There are very few games set to release in 2017 that have garnered as much attention as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild—and for good reason. The latest installment in Nintendo’s action-adventure fantasy franchise is not only the largest in terms of scale, but seems to have one of the most intriguing narratives in the series. Having been in development for four years now, Breath of the Wild has dropped plenty of juicy nuggets to get us all the more excited about its release. There’s a lot to discuss, so let’s dive right in.

Launch Plans

One of the most exciting announcements Nintendo made during the Nintendo Switch Presentation two weeks ago was that The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild is slated to launch alongside Nintendo’s new hardware on March 3, 2017. What does that mean? Well, it means you’ll be able to bring the latest Zelda console game with you everywhere… including your toilet seat, if you choose. But don’t worry; if you don’t want to fork over the $299.99 to get a Nintendo Switch, you can still buy the game for the Wii U on the same day. You know, if you’re one of the few souls who actually owns one (like myself).

Fans of the series should take note that the Wii U version of the game will render at 720p while the Nintendo Switch version will render at 900p when it’s in TV mode (Polygon). Not everyone cares about resolution and all the Ps, but you’ve been warned.

The Legend of #Zelda: Breath of the Wild comes to #NintendoSwitch on 3/3! pic.twitter.com/bXL540cxC5

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) January 13, 2017

There will be three editions of the game released: the standard $59.99 disc-only edition, the Special Edition for $99.99, and the $129.99 Master Edition. The Special Edition includes a Nintendo Switch Sheikah Slate carrying case, Sheikah eye collectable coin, Relic of Hyrule: Calamity Ganon tapestry weather-worn map, and a sound selection CD. As for the Master Edition, that bad boy includes everything in the Special Edition plus a Master Sword Statue. Collectors have already made it impossible to pre-order either of the collector’s editions, so good luck trying to get one this late.

What’s New

First and foremost, LOOK AT THIS GORGEOUS TRAILER THAT WILL MAKE YOU CRY TEARS OF JOY! IT’S SO ANIME AND I LOVE IT EVEN MORE FOR IT!

On top of its new spot in the Zelda timeline, Breath of the Wild is bringing voice acting to the series for the first time! For the purists who are ready to type angry letters to Nintendo, don’t worry–Link still doesn’t speak. In fact, we really don’t know how many other characters speak at the moment. But hey, that’s a good thing. It’s nice to see Nintendo utilizing VO to enhance storytelling, and make the typically engaging narratives that much more gripping. As for the actual content of the narrative, the most substantial hint we have so far is that the Sheikah people are probably heavily involved in BoW‘s events—based on how prevalent their script seems to be throughout the world. Where the game lands on the timeline, however, is all speculation at the moment.

The title will also offer a massive open world to explore in a variety of ways. It’s not clear exactly how the world is laid out, but Nintendo has stated several times that you can explore it on horseback, via walking, or even teleporting if it’s long distance. How does Link teleport? By using his magical Sheikah Slate, that’s how! It’s basically a smart phone-looking magical tablet.

#Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Climb trees. Cook food. Fight evil with a stick. See it now: https://t.co/uOh1HjCbwn pic.twitter.com/fmRV1QkPX2

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) June 14, 2016

The physics of the game also seem to be an incredibly important aspect of  the Breath of the Wild experience. Now you can climb up structures, trees, and even mountains. You can also glide from high places using the Paraglider, and once you hit the ground you can start using your shield to surf around on slopes and the like. Nintendo has emphasized that all of the new physics are important aspects in solving puzzles and more.

Link can also jump, so there’s that. Voice acting and manual jumping in a TLoZ game, what is this?

If that’s not foreign enough for the TLoZ fans, you will also be cooking! Plus, there’s armor that will give our hero some defensive stats. This game is really going for the full Final Fantasy XV-RPG experience.

amiibo Support

Yep, those little collectibles you’ve spent hundreds of dollars on will be usable in Breath of the Wild.

Don’t forget, the Wolf Link amiibo that launched alongside Twilight Princess HD will bring in the fierce version of Link to help the player attack enemies and help him hunt. How about the other amiibo? Don’t worry, there’s more.

All of these are already available to purchase. And if your shelves still feel like they’re too empty, there will be five more Breath of the Wild-specific amiibo launching the same day as the game.

With the game a little over a month away, what other features would you like to see implemented? Let us know in the comments section below.

Image Credit: Nintendo, TheLastPlumber,  SignalException, ZeldaUniverse