The Legend of Zeldais such a prestigious and beloved franchisethat every announcement of a brand-new installment is an extremely important occasion, not only for hardcore Nintendo fans but for pretty much the entire gaming industry. AndNintendois 100% aware of this fact.
As a result, most of the reveals for the newLegend of Zeldagames have been handled with the utmost care. And, considering that this is a long-running franchise, they have been presented at a large variety of events, fromE3conferences to randomNintendo Directbroadcasts. But all these game reveals share one thing in common: they are very effective at hyping upLegend of Zeldafans.
WhenThe Legend of Zelda: The Wind Wakerwas first revealed atSpace World 2001, it got quite a mixed reception. This was mostly due to its new cel-shaded art style, whereas most fans wanted a new game in the style of the old Link vs. Ganondorf demo from Space World 2000. But, with time, fans began appreciating this game moreand eventually saw it as the fantastic experience it truly is.
So, when its HD remaster,TheWind Waker HD, was revealed with an amazing trailer during the special Nintendo Direct ofE3 2013, fan reception was way more positive. At a time when the Wii U was struggling to sell units because it didn’t have many great exclusives (not even a newLegend of Zeldagame), the beautiful graphics ofThe Wind Waker HDconvinced many fans to finally buy this console.
E3 2013 was definitely a very good time forLegend of Zeldafans: Not only wasWind Waker HDannounced, but also a brand-new title for theNintendo 3DSwas revealed:The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds.By 2013, the only game in this franchise for the handheld wasOcarina of Time 3D, so the announcement of a new exclusive was met with a lot of excitement.
To make things even better, this was going to be a spiritual successor to the legendaryA Link to the Past, which was made apparent in its incredible reveal trailer that showed off many iconic locations, characters, and enemies of that gamethat were remade with the impressive 3D graphics of the Nintendo 3DS.
Nintendo used to host their own trade show, which was initially known asShoshinkaibut was later renamed toSpace Worldbefore being discontinued in 2001. The 1995 edition of this show was of crucial importance for the company, as this was the first time they would publicly unveil a few games for their then-upcoming 3D console: theNintendo 64.
This was the first time audiences were made aware of the fact that the first ever 3DLegend of Zeldagame was in production, which was known back then asZelda 64. This may not seem like much nowadays, but the brief clip of Link fighting an enemy knight in 3D was impressive enough to convince consumers that the Nintendo 64 was going to be a legitimate console, especially sinceThe Legend of Zeldawas already one of Nintendo’s most popular franchises at that time. Eventually,Zelda 64turned intoOcarina of Timeand became one of the most successful and critically acclaimed games on the console.
After the release ofOcarina of Time 3D, fans were asking for the other Nintendo 64 title,The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, to be either remastered or remade for the Nintendo 3DS or the Nintendo Wii U. This led to the creation ofOperation Moonfall, a campaign to bring attention to the fact that theLegend of Zeldafan base wanted a new version ofMajora’s Mask.
So, when the 3DS remaster of this beloved game,Majora’s Mask 3D, was revealed during theNintendo Directof November 2014, fans were extremely hyped. Not only had Nintendo been listening to them all along, but the reveal trailer itself was beautiful, as most people believedit perfectly encapsulates the dark & somber tone of this tragic adventure.
BothThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildand theNintendo Switchwere huge successes, so fans were sure that Nintendo was going to make a sequel for the console that reused the same open-world formula. And, after a few years of waiting, this sequel was eventually unveiled at the very end of Nintendo’sE3 2019broadcast.
ButTears Of The Kingdomdidn’t have a name or a release date back then, and it was just announced as “The sequel toBreath of the Wild”. The reveal trailer showed Link and Princess Zelda going underground and discoveringGanondorf’scorpse, who was suddenly revived by their presence. As good asBreath of the Wildwas, most fans were disappointed by the absence of Ganondorf in that game,so the reveal of his comeback, alongside the promise of a darker and more complex story, was enough to convince them to buy this sequel, before even a second of gameplay was ever shown.
As previously mentioned, theWii Uwas not as successful as Nintendo had hoped. This was due to a variety of reasons, but the lack of appealing exclusives was one of them. Because of this, a lot of people were expecting them to reveal a brand-newLegend of Zeldasooner than later, and this announcement was finally made during theirE3 2014presentation.
This was a subtle yet fantastic trailer that showed the beautiful and colorful art style of the game, alongside its huge open world. It even included a fast-paced chase against a mysterious new enemy (which would later be known as theGuardian) and it revealed an improved design for Link.This was everything that fans were asking for in a new game, and it was their introduction to what would eventually becomeThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Luckily, this trailer alone was enough to keep them hyped until the game was released 3 years later.
WhileThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Swordmay be quite a divisive game nowadays, there’s no denying that its initial reveal was one of the most exciting events for fans of this franchise. During theirE3 2010presentation, Nintendo unveiled an amazing trailer that showcased many iconic moments from previousLegend of Zeldagames set to a beautiful medley of the franchise’s many musical themes.
This retrospective led to the reveal of a brand-new Link design, with an appealing new art style that combined the best aspects of bothWind WakerandTwilight Princess. Many people thought that 2010 was way too late to release a newLegend of Zeldagame for theWii, but this trailer proved them wrong. Especially considering thatThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Swordwas going to make solid use of the recently releasedWiiMotionPlusadd-on.
Before its tragic demise,E3 used to be the home of plenty of incredible game announcements that changed the gaming landscape forever. One of the best and most memorable ones was the reveal ofThe Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princessduring Nintendo’sE3 2004conference. The joyful reaction of the audience is enough to prove that this was an exciting occasion.
The reveal trailer ofTwilight Princessis simple and effective, as it promises a heroic new adventure set in a dark fantasy world (which was what most fans were asking for, after the release of the much more cartoonyWind Waker) and the use of epic music made this trailer even more incredible. If the E3 audience wasn’t already ecstatic enough, series creatorShigeru Miyamotocame out onto the stage wielding replicas of Link’s Master Sword and Hylian Shield in a charismatic fashion. This cemented this reveal as one of the most legendary moments in the franchise’s history.
