered a few of them, this character in particular, despite being on the screen for literally two seconds, is one of the trailer’s most interesting parts.
This bird may not mean a lot to some of you, especially with how quickly it disappeared, but to those invested deep into Zelda’s lore, this could well be Roam. For those who are unaware, Roam is a character that featured in the A Link to the Past comic, referred to as ‘The Mystery Knight’ and a master archer from the Knights of Hyrule. Despite actually being a human, the comic states that the Dark World changes the shape of those who inhabit it based on their hearts, so when Roam enters into battle with Link for the Master Sword in the comics, he transforms into a humanoid Eagle.
Combining that information with the image we see here, we can draw a few interesting conclusions. If this is in fact Roam, then Breath of the Wild may actually be taking place in some form of the Dark World. Later in the trailer, the camera panned over a desolate and dark-looking area, a stark contrast to the lush green meadows we’re familiar with from the title. This would raise another question, why does Link not suffer a similar transformation?
If we refer back to the events of the comic, Link manages to maintain his human form by controlling his emotions, meanwhile Roam saw his transformation as an advantage in battle. The Eagle man thing also can be seen equipped with a bow, further supporting that this is indeed Roam. Finally, this new character can also be seen wearing that same blue color as Link and the female character from before. Again, if this blue clothing is some form of link between characters, we could be looking at a begrudging ally for Link on his adventure in Breath of the Wild.
An Inhabited World
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s open world has, for the most part, focused on its sheer scale and the way in which players will explore it. During the first trailer of The Game Award 2016, we got a quick look at a number of different people and creatures that inhabit Breath of the Wild’s world. The camera panned through towns, revealing guards patrolling bridges, small settlement villages, deer grazing in lush vibrant forests, and plenty of new interesting places to explore.
Considering Breath of the Wild marks the first time The Legend of Zelda will be going open world, it looks like Nintendo has addressed concerns of the world feeling empty with plenty of enemies, NPCs, and more.
Is… is that another player?
The first Breath of the Wild trailer at The Game Awards began just as you’d expect. Plenty of panning shots of its stunning world, wild animals running through the trees, and small groups of people milling about their settlements. We also got a very quick look at some of the game’s combat, and while it was cool to see Link in action, he was actually hiding something far more interesting in the couple seconds of footage.
Here you have Link at the forefront of the picture unleashing several swipes of his sword on an enemy. However, at the back of the same image, we can actually see another human-looking figure stood facing opposite an enemy of his or her own. While Link manages to make light work of his enemy, this character seems to stand there unresponsive to the onslaught of swipes from the attacker. Is this a possible glimpse at Breath of the Wild’s multiplayer? Or is it just an NPC that accompanies you on your journeys? As of this moment in time, we’re not entirely sure, but we’ll be sure to keep you updated with any further details as and when they arise.
What did you make of the The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild trailers at The Game Awards 2016? Let us know down in the comments below.
