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What's going on with Zelda: Breath of the Wild's rupees?

You can find them out in in the wild after all.

Back at E3, Nintendo told us that Zelda: Breath of the Wild's rupee currency works a little differently.

For starters, you won't find any rupees by slicing long grass (or hearts, for that matter). And despite opening loads of chests in the game's open world, we couldn't find any there, either.

By default, the game no longer shows a rupee meter on screen (although this may just have been absent for the demo).

But the currency is still in the game, Nintendo has said.

Speaking with IGN, Zelda boss Eiji Aounuma expanded on this a little by confirming the currency's usage would be "a little different" this time around.

"It's about collecting things and going to sell them and then using the rupees you get to buy new things," Aonuma teased.

There's less of a general need for rupees, after all - you can find weapons and other abilities naturally in the open world. Potions and health-regenerating items can be hunted, found or crafted. The emphasis is very much on making what you need, rather than simply buying it.

But rupees can still be found in the overworld.

Here's a video from a French site, Nintendo Sphere, playing the Breath of the Wild demo in Paris last week. In it, the player finds a purple rupee (worth 50, Zelda fans) lying on the ground near the body of an ancient Guardian enemy.

As far as I know, this is the first time we've seen footage of this find, despite thousands playing it over the course of E3.

Then again, the Breath of the Wild demo is absolutely enormous - and it is impossible to see everything in just one go.

Watch on YouTube

How exactly rupees work - and where we'll be using them - remains a mystery, then. With Breath of the Wild not due out until March next year, alongside the new NX console, Nintendo is keeping schtum. But it sounds as if they will be kept for use within trading, likely only within settlements.

Likely we'll find out more as Nintendo shows off the towns where we'll be spending our money and upgrading gear - all of which is currently being kept under wraps.

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