The Legend of Zelda Breath Of The Wild, the latest entry in the series released earlier this year on Nintendo Switch and Wii U, represents a new beginning for the series, with an open world design that makes the game stand out from previous games. According to director Hidemaro Fujibayashi, this open world design may become the standard for the future.

　　Speaking with Gamerant about Zelda Breath Of The Wild, Fujibayashi revealed that there are a lot of things in the open world design that the team wants to explore. If they feel positive that they can provide new open world experiences, the design may become the standard.

　　We can’t really say much at the moment but there are lots of things in this current game design we still want to explore. If, as a result of that exploration, we feel positive we can provide our audience with new experiences it’s possible this design could become the standard.

　　Even without a new game, the team is still going to explore new open world possibilities with the game's DLC packs. The first one, which will release this Summer, will include new challenges, new items, and new features.

　　Trial of the Sword

　　When you get to a certain sacred location, you can take on the new “Trial of the Sword” challenge. Face an onslaught of enemies, one wave after another. Link starts the challenge without any equipment or weapons. When all the enemies in a room are defeated, Link proceeds to the next. Clear all the trials (about 45 rooms in total), and the true power of the Master Sword awakens.

　　Hero’s Path Mode

　　This new map feature shows the path Link has walked through Hyrule from the last 200 hours of gameplay. Use the time tracker bar to see where you’ve spent the most time and where you have yet to explore. There’s bound to be more adventures and maybe a shrine or two on the road less traveled.

　　Hard Mode

　　In Hard Mode, enemies gradually regain health, so take them out as quickly as possible. All enemies are also powered up by one level. For example, Red Bokoblins in Normal mode are now Blue Bokoblins. Enemies can also have higher maximum levels than they would in Normal mode. Look up, and you may also find enemies and treasure chests in the sky!

　　Travel Medallion

　　Somewhere in the world, there is a chest with a Travel Medallion inside. When you use this, you can register your current location as a fast travel point on the map. You can only register one location using the Travel Medallion.

　　More Armor

　　There are 8 treasure chests placed around Hyrule containing armor themed after previous The Legend of Zelda titles. Watch for tips as to the whereabouts of these chests as you travel around Hyrule.

　　The Korok Mask is also hidden in a treasure chest somewhere in the world. While wearing this mask, it shakes whenever Link is near a hidden Korok location. There are 900 Koroks hiding in Hyrule, so this should help you discover quite a few of them.

　　The Legend of Zelda Breath Of The Wild is now out on Switch and Wii U.