Aside from the proper games (on handheld and home console), The Legend of Zelda fans have very few opportunities to play as Link or any character from Nintendo's beloved franchise for that matter. For most games that wait between releases is tolerable, but in the case of Zelda, which oftentimes take several years to develop, it's a little harder to bear.

Luckily, Nintendo is expanding the reach of its Zelda franchise, beyond Super Smash Bros. in fact, with Hyrule Warriors. Hyrule Warriors is a Dynasty Warriors style game that features both characters and locales from throughout the Zelda franchise, but with a decidedly more action-heavy focus. And just this week, Nintendo shared more details about and a few screenshots from the game.

While the game might draw more heavily from the Dynasty Warriors side of things in terms of its gameplay mechanics and set-up, developer Tecmo Koei promises a story befit of The Legend of Zelda franchise. Hyrule Warriors once again finds the balance of the Triforce disrupted, this time by a character named Sorceress Cia, and it is up to Link to find Zelda.

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Link will not be alone in his quest this time, though, because as players progress through Hyrule Warriors they will unlock new playable characters. Thus far, Nintendo is only prepared to announce Impa (check her out in the screens above) as one of those playable companions, but we suspect that if the game is anything like Dynasty Warriors there will be a healthy cast of warriors to choose from.

Hyrule Warriors also adds a weapon upgrade and a crafting system into the mix, something only briefly broached in the proper Legend of Zelda games. Obviously, Link's go-to weapon will be the Master Sword, or some variation on the iconic weapon, but fans know that isn't the only weapon in his arsenal.

All told, these new details and screenshots paint a picture that should leave Zelda fans eager to hear more about Hyrule Warriors at E3 2014. Obviously, we haven't seen too much of the game in action since the initial reveal trailer, but chances are that will change early next month - especially if Tecmo hopes to sell 1 million+ copies of the game.

What do you think of Hyrule Warriors so far? What characters do you hope are playable in the game?

Hyrule Warriors releases for Wii U later this year.

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Source: Nintendo

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