'The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes' Gameplay Details: Game Director Hirosama Clarifies Character Customization Issue

One of the surprising announcements dropped during the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2015 in Los Angeles, Calif., is the unveiling of Nintendo's upcoming game title "The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes."

Tri Force Heroes is a multiplayer-intended game which will see up to three players that will work together to vanquish monsters, solve puzzles, and acquire materials to make their outfits.

The game, which will be released solely for the company's 3DS handheld game console, did draw some reactions from fans pointing out to the inability of players to customize the gender of their avatars.

Director Hiromasa Shikata sat down with IGN.com to discuss the issue.

"There's this kingdom, an event happens, and the king needs heroes. So, he puts out a call for heroes to gather and one of those is this guy Link. He sees this audition, basically, 'Heroes needed; apply here.' And, that's the start of his adventure," he said.

"The story calls for this sort of legend/prophecy where heroes will come together to help solve a problem. And in that, they are male characters. So, because the game is set with that as the story background, you cannot choose a gender; you are a male character," Shikata explained.

He went on to reveal that most of the female staff members in Nintendo who have played the game didn't actually put "a big issue" to the gender customization.

"They still are getting emotional investment in this game. And to be honest, Link isn't the most masculine of guys in the world, depending on how you want to project yourself into the character," the game director went on.

"The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes" is slated to release in Q3 or Q4 of 2015.