Japanese console maker Nintendo and video game developer Koei Tecmo announced the fourth pack of downloadable content (DLC) for the hack-and-slash action game Hyrule Warriors.
Dubbed the Boss Pack, the latest DLC will allow gamers to play Ganondorf, or Ganon for short, in gigantic beast form as he wreaks his brand of chaos and destruction on the battlefield against Hylian predators. Ganon is the red-headed leader of the Gerudo desert thieves and is Link's perpetual archenemy. If players complete enough challenges, they can unlock a variety of new costumes for Ganon and sorceress Cia.
Also included in the Boss Pack is Boss Challenge, a new game mode that allows players to battle against the game's giant villains to unlock new skins for the Hylian soldier-in-training Link, Princess Zelda, and the white sorceress Lana.
The Boss Pack will be available in Japan next week for 500 yen, or approximately $4.99. In the United States, gamers will have to wait for the new DLC to become available on Mar. 12. It will retail in the American market for $2.99. Gamers also have the option of purchasing the entire Hero of Hyrule Pack for $19.99.
Aside from the Boss Pack, the Hero of Hyrule Pack includes the Master Quest Pack, which allows gamers to ride Link's trusty steed Epona into battle when they play as Link and challenge themselves with the Master Quest Adventure Mode map; the Twilight Princess Pack, which gives players the chance to play Princess Midna in her true form and use the Copy Rod weapon when they play as Zelda; and Majora's Mask Pack, where players can play as Young Link or Tingle and dress up the warrior Sheik and the Hyrulian general Impa in Hero of Time outfits and Lana in Skull Kid's clothes. All of these packs cost $7.99 each when purchased separately.
Meanwhile, Nintendo and Koei Tecmo are also gearing up for update 16.0 of Hyrule Warriors. The companies did not specify exactly what features the update will bring, but it will likely include a higher maximum warrior level, new mixture potions in the Apothecary, new medals and new challenge scenarios. Also expected from the update are an expansion of challenge mode, a score recording function and a fix for a bug that lengthens loading times when entering battlefields.
Hyrule Warriors is part of Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series and Koei Tecmo's Dynasty Warriors series. The game debuted in Japan in August and sold more than 69,000 copies in its first week, or a little more than half of its shipment. However, the title surprised its own makers when it sold 190,000 copies in North America in its first week when it was launched the following month. Last month, Koei Tecmo said Hyrule Warriors has shipped one million copies to retailers.
