New Legend of Zelda game at E3 – report

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 2 June, 2011

Aonuma plots 25th anniversary tie-in.

Nintendo will unveil a new The Legend of Zelda game at next week's E3 event, a fresh report claims.

According to French website p-nintendo.com, Zelda boss Eiji Aonuma reveals the eye-catching plan on a Japanese television programme.

We ran the story by our French colleagues at Eurogamer.fr, and their translation corroborates the report.

"Zelda 25th anniversary: New Zelda to be shown in E3!" it reads.

So, what could the new Zelda be?

The first The Legend of Zelda game was released in Japan on 21st February 1986. 2011 is Zelda's 25th anniversary year.

Speculation points to a Nintendo 3DS game. Project Café, Nintendo's Wii successor, launches in 2012, casting doubt on it as as a potential platform for the mystery title.

Wii game The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is rumoured to launch this November.

Meanwhile, the report reveals new information on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, due out on the Nintendo 3DS on 17th June.

It features new orchestral music and improved, touch-screen fuelled item management. You're able to map two objects to the 3DS touch-screen and two others to the X and Y buttons.

The Ocarina is now tied to its own button, for easier use. In the video reported on, Aonuma showcases the game's gyroscopic features. They work "impressively good".

The already-revealed in-game hints are seen through a hole shape in the Stones of Time. Flashbacks give away vague details so as not to spoil any potential satisfaction the player might gain from solving puzzles.

Link can run with his iron boots. In the original version, he could only walk very slowly while wearing them. A colour scheme has been added to the rock hard Water Temple to make it easier.

Ivy, which Links climbs on, has been given a facelift via a new texture that makes it less pixelated. Skulltula medals have also received a lick of paint.

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (30) Latest comment 12 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • CrispyXUK64 #1 12 months ago

    So Skyward Sword will be a Cafe game. At this point it would be a waste to release it on the Wii.

  • SteelPriest #2 12 months ago

    Easier!? I've already done it twice, i don't need the water temple to be made EASIER!

  • famous_roy #3 12 months ago

    Remake of Link to the Past with Witcher 2 quality graphics on project cafe PLEASE!

  • Rack #4 12 months ago

    Witcher 2 requires 4 supercomputers tied together to run, I highly doubt Project cafe will be able to cope with that. Heck this is Nintendo, I wouldn't expect Witcher 1 quality graphics.

  • Kami #5 12 months ago

    New... Zelda? As in, not Skyward Sword but a whole new Zelda? Wow. Aaaaaaand... ... ... breathe. Whew.

    And Crispy, I'm sort of in agreement. However, Skyward Sword is slated for the end of this year, and Project Cafe will be out sometime NEXT year. I don't think Nintendo will hold it back this time... which probably explains the need for a new Zelda, likely for Project Cafe.

    edit; And besides, we know nothing about the Project Cafe controllers yet. All rumour and speculation. If it's dramatically different to the Wii, it may not be viable to translate SWS to Project Cafe anyway...
    Edited by Kami at 02/06/11 @ 13:29

  • Floppy #6 12 months ago

    I read somewhere about ESRB receiving 'Zelda Legends'; so I'm hoping for some kind of All Stars collection of games.

  • Cid #7 12 months ago

    Majora's Mask 3DS.

  • JoeGBallad #8 12 months ago

    They're making a Zelda SHMUP. Trust me.

  • jonsaan #9 12 months ago

    Please can you spoiler warn E3 stories.

  • Innes #10 12 months ago

    Looks fantastic!

  • NewbieZilla #11 12 months ago

    @Rack "Heck this is Nintendo, I wouldn't expect Witcher 1 quality graphics."

    Are you familiar with the Nintendo 64? The Gamecube? The N64 was the best of its generation, and the Gamecube was beaten only by the Xbox in its generation for graphical powerhouse.

  • RobTheBuilder #12 12 months ago

    A new version of Four Swords...???

  • sonicyoda #13 12 months ago

    I very much doubt it's a brand new 25th Anniversary Zelda game. Think about it; a game announced at E3 never comes out in the same year. It'll come out next year, thus defeating the point of it being a 25th anniversary game. They're either talking about Skyward Sword or a remake along the lines of Ocarina 3DS.
    Edited by sonicyoda at 02/06/11 @ 13:41

  • nuanimal #14 12 months ago

    Hopefully a Zelda game in the style of Wind Waker.

