New details begin to surface about the highly-anticipated game.
In an interview with IGN, Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma stated that the upcoming Wii entry in the franchise will be a fundamental departure from the style of gameplay the series has become known for. Regarding the structure of the game, Aonuma said "We're making efforts regarding the total flow of the Zelda game. So far, the basic flow of the Zelda games is you're exploring a field, you go to a dungeon, you conquer it and return to the field. We're looking at altering that traditional flow. That's all I can share, and I can't say more until E3 next year."
Although the game is already known to use Wii MotionPlus, Aonuma has confirmed that the game will support realistic 1:1 swordplay. "We're taking advantage of MotionPlus. It's become very natural – the movement of your arms is precisely reflected in the gameplay. Thanks to the technological advancements, we hope the gameplay can be more accessible to people."
This is not the first time that the series has ventured onto new ground. 2000's The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask also departed from the series' traditional flow by introducing a new time-travelling mechanic that allowed the re-living of the same 3 days over and over again, with slightly different results depending on the actions of the player. 2007's The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass changed both the dungeon and control portions of the game by having the player revisit the same dungeon multiple times in the game, delving deeper each time, as well as changing the controls to a 100% touch screen mechanic for movement.
No release date has been announced for the next Wii entry in the Legend of Zelda series. Based on Aonuma's comments, more details will be revealed at E3 2010.