By Ben Mapp
This Friday finally sees the western release of the hotly-anticipated Hyrule Warriors for the Wii U, which features the hack n' slash gameplay style of the popular Dynasty Warriors series, mixed in with characters, weapons and settings from the iconic Legend of Zelda franchise.
The game has already enjoyed moderate success over in Japan where it released last month, but will it help the Wii U get ready to sell this Christmas?
This Friday finally sees the western release of the hotly-anticipated Hyrule Warriors for the Wii U, which features the hack n' slash gameplay style of the popular Dynasty Warriors series, mixed in with characters, weapons and settings from the iconic Legend of Zelda franchise.
The game has already enjoyed moderate success over in Japan where it released last month, but will it help the Wii U get ready to sell this Christmas?
Pitched as a 'spin-off' from the main Legend of Zelda series and announced late last year at a Nintendo Direct event, Hyrule Warriors features an original story concept and includes the introduction of new characters to the series (such as new incarnations of both Link and Zelda) as well as the return of old faces and foes (Midna and Ganon, for example) from the previous main installments of the Zelda series. It has been confirmed that Link will be just one of several playable characters throughout the game.
The development of this game is part of an ongoing effort by Nintendo to tread fresh ground with their franchises, after recognising that sticking to tradition can often be just as risky as trying out something new. The Zelda series is something of a sacred artifact over at Nintendo HQ however and so it has taken them many years to enter into a collaborative project with another studio. Ultimately, the task was handed to Omega Force (who developed Dynasty Warriors) and Team Ninja (the developing studio of both Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive). The idea to combine Zelda with Dynasty Warriors was conceived by a lead developer at Team Ninja, who proposed it to an executive at Koei Tecmo (the company which owns both Omega Force and Team Ninja) as a fan of both series'. To ensure that Hyrule Warriors ultimately kept to the standard of quality which the series is so used to, the project has been supervised by several major Nintendo figures such as the company president Satoru Iwata, series creator Shigeru Miyamoto and producer Eiji Aonuma. It is hoped that the game will appeal to both long-time fans of the series as well as newcomers, and perhaps widen out the audience of the Wii U as a whole.
Following on from the remake of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker which released last year, Hyrule Warriors will be the second Zelda game to be made and released in HD and for the Wii U. Its release will likely see a renewed interest in the console, which has been slowly gathering steam again since Nintendo's Digital Event back at E3, where the next main installment in the Zelda franchise was at last revealed. However, it is not due out until perhaps late 2015. It's no secret that the Wii U has been struggling against its competitors, Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One, despite being released a whole year in advance. But with several exclusives finally emerging from the under the woodwork for Christmas, such as Super Smash Bros and Bayonetta II, we can expect to see a significant boost in Wii U sale this festive period.
Hyrule Warriors will release on 19th September in both North America and Europe.
The development of this game is part of an ongoing effort by Nintendo to tread fresh ground with their franchises, after recognising that sticking to tradition can often be just as risky as trying out something new. The Zelda series is something of a sacred artifact over at Nintendo HQ however and so it has taken them many years to enter into a collaborative project with another studio. Ultimately, the task was handed to Omega Force (who developed Dynasty Warriors) and Team Ninja (the developing studio of both Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive). The idea to combine Zelda with Dynasty Warriors was conceived by a lead developer at Team Ninja, who proposed it to an executive at Koei Tecmo (the company which owns both Omega Force and Team Ninja) as a fan of both series'. To ensure that Hyrule Warriors ultimately kept to the standard of quality which the series is so used to, the project has been supervised by several major Nintendo figures such as the company president Satoru Iwata, series creator Shigeru Miyamoto and producer Eiji Aonuma. It is hoped that the game will appeal to both long-time fans of the series as well as newcomers, and perhaps widen out the audience of the Wii U as a whole.
Following on from the remake of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker which released last year, Hyrule Warriors will be the second Zelda game to be made and released in HD and for the Wii U. Its release will likely see a renewed interest in the console, which has been slowly gathering steam again since Nintendo's Digital Event back at E3, where the next main installment in the Zelda franchise was at last revealed. However, it is not due out until perhaps late 2015. It's no secret that the Wii U has been struggling against its competitors, Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One, despite being released a whole year in advance. But with several exclusives finally emerging from the under the woodwork for Christmas, such as Super Smash Bros and Bayonetta II, we can expect to see a significant boost in Wii U sale this festive period.
Hyrule Warriors will release on 19th September in both North America and Europe.
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Hyrule Warriors is likely to make a lot of money for Nintendo. But do you approve of this bold new step? What do you think the success (or failure) of Hyrule Warriors would mean for the company?
Let us know in the comments below, or come find us on Facebook or Twitter. We'd love to hear from you!
Let us know in the comments below, or come find us on Facebook or Twitter. We'd love to hear from you!
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