Echoes of Wisdom was a complete surprise when it was announced at the Nintendo Direct showcase in June.
Fans were quick to realise the significance of a game starring the princess as the main character.
But it also introduced a new play style for the series.
Rather than being equipped with a sword and shield, as in previous Legend of Zelda games, the main character has the ability to copy items and enemies found during their quest.
Known as echoes, these items can then be spawned or “pasted” into the world, allowing players to come up with solutions to obstacles and puzzles.
You might stack beds and boxes to scale a wall, or unleash several enemies to attack one of the game’s bosses.
Series producer Aonuma acknowledges “a lot of the focus of the topic of conversation was going to be on Zelda being the main protagonist”.
But, he says, a bigger concern for him was “whether or not the unique gameplay of the echoes was going to be conveyed properly and understood properly by the viewers”.
It’s a feeling shared by directors Terada and Sano.
“Whether or not the Zelda fans would accept these new elements was something I was watching over nervously,” says Terada, chief of third-party co-developer Grezzo.
Sano says she was “relieved to see that it was being accepted positively, and was really watching closely over my smartphone to see people’s reactions the following day as well”.