The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes

 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.

Story
takes place in the fashion-forward land, TFH:. The kingdom's princess, TFH:, was adored by all except for TFH:, the TFH: 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 TFH:, as people grew afraid of fashion in fear of being cursed as well. As only chosen heroes could enter the TFH:, her father, TFH:, 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 Tri Force Heroes, who are described as having pointy ears, sideburns, and side-parted hair, who come together to form a TFH:. The prophecy goes on to say that once the Tri Force Heroes have overcome all challenges, the kingdom of TFH: will be blessed with everlasting peace and style. The king firmly believes in this legend, and believes only those who meet these criteria are the true Tri Force Heroes. But there is more than one person claiming to be that hero.

While passing through the land on his travels, TFH: notices TFH:'s sign asking for heroes to assemble. He is then spotted by the TFH: of TFH:, who immediately recognizes his features as the same of the heroes of legend. Pressed into helping the kingdom and its princess, TFH: joins the Witch-Hunting Brigade and assembles with other TFH: as they enter the TFH: and fight its guardians.

Gameplay
is similar to the games, in which TFH: is accompanied by two other TFH: (as opposed to three more in the  games) as part of the game's Multiplayer. These TFH: are depicted as green, blue, and red. The game supports Download Play, local wireless, and online co-op gameplay. 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 TFH: are replaced with NaN Doppels 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, enemies, and its use of platforms at different elevations. The TFH: can climb atop one another to form a TFH: that allows them reach higher elevations. The TFH: must cooperate with each other and coordinate their attacks to solve puzzles, such as one TFH: throwing a TFH: while the other propels it away with the TFH:. On-screen notifications also appear to inform the other TFH: of one TFH:'s current state or idea, such as suggesting to form a TFH:. Several expressive NaN Communication Icons can also be selected from the bottom screen, and can also be used to encourage the other TFH: or to express an idea or direction. Tapping on a TFH:'s portrait on the touch screen will direct to their position, showing where they are. The three TFH: share the same TFH:, lives (appearing as NaN Fairies), and NaN Rupees. As in, there is also an TFH: that depletes each time an item is used, and gradually recovers. Each TFH: has his own TFH:.



The game features 32 Levels, with at least four Levels per area. The Levels themselves are structured and divided into four main sections each called Stages. A boss is usually fought at the last Stage or a group of enemies in lieu of a boss. Each Level contains three different items that must be used to progress through them. At the end of each Stage is a TFH: that teleports the TFH: to another section. Players can vote on which Level to go to from the Level selection screen while a timer ticks down. There are also NaN Drablands Challenges, in which players play through more difficult versions of the Levels.

The TFH: can also dress up in many different NaN Outfits which grant specific abilities. These NaN Outfits can be crafted at TFH: from NaN Materials found in Levels. Before starting a level, each TFH: must select an TFH: to wear.

In addition to the cooperative multiplayer, there is also a versus player mode referred to as the TFH:. 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 NaN Materials that can only be obtained from this gamemode.

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 ST: over to ST: 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 TFH: formation mechanic usable by the TFH:. Shikata added that a four-player totem was too tall, hence why the TFH: were reduced to just three.

NaN Outfits were incorporated as a means of powering up the TFH: and their items, as Shikata wanted to include upgraded abilities similar to the enhanced items in, and felt that NaN Outfits 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. NaN Communication Icons 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 NaN Rupees.

Grezzo was in charge of making the levels, creating enemies, and dealing with the user interface, while Nintendo programmed the main game systems and laid out the level concepts. Grezzo's Mikiharu Oiwa was in charge of creating all the NaN Bosss.

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 TFH:, 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 three and play through the Levels TFH:, TFH:, and TFH:. The TFH: and NaN Drablands Challenges included in the E3 demo were not included in this release, and only a limited selection of NaN Outfits were provided. Single-player was not available, and players could not leave the multiplayer lobby. NaN Rupees and NaN Materials 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 TFH: badge with the "T" logo and two communication icons badges, all inside a black box with the game's logo.

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.

Version 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 TFH:, a new Area that challenges the TFH: to 40 Stages, and two new NaN Outfits—TFH: and TFH:—which are based on Series: and Series:, respectively. The update also makes it so that NaN Friendly Tokens can be purchased from the TFH: after TFH:'s curse is lifted. Alternations 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.

Version 2.1.0 was released on December 22, 2015 in North America. It added NaN Hero Points, a new feature where players are awarded NaN Hero Points during online, Local and Download Play. In online play, NaN Hero Points are awarded to those who continue and clear a Level that they did not initially vote for, as well to those who voted "I can't decide!". In Local and Download Play, NaN Hero Points are simply awarded to those who clear any Level. These NaN Hero Points can be saved up to exchange for free NaN Materials from the TFH: that unfinished NaN Outfits require, and also increases the effects of the TFH: TFH:. Several other adjustments were also made to improve the gaming experience.

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.

Sales
As of March 2016, had sold 1.14 million copies worldwide.

Trivia

 * is the only Zelda game to date where TFH: cannot make use of a Series:.
 * is also the only Zelda game to date that does not allow for multiple saved games.
 * Hidden throughout the town of TFH: and its TFH: are various journals detailing the author's travels in the TFH:, collectively known as the TFH:. These writings frequently make mention of scenic spots that are hidden in the TFH:' Levels.
 * TFH:'s voice in is based on four previous Zelda games. When the player begins a new game, TFH: is randomly assigned a voice from either, , , or . If any TFH: in a multiplayer game share the same voice, they will be pitch-shifted to remain distinct.