Duh Nuh Nuh NAAAAAHHHH
I’m a rather huge fan of the traditional console Zelda games, so like many I was a bit disappointed when Nintendo revealed that their newest Zelda game, the only one playable at E3, would be a weird looking multiplayer portable game.
I went in to playing Zelda Tri Force Heroes a little dubious, I came out from having played it excited to put more time into it.
Tri Force Heroes is a three player co-op Zelda game in which three players have to work together to clear dungeons with pre-set collections of items. In the demo level I played two of the team were kitted out with gust jars, while the remaining player had a supply of bombs at their disposal.
At some points in the level we were expected to throw bombs from platform to platform before they burst, others required us to blow people across gaps at the right moment on a moving platform. The level design was always just very tightly tuned, with the trio of characters having just enough tools at their disposable to make puzzles possible.
The boss of the level was a pair of ogres throwing bombs at us from across a deep gap. We had to position ourselves close enough to this gap that the bombs would near the edge, then blow them back before they could explode. The boss fight was fast paced, tough and frantic, just like a Zelda boss fight should be.
We were also able to select outfits for our various Link’s, ranging from a samurai outfit that powers up your spin attack, and a Zelda dress that gives you extra hearts. You can choose to be dressed as standard Link, but you get no benefits, which is a weird choice.
I can’t stress enough how hard the demo we played was and how happy that made me. From the frantic action of trying to organize three players to the deliberate player sabotage, the frequent enemies popping out of nowhere and the shared heart pool: The game was pretty darn tough but it never felt unfair.
Zelda Tri Force Heroes apparently has a single player mode where you can control all three characters by yourself, but I wasn’t able to play it at the show, and am slightly worried about how it will play out. That said, if you have three local gamer friends then Tri Force Heroes seems like it’s going to be well worth playing. GET HYPE!
