The Game Awards didn’t come and go without a hubbub of game reveals and Nintendo had the privilege of closing the ceremony with the biggest and best looks we’ve gotten at the new Legend of Zelda for Wii U.
Brought to you by Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma and Nintendo’s own Shigeruy Miyamoto sat down to play a chunk of the game and showcased just how large the world is shaping up to be. Link can climb to the top of high peaks and jump off safely with the aid of the sail cloth like in Skyward Sword and the view from those same peaks is rather something.
He can also ride Epona, his faithful steed throughout the series whose improved AI will allow her to keep moving in the current direction with little manipulation required (and without running into trees).
From horseback, Link can also swing his sword and fire a bow while in motion. He can also vault off Epona and aim while falling – which is made easier thanks to a slow motion effect like we saw this past E3. The gamepad is also used as a map of sorts to keep track of your progress in the world that by all accounts appears to be one of the largest open-worlds the series has come to see.
While Shigeru Miyamoto and Eiji Aonuma spoke about the upcoming title, the topic seemed to inevitably turn to the Star Fox game for Wii U that Miyamoto had mischievously teased in brief last summer. Whilst teasing one another on their respective projects’ progress, the two both confirmed that their projects would release next year on schedule with Star Fox preceding the untitled Legend of Zelda for Wii U in 2015.