The new Zelda game will give us the first ‘flexible’ Amiibo

The next Legend of Zelda game is introducing big changes to the series. It features a big, open world. Our hero can jump, climb and cook. For the first time in 30 years, Link actually changed his shirt — but it’s changing more than the gameplay of one franchise. It’s also changing Nintendo’s toys-to-life figures: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s toy series will feature the first Amiibo with moving parts.

Nintendo says three figures will launch with the game — an Amiibo featuring Link using a bow, one with the hero on horseback and a third of a “Guardian,” the large spider-like creature we saw in the game’s 2014 teaser trailer. That last one is the flexible toy, presumably offering limited movement in the guardian’s tendrils. The Wolf Link Amiibo that shipped with The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD will be compatible with the new game too, and will summon Wolf Link to help the player in battle. If you played Twilight Princess on the same console, it’ll even import your character’s health stats. Neat!

Those figures won’t be available until the game hits stores early next year — but collectors can look forward to a new line of Super Mario Amiibo, with figures for Daisy, Boo, Diddy Kong and more.

Follow all the news from E3 2016 here!

Source: Nintendo

Where to watch Nintendo’s E3 announcement stream

Microsoft and Sony made some pretty major announcements yesterday, but we’re not done yet — Nintendo is holding an online press conference this morning. Things may already be winding down on the Wii U era, but we expect Nintendo to show off details on the next Legend of Zelda game as well as some news for Pokémon fanatics. Hopefully there will be some other surprises, as well. It all kicks off at 9AM PT / 12PM ET, and you can watch the YouTube stream below. Of course, we’ll be covering all the news as well.

‘The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’ is Nintendo’s next classic

Nintendo kicked off its E3 2016 livestream with a frankly gorgeous Zelda trailer, showcasing what we’ll get to play and experience when the game eventually lands in 2017 on the Wii U and NX. The style of the entire thing is somewhere between Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, albeit cranked to the max. This is Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and it already looks pretty amazing. Was that voice-acting? At least four outfits, including armor? Cooking? Gliding? Oh boy.

Update 1PM ET: Following a lengthy demo of the new Pokémon games, Nintendo is now showing off full gameplay from the new game, and there’s a lot to take in here. First off: The world is massive. Just as promised, Hyrule feels far more alive than ever before, and a quick look at the map makes it seem like the world you’ll get to explore is as huge as Nintendo claims.

There’s also been surprisingly more voice acting than ever before, with a Navi / Midna-type narration in much of the game’s intro. However, the first NPC you encounter is voiced by text on the screen, in classic Zelda fashion. Link also hasn’t yet said a word. There’s also very little fully-scored music to speak of thus far, but there are lots of lovely environmental audio and subtle musical flourishes in the first segment of the game.

Another notable detail from the lush world is that there’s a lot more to collect than ever before — someone on the Nintendo stream mentioned that you wouldn’t pick up hearts in this game. Instead, you forage for food to replenish life. Similarly, you’ll find tools all around the world to use in your quest. One of the first weapons you come across is a “rusty broadsword” that breaks after just a few enemy encounters, so you need to keep finding more items. Those items will often be foraged from enemies you defeat, it seems.

Going along with the open-world theme, it looks like Link has the ability to go pretty much wherever he wants — you can climb walls and there’s a button to let you jump for the very first time in a Zelda game. The game also does very little hand-holding at the beginning; there’s no backstory to speak of. You’re just thrown into the world and need to find your way, a refreshing change from the hand-holding that most games put you through at the beginning these days.

We’ll keep you updated with any other noteworthy details Nintendo drops!

Nathan Ingraham contributed to this report.

PS Vita slasher ‘Severed’ is coming to iOS, 3DS and Wii U

Back in April developer Drinkbox Studios, best known for the colorful platformer Guacamelee!, launched a little game called Severed on the PlayStation Vita. As much as we love Sony’s handheld, it’s not a popular system, so we’re not surprised to hear that the game is headed to other platforms. Specifically, the Nintendo 3DS, Wii U and iOS. If you need a quick recap, Severed is a first-person dungeon crawler starring a one-armed warrior named Sasha. The touch-based controls have you fighting monsters and solving puzzles to overcome its bright but creepy world.

The game, which was well received by the press, has been tweaked a little for the new systems. On the Wii U, for instance, you’ll be playing with the chunky GamePad and, most likely, its slide-out stylus. Drinkbox is promising some graphical improvements and support for “Off-TV Play,” meaning you can continue adventuring while someone else is hogging the TV. The studio will also support cross-buy, meaning you can purchase the game once and play it on both your Wii U and 3DS. The App Store version will, of course, be a separate purchase for iPhone and iPad owners.

All three ports are slated for “this summer” and there’s no word yet on pricing. But as a frame of reference, it’s currently $14.99 on PSN.

Extra E3 news! Severed is coming to iOS this summer! https://t.co/u52ZoEpwV9

— DrinkBox Studios (@DrinkBoxStudios) June 14, 2016

‘Pokémon Sun and Moon’ will offer four-player battle royales

There’s more to Pokémon Sun and Moon than new locations and monsters. Nintendo has announced during its E3 livestream that the game will also introduce a four-player battle mode called ‘Battle Royal.’ Each trainer selects a Pokémon and then enters the ring at the same time. On your turn, you can choose to target any of the three creatures in front of you — this opens up new strategies as you focus on particular opponents and form uneasy alliances. Our only concern is the wait times — four trainers mean it could be a while before you can select and execute a fresh attack.

Follow all the news from E3 2016 here!