The world was given the first look at the upcoming Legend of Zelda game for Wii U on Friday with a hands-on video from none other than Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto and Eiji Aonuma.
The video was showcased at The Game Awards 2014 in Las Vegas, and shows just how much of an open environment the game will include.
The gameplay in the video started at sunset, showing Link running up a hillside and surveying the breathtaking views in the game. The two game developers discussed how the world was built to include high points so that gamers could take in the views. Once the top of the mountain was reached, it was discussed that users could go anywhere that they can see on the horizon.
In the next Legend of Zelda, the Wii U GamePad includes a map, allowing users to mark a spot in the distance and go there. Users are able to zoom in and out on the GamePad so that they can more accurately see where they need to go.
Following the demo of the map, Aonuma simply jumped off the huge cliff that he had climbed, using the sailcloth from Skyward Sword to safely parachute down.
Shots of Link riding Epona, his horse, were also shown, as the character ran through forests and open fields. It was shown that users barely have to touch the controller to run through these fields and that the horse was able to dodge trees and obstacles on its own, because of the fact that "real horses don't run into trees very often."
The fact that users don't really have to control Epona in gameplay does more for the user than one might think. Users are now free to control Link's actions, including being able to swing swords, shoot arrows at enemies, or even jump off Epona to shoot an arrow from higher up. This is done in slow motion, giving users more of an opportunity to aim their shots.
Unfortunately for many users, the game is not set to be released until the end of 2015, and still does not even have an official name. Before the game is released, however, other upcoming games are set to drop, such as Star Fox.
In other Game Awards announcements, Dragon Age: Inquisition won Game of the Year, while Nintendo won Developer of the Year. Mario Kart 8 won Best Sports or Racing Game as well as Best Family Game. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U won Best Fighting Game. While Destiny won Best Score/Soundtrack and Best Online Experience, it lost to Far Cry 4 for the best shooter title.
