[VIDEO] New Zelda game plays it safe in debut trailer

Few people are as enthusiastic as me when it comes to Nintendo’s classic Zelda franchise. This largely excellent action-adventure-RPG series has held a place in my heart for over 20 years. So what does it say that even I found the first ever trailer for the next Zelda underwhelming?

A new Zelda trailer should fill me from head to toe with happy. And in many ways, I’m sure The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword will do just that. It’s a Nintendo title, so will plainly boast terrific production values, probably some ingenius level design, and an epic soundtrack. And yes, that’s all here, in this trailer. But this looks tired.

I mean, deflecting a seed missile back towards an enemy with my shield? Locking onto enemies before pulling off Link’s famed spin attack? That scorpion-like boss? First-person archery? I’ve seen all of these things in Zelda games that are more than a decade old. Even the visuals are deeply traditional. There’s little new on display, save for a potentially interesting section where you control a flying beetle.

I was, frankly, expecting more – perhaps a surreal Majora’s Mask style detour from the usual Zelda formula – but I guess we’ll learn a lot more before this comes out next year. See what you think of the trailer below, fellow Zelda nuts, and tell me if I’m being harsh.