Nintendo's "Legend of Zelda" series is one of the most beloved video game franchises ever created. And one of the best games in that franchise is about to get a facelift for the Wii U console.
Nintendo announced it will release "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD" on March 4, 2016.
"The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess" was originally released as a launch title for the Wii console in 2006; it was also released on the Nintendo GameCube. But neither of those consoles were capable of pushing out high-definition visuals the way that Nintendo's newest console, the Wii U, can.
All that to say: next year's game is a prettied up remake of an already existing game.
So, what's the game about?
In "Twilight Princess," series protagonist Link must restore the kingdom of Hyrule from a corrupted dimension called the Twilight Realm (thus the game's subtitle). As always, Link has plenty of weapons at his disposal, but this time he also has the ability to transform into a wolf, which is useful for sniffing out clues.
Here's Link as a wolf in the HD update:
Back in 2006, many critics thought "Twilight Princess" was the best "Zelda" game since "Ocarina of Time" — a game widely considered to be one of the best games ever created. In addition to the critical praise, "Twilight Princess" won several Game of the Year awards and sold millions of copies across both Nintendo consoles it launched on.
The Wii U version of "Twilight Princess" coming next year is basically an HD remaster, so you won't find any new missions or subplots. And if you've already played "Twilight Princess" on the Wii and want to play it again, you'll be able to use your old Wii Remote and Nunchuk as a controller for the HD remaster.
That said, Nintendo is still adding a few things to keep the game fresh: The company is making a new Amiibo figurine modeled after characters in the game, and "Twilight Princess HD" will also support five other Nintendo Amiibo figurines (all from the "Legend of Zelda" franchise — stuff like Toon Link and Zelda herself).
Nintendo says it will soon offer more information on how these Amiibo will be used in "Twilight Princess HD," but we imagine it will allow players to import data across "Zelda" games in some fashion.
Nintendo says it will release a special Wii U bundle for "Twilight Princess HD," which will include the new Amiibo as well as an official soundtrack for the game. There aren't details on pricing just yet, but we'd guess it'll come in around $300.
We look forward to seeing how Nintendo plans to freshen this great "Zelda" game next year for the Wii U, especially since the company also teased a brand new "Zelda" title coming later next year.
You can watch Nintendo announce "Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD" in the video below.
