‘Nintendo NX’ Future Hinges On New ‘Zelda’ Game Success [Video]

So, it turns out that the new “Legend of Zelda” game is called “Breath of the Wild,” and as The Verge notes, it still features many of the things that the series is known for. However, the latest iteration also has gameplay elements that clearly break away from what made a ‘Zelda’ game. In fact, it’s actually a lot closer now to games like “Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim,” thus the moniker “Zelder Scrolls.”

“Breath of the Wild” is still set in the kingdom of “Hyrule” and “Link” is still the blonde, silent protagonist that he has always been. For those who were fans of the ceramic pot-breaking hijinks that “Link’ gets into, the feature is still available. However, instead of the linear gameplay that most “Legend of Zelda” games were structured with, the new one allows players to roam the huge open world map.

In terms of gameplay, players can also decide on how to approach puzzles based on their preferences and the order of quests is up to them as well. The game even takes elements from iconic titles like “Elders Scrolls: Oblivion” wherein the main character needs to escape a dungeon and be introduced to the world via a dramatic exit.

“Link” can also pick up a variety of items now like shovels, food, and weapons; anyone who has ever played an RPG game will be more than familiar with this inventory setup. Finally, there is now a heavier focus on the use of technological tools aside from magic.

As to why there are so many changes, BBC wrote about the importance of the game to “Nintendo.”

The article featured Chris Dring, the editor of game site MCV. According to him, “Breath of the Wild” is incredibly important to the Japanese game company because of the disappointing sales that the “Wii U” experienced.

"The firm has millions of die-hard fans, but many of them didn't buy a Wii U, and that's entirely down to a lack of games at its start and then the massive gap between titles,” he said. "Zelda isn't the firm's most successful game, but it is a massive seller to the core fan base. So, the fact that it is going to be there right at the start of the NX gives the console a step up already over what happened at the launch of the previous two machines Nintendo released."