Nintendo held a fantastic new Direct Presentation last night. This time around, the video focussed on the upcoming Hyrule Warriors, which will hit stores on September 26th, and should be very different from any game we’ve played starring these classic characters before.

If you’re interested, you can watch the entire direct in the player below… Or you can read further for all of the info conveyed in the presentation.

Here’s the gist of everything that Nintendo talked about during the presentation:

Adventure Mode: Players are faced with a grid of challenges that looks like the map from The Legend of Zelda on NES. Completing each challenge unlocks a new region of the map, and with it, a new level of Adventure Mode. Certain characters and weapons can only be unlocked in Adventure Mode.

-Costumes: Club Nintendo members who buy and register Hyrule Warriors within four weeks of launch will receive a set of alternate Ganondorf costumes as free in-game downloadable content. More details will be made available on http://club.nintendo.com. For certain other characters, Nintendo will make downloadable alternate costumes available as pre-order bonuses from select retailers in North America. Nintendo will announce more information about how to get these cosmetic add-ons in the future.

-Playable Characters: In addition to Ganondorf, players can opt to play as various characters from The Legend of Zelda universe. Each character carries his or her own specialty weapons: Link (Hylian Sword), Princess Zelda (Rapier), Impa (Giant Blade), Midna (Shackle), Sheik (Harp), Agitha (Parasol), Darunia (Hammer), Princess Ruto (Zora Scale), Zant (Scimitar), Fi (Goddess Blade), Ghirahim (Demon Blade) and Lana (Book of Sorcery).

-Weapons: A Chain Chomp will make a guest appearance as a weapon. As the story advances, new weapons will become available to some characters, such as the Magic Rod for Link, the Baton for Zelda and Spear for Lana. Weapons have special abilities called Skills that increase attack damage, or perhaps increase the chance of finding Hearts. Filling the Focus Spirit magic gauge will temporarily increase a character’s abilities and help to mow down huge numbers of enemies. And Bombchus are back, just bigger and more explosive.

-Game Play: Players can level their characters up to increase HP and attack skill, or they can grab materials dropped by defeated monsters to craft Badges to increase a weapon’s number of attacks, create longer combos or extend Focus Spirit time.

-Co-Op Mode: Two players can play a local co-op match, with one player looking at the TV and the other looking at the Wii U GamePad controller. Single players can also play on the TV, or using only the GamePad in off-TV play.

-Locations: Players will face down hordes of enemies in familiar locations, such as Skyloft from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Lake Hylia from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Twilight Field from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
Classic Zelda Elements: Players will recognize items from their favorite Zelda games, including bombs, arrows and a Hookshot. The game is filled with familiar Zelda staples, such as Cuccos, Rupees, Gold Skulltulas and plenty of grass cutting.

A lot of great stuff here, huh? I, for one, cannot wait to grab those costumes, and I absolutely love the idea of the multiplayer being split between the two screens.

A new trailer for the game also debuted last night, so take a look at it below, and let us know if you’re looking forward to Hyrule Warriors!

Famitsu’s latest scans have revealed three new characters coming to Hyrule Warriors, the Zelda spin on the Dynasty Warriors franchise, and one thing’s for sure. Whoever chose the latest reveals must have been huge on Ocarina of Time!

First, Darunia, the Goron leader and the Sage of Fire will roll through swarms of enemies when he hits the battlefield. Second, Princess Ruto must have gotten tired of being carried around everywhere, because the Zora princess / Sage of Water is looking to bring the fight herself. And lastly, Sheik finally puts those ninja skills to good use, being the first time that the character has been playable outside of Smash Bros. We always knew she LOOKED badass. Now it’s time for her to prove it.

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This brings the playable roster up to 10, including Link, Zelda, Impa, Midna, Fi, Agatha, and newcomer, Lana. It’ll be hard to claim that the Zelda doesn’t have strong female characers now! I wonder how much restraint Team Ninja had to use to actually clothe them all?

Who are you most excited about playing with? Hyrule Warriors will launch on September 26th, exclusively for Wii U.