It’s now the end of 2015, the year we were initially promised a new Zelda for Wii U. But now, almost 3 years out from the initial announcement, we’re still waiting for what is looking to be the best Zelda game yet. I get it, Nintendo. You don’t want to rush it and you want to make the best game you can. Fine, totally cool, I respect that.

I just wish you’d be more careful about your release dates.

Announcing Zelda U

Let me take you back to a more innocent time. It was the Summer of 2014, Mario Kart 8 had just dropped, and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U & 3DS were finally on the horizon after four years of waiting. It was an exciting time to be a Nintendo fan. Still, there was something more that the fans wanted, some unscratched itch. An itch that began all the way back in January of 2013, when the late Satoru Iwata in a Nintendo Direct, said this:

“We are going to discuss our plan for The Legend of Zelda series on Wii U”

Ohhhhhh man, here we go. It was a simple statement, but one that Zelda fans had been dying to hear since the partial flop of Link’s latest home console adventure: Skyward Sword. Mr. Iwata then passed it over to Eiji Aonuma, the producer of Zelda, to give us the deets on the new game. Instead of showing any footage, concept art, or even tentative title, (“Zelda U” is just the name the fans have given it), Mr. Aonuma simply gave us very broad and general concepts of what he hopes to accomplish with the game. This wasn’t what you would call exciting stuff. In fact, instead of any cool visuals AT ALL, Zelda’s producer offered us something that resembled a PowerPoint presentation, no really, check it out for yourself.

Okay…. Well, better than nothing I guess! I mean, at least we know it’s happening for sure now. Plus, we just got an HD Wind Waker remake. That’s pretty sweet. Still, it would have been nice to see some visuals. Oh well.

The Trailer Revealed

Now fast forward back to the Summer of 2014. It’s E3 season and there’s rumors floating around that Nintendo is going to announce some HUGE stuff this year. Hold on to your Minish Caps because this was a big one. In a mere 47 minutes, Nintendo managed to cram in a plethora of new games and announcements. We learned about new Smash 4 characters, amiibo, Yoshi’s Wooly World, Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, Super Mario Maker, and Splatoon.

Anybody could look at that line of announcements and be satisfied, but Nintendo didn’t stop there. In addition to all those games, they dropped the first trailer for Zelda U and were even ready with a release date. So, what is it? When do we finally get to go on our next adventure in Hyrule? 2015. Mark your calendars ladies and gentlemen. Sure, the broad release date of an entire year probably means the end of 2015, but whatever, I can wait that long.

And now, the time has finally come, or not come. 2015 is coming to a close and we’ve known since March that 2015 Zelda U isn’t happening. Looking back, it was almost too good to be true. I mean afterall, the trailer was minimal at best and didn’t show much in terms of the world or gameplay. It DID however confirm everyone’s suspicions; this would be the best Zelda game to date. Its world size: gigantic. Its graphics and visuals: drop dead gorgeous. On top of that, Eiji Aonuma dropped another Bombchu. Zelda U would be completely “open world”; a first for the series, and the company. Go where you want, whenever you want. It’s something the fans have been asking for since Ocarina of Time.

The World Unmasked

In December of last year, we got the first, and as of today, only gameplay footage of Zelda U. We also got a look at just how big Zelda’s open world will be.

At 49 seconds, Mr. Aonuma and Mr. Iwata begin to zoom out on the map, they hit the zoom out button once, twice, and a third time to reveal what must be an open world that rivals Skyrim or Los Santos in size. Some say it’s bigger. It set Zelda fans in a frenzy, and for good reason. Mr. Aonuma has said in an interview with Gamereactor that the world is “as large a world as can be realised” on the Wii U.

Also worth noting, in the same video at the 3:12 mark, Mr. Iwata hilariously asks Mr. Aonuma, “Are you sure this will be released next year??” It was another bad omen that eventually lead to that terrible fate in late March. Only 3 months into the year of Link’s triumphant return, the official Legend of Zelda Facebook page posted a video.

The Delay

In front of a white background, Eiji Aonuma’s update was swift and just. Zelda U’s release date of 2015 was no longer a top priority. At the same time however, Zelda’s producer gave us a glimmer of hope, a Rupee in the dark.

“…new ideas continue to spring forth, and it now feels like we have the potential to create something that exceeds my own expectations.”

Many people have called this a cop out, and claim what really happened is Nintendo has once again gotten too ambitious with a release date for one of its games. Afterall, it wouldn’t be the first time. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, (which is now already getting an HD remake slated to drop before Zelda U) was supposed to be the Gamecube’s big sendoff in 2005, it was instead delayed to the launch of the Wii in 2006. Despite this history of delays, I don’t believe that is what’s happening here.

I believe Mr. Aonuma when he says that they’ve found new possibilities, it is a huge world, and there’s a lot they could put inside of it. Going back to the original announcement in 2013, long before it was delayed, we were told that Mr. Aonuma wants to make a “newborn Zelda”. The Zelda team is starting from from scratch, they’re reinventing the series, and that takes awhile. As such, I’ve never been more excited for a video game.

A Perfect Year For a New Zelda

So that’s where we are right now. A recent announcement video from Nintendo did offer a few seconds of new beautiful Zelda U footage, however it didn’t reveal much, if anything, about the upcoming title. Only a reassurance that, yes, they’re working on it, and yes, it will come out in 2016. As noted in the video, 2016 will mark the 30th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda series. I think this new unprecedented installment is the perfect way to celebrate.

However, this leaves Nintendo in a pretty lame spot for the 2015 Holiday season. In addition to Zelda U’s delay, Star Fox Zero, which was also supposed to be out by the end of the year, has now been pushed back to April of 2016. Leaving the Wii U with Splatoon and Super Mario Maker to carry the console into what will be its last full year in the spotlight, as Nintendo gets ready to unveil its new system, codenamed “NX”. In the meantime, we can only have the courage, wisdom, and power, to wait.