The Zelda Wii U Tech Demo
The Zelda HD Experience,[1] as it is called by its developers, is a short cinematic used as a Wii U tech demo unveiled during Nintendo's E3 2011 conference. Footage from the demo depicts a fairy flying around and Link walking through a temple before a gate closes behind him and a monster resembling Armogohma crashes through the ceiling, leading to a battle between the two. The Wii U controller's touch screen can change camera angles and switch between night and day.[2][3] The controller's screen shows information such as health, minimap and inventory. However, the content displayed on the TV screen can be easily seen on the controller with the press of a button.
The demo lead fans to speculate that Nintendo was developing a Zelda title for the Wii U,[4] but it was later revealed to have been designed to help demonstrate the console’s graphical capabilities and control scheme.[5]
In addition, a small piece of artwork depicting Link was shown to demonstrate the controller's touchscreen capabilities in drawing.
On June 20th, 2011, Shigeru Miyamoto confirmed that Nintendo is planning on creating an HD Legend of Zelda title.[6] In January 2013, a new Wii U Zelda game was officially confirmed; however, it was also stated that it would feature a different style than the Zelda HD Experience. This game was later revealed to be Breath of the Wild.
After up-scaling the graphics in Twilight Princess, the team tried doing the same to the cel-shaded graphics from The Wind Waker. It was then decided that a full HD port of that game was to be made, announced for release in October 2013.
Gallery
The Twilight Princess-like item menu on the Wii U's controller
Link in the Wii U Tech Demo
A sketch of Link
Video
See Also
SpaceWorld 2000 GameCube Tech Demo
External Links
GameTrailers - E3 2011: Full-Length Zelda Tech Demo (Cam) GameTrailers - E3 2011: Zelda Tech Demo Walkthrough (Cam)