    Controvertial, I know, but I really loved the look.

  • CallousB #15 12 months ago

    Mistranslations I suspect.

    The earlier translation I saw simply said he mentioned something would be shown at E3 for the 25th anniversary...not that there would be a new game.

    He may just have been talking about the rumoured Red 3DS with Zelda logo...or a 3D Classic version of Link to the Past for the e'shop.

  • Rack #16 12 months ago

    Yes and the SNES was top for graphics of it's generation, but if you look at it in terms of when they were released they were all pretty low powered, same as the NES, gameboy, GBA, DS and 3DS. Nintendo don't push the graphics envelope it's just not their style.

  • Yuroko #17 12 months ago

    I never found the water temple difficult, just tedious. Being able to swap the boots easily should certainly make it less tedious.

    Anyway, I don't want to talk about it. Talking about it makes me want to buy a 3DS and I don't want one, dag nammit! I already have to re-buy another Wii for that Zelda unless they do a HD version for Project Cafe.

  • photoboy #18 12 months ago

    Why allow Link to run in the iron boots? That just defeats the purpose of them only being used for specific occasions. You might as well just have them on all the time if there's no penalty for wearing them (except for the Shadow Temple anyway).

  • geeza2020 #19 12 months ago

    Why would they make Link able to run in iron boots? They're IRON for gawds sake!

    edit: photoboy beat me to it :)
    Edited by geeza2020 at 02/06/11 @ 14:06

  • RodHull #20 12 months ago

    Legend of Zelda Rubenstein, please.

    "Stay out of the light, Carol-Anne!"

  • ColdShoulder #21 12 months ago

    But, I'm still waiting for the old new Zelda game.

  • kinky_mong #22 12 months ago

    @Sonicyoda: "Think about it; a game announced at E3 never comes out in the same year."

    Donkey Kong Country Returns.

  • PinktotheLast #23 12 months ago

    There is no way Skyward sword is going to be pushed to the Cafe. They can sell millions this Christmas on the Wii.
    Nothing that Nintendo does is about losing potential sales.

  • Koozer #24 12 months ago

    But..I like the rion boots.

  • joelstinton #25 12 months ago

    I can see it being a repackaged NES/SNES GB/GBA collection as well. With Oot and SS coming out, i think Ninty already have a lot on there plate. Unless they been ultra brave and giving a project to Retro studios.

    Who needs Big graphics processors when games look and feel as good as SMG1/2.

    I'm expecting some pretty awesome art directions from Core Nintendo games on the Cafe using, probably current gen tech, or slightly above. A wind waker inspired Zelda game would do HD gaming justice. A four Swords Online game would work with the supposed viewscreen controller, and would be a serious statement of intent from Nintendo for there online model.


  • metallicorphan #26 12 months ago

    @pinkotothelast


    Twilight Princess was pushed onto the Wii and still came out for the Gamecube which is was it was developed for..wouldn't surprise me in the least if the same thing happened here

  • Toothball #27 12 months ago

    It seems plausible that a 25th Anniversary release would involve some kind of remake, especially since they're working on Skyward Sword as far as new games go. Probably going to sit it out if so.

    As far as Ocarina of Time goes, I still don't get the fuss over the Water Temple. I must have gone through it five or six times without a second thought. Dark Link gave me a bit of trouble first time, but after that it was all very routine.

    @metallicorphan

    Yeah I was just thinking that too.

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #28 12 months ago

    I doubt we'll see a third Zelda game - and a second brand new one - this year. If anything, I imagine we'll get a brand new one when Cafe is released in 2012.

  • sonicyoda #29 12 months ago

    @Kinky_Mong

    True say. Though that is a rare exception. Plus, you know what Zelda development times are like!

  • koopa #30 12 months ago

    "Twilight Princess was pushed onto the Wii and still came out for the Gamecube which is was it was developed for..wouldn't surprise me in the least if the same thing happened here"

    Yeah, but there was a much lesser graphical difference between Wii and Gamecube, Skyward Sword would look silly as a 2012 launch title. Anyway, Cafe will be backwards compatible...