The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild hands-on preview

The biggest draw at this year's E3 event is the game that Nintendo fans have craved for years - and it looks set for huge acclaim

In 2013, Nintendo teased the game which, everyone believed, would be the making of its Wii U console. It insisted that teaser was merely a tech-demo, but enraptured Nintendo fans paid little heed because it featured the character Link, which meant a new game in the Legend of Zelda series - Nintendo's most revered franchise - was on the way. Three years on, at E3 2016, that tech-demo finally became reality: Nintendo devoted its entire booth to a single game, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Never mind the fact that 2017, when Breath of the Wild arrives, is when Nintendo will cut its losses on the Wii U and release a new console, the ever-mysterious NX. The latest chapter of the Zelda franchise will run on both consoles, and at last is a reality. We have played it - luckily without having to endure the 5 -hour queue that E3 Show attendees wishing to do likewise had to negotiate. While we didn't quite see enough to be able to assert categorically that it will be acclaimed as a classic like its predecessors, it certainly represents a considerable change-up, while oozing an irresistible level of charm.