Still Waiting for Zelda Wii U

By KATIE KIERSTEAD
Arts Editor

The Legend of Zelda is one of the most recognizable, most loved video game franchises in the world. Since 1987, Nintendo has released 18 main Zelda games across several different platforms, from the nostalgic NES to the GameBoy Advance to the new Wii U.
There has been uneasiness in the video game community recently regarding the future of the Zelda franchise.
The newest installment in the Zelda series is temporarily named Zelda Wii U, as it does not have a title yet. It also has no release date. It was originally planned to be released in 2015, but has been pushed back until at least next year, if not as late as 2017. Yet this game has been in development since before 2011, when it was first announced. Why is it taking so long to be released?
Quality video games are not to be rushed, but it’s unsettling that the public knows next to nothing about this game. There has been virtually no official press aside from a short trailer and a gameplay video showing some of the main overworld. All we really know is that there will be a more open concept layout, beloved horse companion Epona is present, and the Sailcloth from 2011’s Skyward Sword is making a return. There’s no information about a plot or characters or dungeons or bosses or… anything.
There were rumors that the game could be released on two platforms—the existing Wii U and the upcoming NX—just as 2006’s Twilight Princess was developed for both the GameCube and the Wii. This speculation has already been dismissed by Nintendo official Scott Moffitt, eliminating the most probable reason for the delay.
Many fans believe that Nintendo is just taking its time perfecting the gameplay so it is a revolutionary experience that will be worth the wait. Muffin explained, “Fans have been waiting for and deserve a game when it’s ready, when it’s fully featured and when it can live up to what we would like to deliver.” Others are more skeptical, however, and believe that the developers are up to something different.
Blogger Nathanial Rumphol-Janc on Zelda Informer hypothesizes that the reason we haven’t seen any news about the game is that it could be undergoing a major aesthetic renovation. However, the art style in the two videos that have been released was incredibly well-received, with one commenter saying, “It’s got cel-shading, realism, bright color usage… What more could a person ask for?” So why would Nintendo show off a seemingly-perfect art style and then change it?
Too many questions remain unanswered. All we can do at this point is wait and speculate about the possibilities, which is what several gaming bloggers have been doing in the meantime.
One writer expressed his wish for a crafting system like the ones in Minecraft and Skyrim, so players can create new items from raw materials. This sort of mechanic was utilized for the first time in Skyward Sword, where players could trade bugs and ores and jewels they’d collected to upgrade weapons and potions. A more advanced system might attract a different audience, though Zelda is marketed to casual players as well, so there would have to be a balance between sophisticated and user-friendly.
The technical capabilities of the Wii U should allow new gameplay mechanics that weren’t present in past games. The use of the gamepad could serve as a map while Link is travelling the overworld and allow easy item-switching, a huge improvement over having to open the Start Menu in the Nintendo 64 and GameCube games. The 3DS remakes of Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask made use of the bottom screen of the handheld system for this reason.
Yet another blogger said he’d like to see a new story put in place with some variation in characters, particularly the main antagonist. Ganondorf has traditionally been Link’s main enemy in most iterations of the game. The problem with introducing a new character into an established universe is trying to explain where on the timeline they would fit and coming up with a backstory that aligns with the history of Hyrule and its parallel worlds. However, Nintendo cannot keep telling the same story over and over again through all the games, so refreshing the cast of the games is necessary.
Like always, fans are looking for something fresh in the new Zelda game. But it seems that so many are disappointed or angry when Nintendo tries new things. Look at the 2015 release, Tri Force Heroes, for example: a handheld co-op Zelda game. Rather than embracing the different gameplay experience of working with others to complete a dungeon, many fans complained that Nintendo was working on this multiplayer spin-off instead of the much more ambitious console game for the Wii U. Just because it doesn’t follow the traditional single-player Zelda formula, people got mad.
While some fans will never be satisfied, it’s hard not to be excited for the next release. The little that we do know about it is promising. It looks to be one of Nintendo’s most ambitious projects to date, and it’s one of the most anticipated games on any console, ever. The Zelda franchise is huge, and its fanbase is diverse but dedicated. We’ll just have to play the waiting game for another year or so.