Nintendo opens up their Treehouse at E3 by giving a moment of silence to the victims in Orlando and Christina Grimmie who was a huge Legend of Zelda fan.
Nintendo is revealing the new Legend of Zelda game that many suspected they would see. This game is called Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild which brings you to a Hyrule that will be an exploration through a vast world. The first trailer they showed below.
After showing a bit about Legend of Zelda they showed off Pokemon Sun and Moon which is releasing on 11/18/2016. The director over the game and the producer showed off the trailer and some art assets before getting into a live gameplay demo and the video is below. There has been a change in perspective for this Pokemon game that allows you to feel more immersed into the game. Overall the graphics considering it is a handheld game is quite amazing. I would call this the most advanced and detailed Pokemon world yet. You can now have an overview of each attack by touching the icon button on the screen. You can also see stats of each Pokemon such as decreases in attack or speed, as an example, by touching the 2D Pokemon. After you catch a Pokemon there shows a white Pokeball if you have not yet found it’s evolution or pair. Yungoos is a new Pokemon that they showed off. The AI, even trainers you battle have motion.
Shown is a female Pokemon trainer that is tossing a Pokeball up in the air. When in battles your trainers are still shown beside your Pokemon as well to give a better sense of scale. The trainers are shown in full 3D this time around as well as the world around you. They have picked up items from Pokeballs laying around that look definitely keep it looking immersive. Pikipek was another Pokemon showed off. A small woodpecker type. Pikipek will have another two evolutions after it’s first form. There are battle spaces such as the one at the festival where people will gather around and watch. Fully featured in 3D as well. Once you battle a Pokemon once the game will tell you which moves are super effective and which are not on the second meeting.
New battle mode called Battle Royal which features four players in a Battle Royal Dome was shown. Each trainer gets three pokemon to choose from to battle. It is a Free for All battle. When one trainer loses a Pokemon that signals the end of the battle. When a Trainer has lost all three Pokemon then the game tally’s up how many Pokemon you have left and how many you have taken down to determine the winner. The battle space itself is a boxing ring esque area with each of the four entrances being a giant Pokemon head that shows throughout the battle. You will be able to customize your outfits in this game.
The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild is up next for Nintendo to talk about in more detail. They showed up a gameplay demo of this new game. Link has been awoken from a machine that had liquid around him. The first area is called Shrine of Resurrection that feels very mysterious. You obtain a Skeikah Slate after waking up. Technology is being introduced into the Zelda franchise. The plate can open doors which allows you out of the first area within this gameplay demo. The team showing the game off are being very quiet about what is going on letting viewers check out and experience the game. Link will be able to jump for the first time in the franchise allowing more exploration. Link is also able to rock climb on walls straight up which uses a stamina gauge to show how much you can climb.
You will be able to push big rocks around that have great physics for when they roll down a hill. Link can climb trees to gather apples and possibly other items. You can set certain items on fire and can set fire to the landscape. You are able to cut trees down when you find an axe but also cut the tree that fell into firewood. Your weapons and shields can break, but if your enemy gets stunned there’s a chance of their weapon dropping and you can grab it. Eating replenishes your health which shows that there is an emphasis on finding resources and using them. Think of it as a survival game almost. When enemies drop their weapons they can pick them up or another weapon as well as needed.
There is minimal backstory at first that you will have to learn about as you travel as to what happened to Hyrule and to you. The theme music is not heard throughout the entire game. They wanted you to be more immersed into the game so you hear more of crickets and natural sounds around you. Puzzle solving will be shown off at a later time today but not during the Treehouse session. They ended the gameplay demo with a bang. They lined up some explosive barrels and threw a club into it allowing them to explode. After the first session ended they continued playing so be on the lookout for more game play from this new Zelda!
