Hyrule Warriors heading to 3DS – with a female Link?

Earlier this year I went from a dormant to fully active Legend of Zelda fan. Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask and Wind Waker were not safe from my grasp, but I never really touched on the more non-traditional takes the series has produced. Hyrule Warriors is one of those games, but thankfully it’s going to become a lot easier to get into with a 3DS port.

Leaked ahead of Nintendo’s supposed E3 announcement, the Dynasty Warriors-styled hack and slash will be making the jump to portable, in the same way that Super Smash Bros did with the Wii U. The reveal trailer doesn’t give away much, but it seems like the core experience is there. Add to that some new characters from the cel-shaded beauty, Wind Waker, and you’ve got a reason to get excited.

Look a bit closer though, and you might find something interesting. In the money shot that will no doubt be used to market the game, you can clearly make out what looks like a very particular crossbow. The weapon in question looks identical to the one used by a female version of Link in the Hyrule Warriors concept art – which means she may make her debut via the port.

There are plenty of reasons Nintendo would want to do this, especially with a new core Legend of Zelda on the horizon. It’s still unclear whether they plan to introduce a female Link in the game, with the first look at it last year strongly suggesting it. It could be that this character will be used to gauge public interest in her – something which Nintendo fans have already been vocally supportive of.

That, or it’s just a bit of overanalysing going one. Either way, we’ll probably find out for sure early next week.

Last Updated: June 11, 2015