Hey, did you see that brand new Zelda Wii U & NX artwork that leaked from Amazon earlier?
We did a whole update on it and everything, pointing out a few areas of interest as a
kind of mini-analysis.
But you know what?
F*** it.
We’re going all in on this baby and providing you with the full thing courtesy of the old
Analysis Machine
Okay, so of course the key takeaway here is that Link is freaking rock-climbing!
Not even Hyrule can deny the fun of this rapidly growing sport!
Now granted, climbing walls is nothing new for Link--except before, there were always
vines, or ivy, or at least something for him to grasp onto, whereas this time, there doesn't
appear to be anything particularly distinct about this cliff face, which suggests he may
be able to clamber up just about any rockface, or mountain, or cliff in the game.
Even more impressive is the fact that Link's apparently doing this without any kind of
specialized gear--even by Zelda standards.
I mean, he appears to be using nothing more than his partially gloved hands--and he isn't
using any kind of special item or magic ability from what we can tell, which means this is
likely an ability you'll have from the very start of the game--though maybe after a short
tutorial.
And the fact that he's still wearing the Blue outfit instead of his usual green tunic supports
this idea, though we still have no clue when--or if--he'll acquire his usual green garb.
Okay, not rock climbing can be a dangerous sport--but it seems Link's not completely
helpless if he screws up, because it was revealed back in the Game Awards footage that he'll
have a sailcloth-like item, which he can use to glide back to the ground.
So between this apparent new rock-climbing ability and his sail cloth, it’s been made
even clearer that verticality is going to play a much bigger role than ever before.
And this is supported by the fact that we can see what might be several towers in the
field below.
There's the one we pointed out in our update, near the cathedral-like structure.
But there's another one in the distance behind it, as well as what could be another to the
right--and what may be yet one more just below Link--though it's also possible that’s just
a rock.
Now we've actually seen these towers before too, back in the Game Awards footage again--which
we noted then didn't have guardrails.
So it seems like these towers really will play a prominent role this time too.
And while their exact may not be entirely confirmed, this new rock-climbing ability
supports our idea from our earlier analysis in that Link will be able to leap from these
towers and use his sail cloth to reach areas he may not have been able to otherwise--which
we now know can include cliff faces as well.
So for example, if there's part of a cliff that juts out far above ground, using a tower
to reach it may be your only option.
Which could make just getting around the world a puzzle in and of itself!
We can already see what might be hints of this with the varied elevations below--I mean,
it’s changing constantly, including that first tower we mentioned which appears to
be on much higher ground than the field below.
Of course, with Link’s ability to rock-climb, he might just be able to climb right up to
it.
So if Link doesn’t need any items or special abilities to rock climb--are there any limits
on where he can go?
Well, we have an idea...now we’ve pointed out some of the similarities Zelda Wii U appears
to have to Skyward Sword before, including the fact that Link appears to be right-handed,
as well as the aforementioned sailcloth.
And we can’t help but wonder if the stamina meter might be returning here as well too,
which previously limited his more extreme movements--including climbing.
So what if Link is only able to climb for as long as his stamina meter holds out?
And perhaps the amount of stamina he has will increase throughout the course of the game?
We’re just spitballing, but this could be a smart way of limiting the areas Link can
explore until certain points in the game, and would provide a further use for the sailcloth,
ensuring Link always has a safe way back to the ground if he runs out of energy.
Okay, that’s enough on rock climbing for now, but let’s take a look at what the rest
of the image might reveal.
And let’s start with what we’ve pointed out before is almost certainly Death Mountain...and
it’s still looking as deadly as always, with smoke bellowing out and lava pouring
down the sides.
And though it’s hard to tell how close or far it really is, even the jagged mountainous
peaks in front of it look intimidating--almost like shark fins.
However, it’s worth bringing up something that we’ve mentioned before...this may not
technically be Death Mountain.
Because considering the possible connections to Skyward Sword, this might actually be Eldin
Volcano, which many believe was the precursor to what eventually became Death Mountain.
At any rate, if we assume Death Mountain is to the North--as it often is--then that means
that the time of day here is probably morning, as opposed to the evening, with the sun rising
in the east.
So who would have guessed that rock-climbing is Link’s version of the morning constitutional.
Heroes have got to be fit, after all!
But here’s something interesting.
Death Mountain is oftentimes the farthest north that Link can travel, yet we can see
mountains even further behind it.
So you might just be able to circumnavigate the entire thing!
Now in front and to the left of Death Mountain--or Eldin Volcano--is a castle-looking structure
with what appears to be some kind of dark magic-spiral… thing emanating from around
it.
Could this be Hyrule Castle?
The spires sure do look similar, and it wouldn’t be the first time the castle’s fallen under
a spell!
It also looks as if it may be hard to get to, since it seems there’s a gulf separating
it from the mainland.
And by the way--given its location--it might just be the exact same structure we pointed
out as possibly being Hyrule Castle way back in our first analysis.
And check this out--did you notice the four structures that surround the castle, jutting
from the ground at an angle?
Are they the source of the magic?
Maybe they’re what prevents Link from accessing the castle?
And what if those four structures tie into the rumor we’ve heard of there being four
primary dungeons in the game--perhaps each dungeon is linked to one of those structures?
Hey, who knows!
Now just southwest of that is what looks to be cathedral-looking structure, just west
of the first tower we pointed out before.
Although it is possible this structure is just a very oddly-shaped mountain.
Either way, we can see a hill that extends up and wraps around it.
Now across from this is something else that stood out to us.
Do you see that little thing on the cliff edge there, just right of the tower?
It’s impossible to say for sure, but it reminded us of a similar looking structure--one
that was almost equally hard to see--back in the Nintendo Direct trailer, which we pegged
as possibly being a teepee at the time.
If this indeed is a similar object, these just might be found all over the world too.
And speaking of odd-looking structures, we noticed one more east of Death Mountain that
looks like it could be some kind of building… or it might just be a mountain again.
Looking at this thing is like analyzing an ink blot test, I tell ya!
And finally, we noticed what might be a river running through the field just in front of
Death Mountain--and it’s possible that it may be coming from these mountains--though
it’s possible it’s also just be fog.
But assuming it isn’t, that third tower we mentioned could possibly be a waterfall
emerging from a hole in the wall.
Like I said, this thing’s like an inkblot test!
And wit that, that’s everything we could uncover in the latest artwork for Zelda Wii
U and NX.
But as usual, let us know if we missed anything by posting in the comments below.
Thanks for watching and make sure to subscribe to GameXplain for more on Zelda Wii U & NX
from E3 and other things gaming too.