Nintendo celebrates Zelda's 30th anniversary with new amiibo, 'Hyrule Warriors' content

By Danny Cowan Published September 6, 2016

Nintendo plans to honor The Legend of Zelda series’ 30th anniversary with an array of upcoming releases, expanded Hyrule Warriors Legends content, and uniquely themed amiibo figurines that will launch through the end of the year.

To mark the occasion, Nintendo has released a Wii U Virtual Console version of 2011’s The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, which is now available digitally via the console’s eShop for $20.

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The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword introduced the floating city of Skyloft, and gameplay alternates between flight-based exploration and combat that unfolds across a series of surface overworlds. Like the original Wii release, the Wii U Virtual Console version of Skyward Sword demands precise motion-controlled swordplay, and requires a Wii Remote along with a connected Wii MotionPlus gyroscope accessory.

Nintendo also revealed an upcoming slate of The Legend of Zelda-themed amiibo figurines that are compatible with a number of series releases across the 3DS and Wii U. New figures include the pixel-rendered 8-Bit Link, Link as he appeared in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Toon Link and Toon Zelda figures inspired by The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.

All Zelda-themed amiibo can be scanned by the Wii U GamePad to unlock new content in the upcoming The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The four figures will hit retail on December 2.

The 3DS brawler Hyrule Warriors Legends, meanwhile, has received a new batch of downloadable content to celebrate Zelda’s 30th anniversary. Players who download the third Hyrule Warriors Legends DLC pack will receive the new Sand Wand weapon for Toon Link, along with a dimension-hopping train from The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks that can be summoned to mow down enemy hordes.

The new DLC pack also adds Toon Zelda as a playable character, along with a new Adventure Mode map. Players can download the Hyrule Warriors Legends “Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks Pack” from the in-game “Extras” menu starting today.

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With Tears of the Kingdom, Zelda gets the spotlight she’s always deserved

Zelda with the Master Sword in Tears of the Kingdom.

For 37 years, the Legend of Zelda series has held its place as gaming’s most important franchises. It carries the same gravitas as classic literature, with several entries in the series feeling like canonical classics that should be in the syllabus of any video game course. It’s a collection of foundational tales that helped build what an adventure game plays like, but also what a fundamental hero’s journey story looks like in the medium. And of course, standing tall at the center of Zelda’s timeless nature is … Link.

Yes, despite Zelda’s name being the core of the franchise’s branding, the Hylian princess long played second fiddle to the series’ voiceless protagonist. In early games, she was a distressed damsel to be saved. She’d get to show off a bit of her power in later ones, but Link -- the hero of time -- tended to get most of the attention.

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All Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Amiibo rewards

Link glides with a Majora's Mask-themed glider in Tears of the Kingdom.

While Amiibo are so cool that you may just want to display them, they still do serve functions in just about every Nintendo Switch game. Scanning them usually unlocks some type of reward in-game, which is true in both The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and the new The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. There are dozens of Amiibo out there already, and even a couple of brand new ones made specifically for Link's latest adventures, so scanning them all in is close to impossible. Thankfully, not all of them have unique rewards, but there are a handful that you might want to consider scooping up for some special unlocks. Here are all the Tears of the Kingdom Amiibo rewards and how to activate them.
How to activate Amiibo

To access any Amiibo reward in Tears of the Kingdom, you need to first enable them by pausing the game and going to the System Menu. From here, simply change the amiibo disabled tab to Use amiibo.

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Play this Zelda hidden gem for free with Switch Online before Tears of the Kingdom

Cadenced and the Zelda characters from Cadence of Hyrule.

Ahead of the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, it’s a great time to look back on the stalwart Nintendo’s series presence on Nintendo Switch. From Breath of the Wild to a plethora of classics on Switch Online, it’s probably the best console for any fan of this series to own. That said, there’s one Switch exclusive that may have flown under your radar and is worth checking out before Tears of the Kingdom. That game is Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the Necrodancer featuring The Legend of Zelda.
All About Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Ft. The Legend of Zelda - Nintendo Switch
Free for Nintendo Switch Online members until May 7 and available at a 50% discount on the eShop through the launch of Tears of the Kingdom, this game is a rare case of Nintendo collaborating with an indie studio for a project tied to one of its biggest franchises. The result is a Zelda game that expands on the rhythm-based action formula established in Brace Yourself Games’ 2016 hit Crypt of the NecroDancer.
Although this roguelite doesn’t play like any other Zelda game out there, it makes some design choices that call back to the series' most iconic titles. That, as well as its rhythmic nature, will feel refreshing ahead of Tears of the Kingdom’s ambitious and systems-heavy open-world adventure. If you haven’t played it, give Cadence of Hyrule a shot while it’s free.
A unique adventure
As a crossover between Crypt of the Necrodancer and The Legend of Zelda, the game begins with NecroDancer protagonist Cadence being whisked away to Hyrule. She quickly inspires Link or Zelda to explore the world and fight back against Octavo, who put Hyrule’s king to sleep with a magical Lute. Those who prefer the more minimalist stories of earlier games in the series will enjoy how quickly the game gets players to the rhythmic action. People begging Nintendo to make Zelda playable in Tears of the Kingdom will also appreciate that they can play most of the game as her if they want.

The act of playing Cadence of Hyrule is where things get really interesting, as it combines old and new ideas to create something that feels familiar yet refreshing. Starting with the new, this is a rhythm game where players must move and attack enemies on the beat. The Zelda franchise is known for its music, and Cadence of Hyrule takes full advantage of that by including versions of some of the series’ greatest hits. Until we get a Theatrhythm-like game for Zelda music, this is game fans of the franchise's iconic soundtracks can't ignore.
Hopping tile-to-tile on the beat is pretty simple to understand, but it can get quite difficult as players must also account for the fact that every enemy also moves and attacks on the beat. Recognizing that players will probably die a lot, the game is structured as a roguelite where some dungeons are procedurally generated (as is the world each time you start a new file). Items can be found or bought with Rupees to help players during an individual run, while Diamonds are collected in dungeons or by clearing a screen of enemies can be spent on more permanent upgrades.
This may sound daunting, but gameplay options like setting the controllers to vibrate on the beat or only letting enemies move when you do can make it easier. Most Zelda fans should also feel more at home with how other parts of Cadence of Hyrule are designed.
But still familiar-feeling

Rhythm-based movement and combat aside, this is a classic top-down Zelda action-adventure game with aesthetics, presentation, and iconography that the series was once known for. The familiarity in terms of the locations visited, enemies fought, and items obtained makes those more distinct elements easier to embrace. It’s also novel to see elements from post-2D Zelda games show up in this style, like Skull Kid via DLC.
It demonstrates just how malleable and well-designed the core Zelda formula is because it still feels faithful despite its rhythmic nature. While Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom’s massive open worlds and deep gameplay systems impress, they’ve also created a yearning for a more classically structured Zelda experience from some fans.