Metroid Prime developer Retro Studios wished to make a Zelda sport within the model of Remaining Fantasy Ways, however the concept was shot down by Nintendo earlier than growth may start in earnest.
Developed in 2004, Heroes of Hyrule was described by Retro Studios in an inner pitch doc as “a story-driven sport of exploration, puzzle-solving, and strategic fight within the Zelda universe.” Designed for the Nintendo DS, it was supposed to “enchantment to followers of video games resembling earlier Zelda titles and Remaining Fantasy Ways”.
Gameplay and story particulars in regards to the canceled sport had been lately revealed by YouTube channel Did You Know Gaming?, which acquired the sport’s full 22-page pitch doc from former Retro workers.
Misplaced in time, misplaced in area
Heroes of Hyrule would have blended the turn-based fight of Remaining Fantasy Ways with the normal journey gameplay of the Zelda collection. Gamers would have fought teams of enemies in discrete tactical fight encounters, in between fixing puzzles throughout an open world.
A lot of the Heroes of Hyrule would have taken place 100 years in the past, and adopted Hyperlink as he teamed up with three unique characters – Dunar the Goron, Seriph the Rito, and Krel the Zora – to cease Ganon. Aping the strategic RPG gameplay of Remaining Fantasy Ways, the 4 heroes would have boasted distinct weapons, fight talents and playstyles. Whereas there could be no XP or leveling system, you’d amass armor, weapons, and coronary heart items to enhance your character’s stats.
Puzzle-solving would have been given a big focus, too. Progressing by the search, you’d step by step purchase new gadgets with which to resolve puzzles and reveal new, beforehand locked areas, a lot in the identical method Samus acquires new gadgets to unlock areas in Metroid.
In between adventuring with Hyperlink and friends, gamers would additionally play as Kori, a boy residing in present-day Hyrule. Following the normal Zelda-style RPG system, you’d discover an open world, communicate to NPCs, and full quests to step by step gather pages of a mysterious outdated e book. These segments would have been crammed with minigames moderately than fight.
Every web page of the e book would inform a portion of Hyperlink’s quest to cease Ganon, and transport you into the previous to play by the story your self. The 2 time durations would ultimately intersect, because it’s revealed the e book is the truth is a vessel that was used to lure Ganon. The villain returns within the ultimate scene, just for the three heroes of the story to burst out of the e book’s pages, and the participant to finest him in a ultimate battle.
Retro labored on Heroes of Hyrule in 2004 whereas ending the event of Metroid Prime 2. It pitched the sport following the discharge of Remaining Fantasy Ways Advance, which launched on the Recreation Boy Advance to crucial and business success the earlier 12 months. However Nintendo handed on the challenge, asking Retro to maneuver straight onto Metroid Prime 3. In response to Retro Studios programmer Paul Tozour, Nintendo was eager for the studio to create an acclaimed FPS to indicate off the capabilities of the Nintendo Wii.
Work on Heroes of Hyrule stopped after the pitch was turned down by Nintendo and no early construct of the sport was ever developed. Retro Studios is at the moment at work on Metroid Prime 4.