In the new game coming to The Legend of Zelda series, Nintendo has shaken up many of the core parts of the franchise, including one in particular: the health system.
In upcoming Wii U and NX Zelda, now revealed to be titled Breath of the Wild, the series is doing away with throwing pots and cutting grass in order to collect hearts to heal Link, but is requiring the protagonist to do a little cooking.
Cooking and eating is the new way to health yourself in the game by fishing, hunting and gathering in order to gain the necessary ingredients to prep your meal thanks to the numerous recipes available in the game. Up to five items will be combinable to create meals in the game’s cooking pot.
Failure to follow the recipe, such as in real life, leaves Link with a less than desirable meal, one that the game calls “dubious food” that will only heal one heart.
The new system expands just past healing through, allowing you to concoct elixirs that will alter Link’s stats, such as the ability to increase his speed, attack, or more. By combining certain foods with certain elixirs, Link will be able to withstand some areas previously unreachable, such as the creation of a spicy elixir that can grant cold resistance for higher elevations.
And if you’re a vegetarian, there’s no need to worry – Link can happily survive off of just vegetables for the duration of the entire game.