The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes

:This article is about the game. For the characters, see .
 is the eighteenth main installment of . The game was released on October 23, 2015, in North America and Europe, October 24 in Australia, and October 22 in Japan. It was revealed during E3 2015 on June 16.Nintendo Digital Event @ E3 2015Nintendo 3DS - The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes E3 2015 Trailer
==Story==
 takes place in the fashion-forward land, . The kingdom's princess, , was adored by all except for , the witch, who despised the princess's cute fashion sense. The witch sent Styla a beautifully wrapped gift; however this was merely a trick, as when Styla opened it, she found herself cursed to wear an irremovable ugly jumpsuit. In her misery, the princess isolated herself as the rest of the kingdom wept for her fate. Fear began to rise among the populace of , as people grew afraid of fashion in fear of being cursed as well. As only chosen heroes could enter the , her father, , sent out a notification to kingdoms near and far asking for heroes to assemble, promising a great reward. A prophecy within the kingdom, however, tells of the , who are described as having pointy ears, sideburns, and side-parted hair, who come together to form a . The prophecy goes on to say that once the have overcome all challenges, the kingdom of will be blessed with everlasting peace and style. The king firmly believes in this legend, and believes only those who possess these are the true . But there is more than one person claiming to be that hero.
While passing through the land on his travels, notices 's sign asking for heroes to assemble. He is then spotted by the of , who immediately recognizes his Attributes as indicative of being a hero of legend. Pressed into helping the kingdom and its princess, joins the and assembles with other as they enter the and fight its guardians.
==Gameplay==
 is similar to the games, in which is accompanied by two other (as opposed to three more in the games) as part of the game's Multiplayer. These are depicted as green, blue, and red. The game supports Download Play, local wireless, and online co-op gameplay.Nintendo Treehouse Live @ E3 2015 Day 3 The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes During online co-op, players can select the option to play with friends or to be matched with random players from the Internet. The game also allows single-player gameplay, in which the other are replaced with that the player can switch between during gameplay, similar to the single-player game in .
The game is strongly based on ' aesthetics, including its graphics, sound effects, enemies, and its use of platforms at different elevations. The can climb atop one another to form a that allows them reach higher elevations. The must cooperate with each other and coordinate their attacks to solve puzzles, such as one throwing a while the other propels it away with the . On-screen notifications also appear to inform the other of one 's current state or idea, such as suggesting to form a . Several expressive can also be selected from the bottom screen, and can also be used to encourage the other or to express an idea or direction. Tapping on a 's portrait on the touch screen will direct the upper screen to their position, showing where they are. The three share the same , lives (appearing as ), and . As in , there is also an that depletes each time an item is used, and gradually recovers. Each has his own .
The game features 32 , with at least four per . The themselves are structured and divided into four main sections each called . A is usually fought at the last , or a group of enemies in lieu of a . Each contains three different items that must be used to progress through them. At the end of each is a that teleports the to another section.Nintendo Treehouse Live @ E3 2015 Day 1 The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes Players can vote on which to go to from the selection screen while a timer ticks down. There are also , in which players play through more difficult versions of the .
The can also dress up in many different which grant specific abilities. These can be crafted at from found in . Before starting a level, each must select an to wear.
In addition to the cooperative multiplayer, there is also a versus player mode referred to as the . In this mode, two or three players battle against each other in timed levels and can use various items found in these levels. The player who receives the least amount of damage at the end is declared the winner and is awarded rare that can only be obtained from this mode.
==Game Information==
===Development===
Game director Hiromasa Shikata explained he wanted to make a multiplayer Zelda game, but wanted to stray away from the competitive nature of the games and instead build a game where players would cooperate in a more serious Zelda setting. The idea was initially inspired by the mechanic of switching over to in , which Shikata considered a form of multiplayer. Shikata acknowledged the limitations players faced when playing and , in that multiple link cables and Game Boy Advances were required to have the full experience. The onset of the 3DS's wireless communication encouraged him to look into building a newer multiplayer game for the handheld.
Eiji Aonuma cited the 3D visuals and depth used in as an inspiration, which he wanted to incorporate into the new game. This inspired the formation mechanic usable by the . Shikata added that a four-player totem was too tall, hence why the were reduced to just three.
 were incorporated as a means of powering up the and their items, as Shikata wanted to include upgraded abilities similar to the enhanced items in , and felt that would be a natural fit.
