New Zelda game announced by Nintendo to surprise of fans

Nintendo surprised fans yesterday by announcing a new chapter in its 40-year-old Zelda saga, one of the Japanese video game titan’s biggest franchises.

During an event broadcast on the web, the firm said The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is scheduled for release on the Switch console on 26 September.

Eiji Aonuma, producer of the Zelda series, said on a webcast that fans would be able to play as Princess Zelda herself rather than the elf-like warrior Link – a first for an official entry into the game’s canon.

“This time around Link has vanished and it’s up to Princess Zelda to step into the protagonist’s role,” Ao­numa said.

Each new chapter of Zelda is eagerly awaited by fans – the fr­anchise has racked up well over 140 million sales since it began in 1986.

Last year’s edition, Tears of the Kingdom, sold 10 million copies in just three days.

Nintendo showed some gameplay from the new title during the webcast, revealing cartoon-style graphics similar to 2019’s Link’s Awakening rather than the sleek realism of last year’s game.

The saga is credited with helping to forge “open world” games, where the player is free to roam in virtual landscapes – an idea later taken up by games such as Grand Theft Auto and Skyrim.