Shane
March 2016 will be a blockbuster month for The Legend of Zelda fans thanks to a trio of new releases in Australia and New Zealand, beginning with The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD for Wii U on March 5th and followed by the release of the New Nintendo 3DS XL Hyrule Edition system and Hyrule Warriors: Legends for Nintendo 3DS / 2DS on March 24th.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD is an HD remake of one of the most critically-acclaimed entries in the series, first released on Nintendo GameCube and Wii in 2006. Link’s battle to save Hyrule from the corruption of the Twilight Realm comes to Wii U with high definition visuals and can be enhanced with the power of an amiibo.
The new Wolf Link amiibo allows players to open the exclusive Cave of Shadows bonus challenge, a brand new area where skilled players can use the powers of Wolf Link and Midna to take on increasingly tougher enemies on each floor. The Wolf Link amiibo can store hearts earned in the game for the player to use while taking on the Cave of Shadows. After conquering the cave, you can save a record of your remaining hearts to the Wolf Link amiibo, and attempt to beat your score whenever you want.
The game will also be compatible with five other The Legend of Zelda amiibo from the Super Smash Bros. Collection. Both the Link and Toon Link amiibo will refill your arrows, while the Zelda and Sheik amiibo will refill the heart gauge. In a devious twist, the Ganondorf amiibo will cause enemy attacks to inflict twice as much damage until the play session ends.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD will be available at launch on March 5th on Nintendo eShop or in a Special Edition bundle at retail that includes the Wolf Link amiibo and an audio CD with a selection of the game’s official soundtrack.
For Zelda fans who prefer gaming on the go, the portable New Nintendo 3DS XL Hyrule Edition launching on March 24th is a striking, gold-coloured console featuring an intricate Hylian Crest design on the front. Like other New Nintendo 3DS XL systems, it offers better controls, enhanced processing power, amiibo support, as well as access to a wealth of gaming experiences.
From the NES original to The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes, the lineup of games available for the system already features a selection of no less than nine games from The Legend of Zelda series’ thirty years of history*, and with Hyrule Warriors: Legends also launching on March 24th, the tenth one is just around the corner.
Hyrule Warriors: Legends for Nintendo 3DS offers players the chance to experience the action-packed Hyrule Warriors game, originally released on Wii U, but with additional new maps and characters from The Legend of Zelda series. This time, Tetra, Toon Link and the King of Hyrule from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind waker HD join the Skull Kid from The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D on the battlefield. In addition, the new character Linkle joins the large cast of playable characters. Players will be able to command multiple characters on the battlefield for strategic moves and immediately switch between any of them to be in the thick of battle at all times.
The game will also be compatible with amiibo of The Legend of Zelda series characters, including the Wolf Link amiibo. By tapping the Wolf Link amiibo onto the NFC area of a New Nintendo 3DS or New Nintendo 3DS XL system, or by using the Nintendo 3DS NFC Reader/Writer accessory with Nintendo 2DS, Nintendo 3DS or Nintendo 3DS XL systems, players will be able to unlock enhanced weapons for Midna. Other The Legend of Zelda amiibo from the Super Smash Bros. Collection will also unlock enhanced weapons for their respective characters in the game.
Hyrule Warriors: Legends will be available as standalone game or as a part of a Limited Edition bundle, featuring a watch that’s a replica of Linkle’s signature compass, and a physical copy of the game.