The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel delayed to 2023
Nintendo has pushed back the release of the unnamed sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to Spring 2023. The enigmatic title was initially set for a 2022 launch exclusively on the Nintendo Switch, and requires more development time.
Producer Eiji Aonuma made the announcement via a video, where he apologised for the delay. “In order to make this game’s experience something special, the entire development team is working diligently on this project.” The video also featured some new gameplay footage, where we see Link heading to the clouds in search of new adventures.
One of the newer mechanics this time is the ability to pass through walls, as Link climbs atop a cliff propelling himself in the air and easily warping through the rocks to reach the destination. According to Aonuma, a lot of the gameplay this time is set in between the clouds, where we get to use our stamina-driven hand glider and be able to fire arrows while in mid-air.
Nintendo had patented these mechanics back in December 2021, featuring some new archery and dynamic poses, allowing you to freefall backwards or dive straight down with high velocity. Similar to the dive bomb mechanic from the Batman: Arkham games.
Another notable new mechanic allows Link to rewind time, which was debuted in the E3 2021 trailer, where we could see him stopping a spike-ball midway and then roll/rewind it back to damage the enemies. The game was previously rumoured to launch in November this year, according to IGN boss Peer Schneider, who spoke to industry insiders during The Game Awards 2021.
Fans were also expecting to see some new footage or a concrete release date announcement during this year’s Nintendo Direct event, albeit none of that happened. Instead, the company announced a Mario Strikers game and a $25 DLC map package for the ongoing Mario Kart 8 until the end of 2023.
