At the same time, The Legend of Zelda trailer brought with it a lot of questions. Early on, there was talk of whether or not the hero in the trailer was Link, or even a boy, but since then Series Producer Eiji Aonuma confirmed the bow-wielding protagonist is Link.
However, while Aonuma was putting one rumor to bed, he unleashed a brand new one with talk of multiplayer for Zelda on Wii U. To be fair, Aonuma’s quotes to CVG are quite vague, but they do suggest that some form of two-player experience will be headed to the franchise next year.
Aonuma contextualizes the concept of multiplayer within the framework of Hyrule Warriors, the other Zelda release coming to Wii U. As the Series Producer explains, the two-player implementation — one on TV and one on gamepad — used in that game has sparked a curiosity in the Zelda Wii U team.
Unfortunately, that’s all we are going to get when it comes to multiplayer Zelda talk. And based on Aonuma’s comments it doesn’t sound like the game will necessarily include multiplayer in the traditional sense. It could be that the game uses the gamepad for a support role, like having a second player control a Navi-esque character, but that would be slightly disappointing.
At the same time, the idea of introducing multiplayer into The Legend of Zelda in any form could be met with some resistance from hardcore fans. That isn’t to say multiplayer is a completely alien concept to the franchise, but the main games have been largely single player experiences.
Regardless, it seems pretty clear that Nintendo is looking to change things up with The Legend of Zelda on Wii U, both because the franchise has hit a rut for some people and also because the modern gaming landscape has changed. Hence the inclusion of an open world in the game. The game certainly looks good, but we still don’t know enough to render even a verdict on its potential.
Do you think The Legend of Zelda on Wii U should include multiplayer? How would you like to see it implemented?
The Legend of Zelda is targeting a 2015 release on Wii U.
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Source: CVG
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