In an interview with The Verge, Shikata explained that voice chat was once considered for the game, but was dismissed as he felt it would be too stressful for players. were instead added to convey messages and directions. During development, more icons were planned to be included but were removed as having too many of them would make it harder to communicate. An icon seller was also planned to be included, who would have sold icons in exchange for .
Grezzo was in charge of making the , creating enemies, and dealing with the user interface, while Nintendo programmed the main game systems and laid out the concepts. Grezzo's Mikiharu Oiwa was in charge of creating all the .
===Timeline Placement===
Shortly after the game's reveal during E3 2015, Shikata stated that it had not yet been decided when the game would take place in the Zelda timeline, as it could easily take place in any spot. However, Julie Gagnon from Nintendo of Canada later stated during an interview that the game is not part of the timeline.
On October 22, 2015, a day before the game's release, Nintendo revealed that the game takes place several years after . It was also stated that it features the same , who dresses to hide his heroic origins.
===Demo Version===
On October 14, 2015, Nintendo of America had distributed download codes for the demo version of to a number of Nintendo Network members over e-mail. The demo version could be redeemed with the provided code and be downloaded for free from the Nintendo eShop. Included in the e-mails were three download codes; one for the receiving player and two more that could be shared with others.
The demo version was similar to the E3 demo, in that players could team up with two others and play through the , , and . The and included in the E3 demo were not included in this release, and only a limited selection of were provided. Single-player was not available, and players could not leave the multiplayer lobby. and obtained were also not kept, as these could not be used in the demo.
During the demo's distribution, Nintendo had briefly opened the game's online servers, on October 16 from 5 PM to 10 PM PT, October 17 from 5 PM to 10 PM PT, and on October 18 from 7 AM to 12 PM PT.
On October 29th, Nintendo of America re-released the free demo version for a limited time, intended to help boost sales. The demo's online servers opened on October 30 from 3 PM to 5 PM PT, October 31 from 3 PM to 6 PM PT, and on November 1 from 3 PM to 5 PM PT.
===Pre-Order Bonuses===
By pre-ordering the game in the English retailer GAME, a pin badge set was also included. The set featured a badge with the "T" logo and two communication icons badges, all inside a black box with the game's logo.
===Speedrun Records===
==Downloadable Content==
===Updates===
Several free patches have been released for . These patches expand content and mend several parts of the game intended to improve the gameplay experience.
Ver. 2.0.0 was released on December 2, 2015 in North America, and December 3 in Europe. It included additional content and several alterations; including the , a new that challenges the to 40 , and two new — and —which are based on and , respectively. The update also makes it so that can be purchased from the after 's curse is lifted. Alterations were also made to the online modes of the game; players are asked questions that will match up him or her with other players who have a similar style of play. The option to Blacklist players who leave a game in progress through the Pause menu was also given. Several other adjustments were also made to improve the gaming experience.
Ver. 2.1.0 was released on December 22, 2015 in North America. It added , a new feature where players are awarded during online, Local and Download Play. In online play, are awarded to those who continue and clear a that they did not initially vote for, as well to those who voted "I can't decide!". In Local and Download Play, are simply awarded to those who clear any . These can be saved up to exchange for free from the that unfinished require, and also increases the effects of the . Several other adjustments were also made to improve the gaming experience.
==Listings==
===Characters===
===Bosses===
===Enemies===
===Levels===
===Locations===
===Items===
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===Translations===
===Credits===
===Glitches===
==Reception==
The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes received "mixed or average" reviews on Metacritic holding a metascore of 73/100 based on 73 critic reviews.Metascore for The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force HeroesMetacritic, Retrieved May 27, 2020
===Sales===
As of December 2020, had sold 1.36 million copies worldwide.2021 CESAゲーム白書 (2021 CESA Games White Paper) (in Japanese). Japan: Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association. 2022. ISBN 978-4-902346-43-5. It is currently the worst selling entry in the main series.
==Trivia==
* is the only Zelda game to date where cannot make use of a .
* is also the only Zelda game to date that does not allow for multiple saved games.
*Hidden throughout the town of and its are various journals detailing the author's travels in the , collectively known as the . These writings frequently make mention of scenic spots that are hidden in the ' Levels.
*'s voice in is based on four prior Zelda games. When the player begins a new game, is randomly assigned a voice from either , , , or . If any in a multiplayer game share the same voice, they will be pitch-shifted to remain distinct.
==Nomenclature==
==Gallery==
==External Links==
* Official North American Site
* Official European Site (UK version)
* Official Japanese Site
* Official Korean Site
* Official Hong Kong Site
* Official Taiwanese Site
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