Nintendo Is Making a Legend of Zelda Escape Room Game

Nintendo announced today that it's making a real-world Legend of Zelda escape room puzzle game themed around the iconic gaming franchise. Called "Defenders of the Triforce," it's being made in partnership with escape room company Scrap.

In a press release, Nintendo said Defenders of the Triforce is more than an escape room challenge. Instead of challenging players to escape from a locked room, people will try to solve a mystery within a set time limit. Six people work together to do this in a "huge area," Nintendo said.

"The experience will let guests interact with classic items and characters seen in The Legend of Zelda series like the Goron, Zora, and Kokiri tribes," the company explained. "Discovered items can be used to solve puzzles and move forward into other areas, just like in The Legend of Zelda games."

Nintendo marketing executive Doug Bowser (that's his real name, really) said in a statement that Defenders of the Triforce is part of Nintendo's effort to "offer new experiences for all of our fans."

Defenders of the Triforce will come to eight cities across the United States, beginning in January. Here is the schedule so far:

• San Francisco – Jan. 31-Feb. 5
• Los Angeles – Feb. 10-12
• San Diego – Feb. 24-25
• Seattle – TBA
• Phoenix – TBA
• Houston – TBA
• Chicago – TBA
• New York – TBA

Early bird tickets in some cities start at $36. Go to the Defenders of the Triforce website to learn more.

The next new Zelda game is 2017's The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This week, it was reported that the game might not be out for the Switch's launch in March; the game is also coming to the Wii U.