‘Zelda: Twilight Princess’ Wii U Upgrades Detailed With New Trailer


With The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is less than a month away from release, Nintendo shared details Thursday about new features added to the classic game. The Wii U re-release will go beyond a resolution upgrade to add a new item, a challenging new mode, plus support for the GamePad controller.

“A new item in the game called the ‘Ghost Lantern’ has been added,” Nintendo revealed in a press release. “This mysterious item will glow when in the same area as a Poe (a kind of ghost), making the Poe soul-retrieving quest much easier to complete.”

That’s not the only new in-game feature. A difficult new challenge awaits those who think they’ve already mastered the Zelda formula.

“Hero Mode, a challenging new mode, can also be selected when starting a new game. In this mode, Link will take double the normal damage and there are no heart drops,” Nintendo explained. “In addition, if Link finds Rupees in a treasure chest while his wallet is already full, Rupees will no longer be returned to that chest. Players are also less likely to reach the limit of their wallets, as they have been modified to hold more Rupees.”

The GamePad controller has been an underutilized piece of equipment for the Wii U. Nintendo put in some extra work to feature it with the latest The Legend of Zelda remake.

“Using the Wii U GamePad controller, players can easily access their map and inventory at all times using the intuitive touch screen, as well as quickly transform into a wolf with one easy tap. Players will also be able to use the GamePad to access Miiverse (Internet access required). Miiverse posts can be decorated with dozens of new Miiverse stamps inspired by the game hidden away throughout Hyrule. Additionally, the game can be played off-TV on the GamePad. Many more updates exist in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD, but discovering them as you play through the legendary adventure is part of the fun.

As previously covered by the Inquisitr, additional new features come via the Wolf Link amiibo that is included with the physical edition of the game along with other figures, too. The Wolf Link amiibo will unlock the Cave of Shadows when tapped to the Wii U GamePad controller. This new dungeon is full of challenges and will invite players back to beat it all over again.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD (Wii U)
[Image via Nintendo]
Players that complete the Cave of Shadow will have their remaining hearts saved to the Wolf Link amiibo. These hearts can be used to replenish life energy in subsequent a play-through, but the idea is to keep as many hearts as possible and beat your previous best score.

Existing amiibo figures from Super Smash Bros will also work with Twilight Princess HD. Link and Toon Link will replenish player arrows when tapped on the Wii U GamePad Controller, while Zelda and Sheik can refill player’s hearts. Ganondorf is naturally devious being the villain of the series and causes Link to take double damage.

Nintendo has done a good job keeping physical pre-orders supplied for The Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess HD at major retailers such as Amazon, GameStop, and Best Buy. The company has had issue keeping amiibo figures in stock at retailers in the past, but it would be a huge disappointment to Zelda fans if the Wolf Link figure suddenly became hard to get, since it adds a new area to the game.

Unfortunately, digital purchasers of Twilight Princess HD may be out of luck unless they go to the secondary market. Nintendo has not yet announced if Wolf Link will be sold separately, but it will also work with the currently in development The Legend of Zelda for the Wii U.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD is currently set for a March 4 release to the Wii U. What do you think of the new features added to the game? Sound off in the comments below.

[Image via Nintendo]

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