You'd be forgiven if you didn't stay up to watch the glitzy Game Awards in Las Vegas last night, but those who did were treated to a special surprise, as Shigeru Miyamoto and Eiji Aonuma debuted the very first gameplay of Wii U's Legend of Zelda title.

In a short collection of clips, the developers showed off how Link might traverse across the vast overworld in the game. With the map showed on the GamePad, players can set visual beacons at far-away locations and then go exploring. With it potentially taking many minutes to walk across just a short fraction of the map, journey time can be sped up by using a sail cloth to glide, and your trusty steed Epona to ride.

The video also shows off some of the nuances of how your horse is controlled. Epona will navigate her way through some obstacles automatically, so you can focus on using your sword or bow without having to worry about riding into a tree. You'll also be able to vault off her back and fire arrows in slow-motion.

Aonuma confirmed that the game is still on track for a 2015 release, some time after his colleague Miyamoto's highly-anticipated Star Fox game.

Elsewhere at The Game Awards ceremony, it was a good night for Nintendo, with the company picking up gongs for Best Developer, Best Racing/Sports Game with Mario Kart 8, and Best Fighting Game with Super Smash Bros. The 3DS and Wii U platformer Shovel Knight also won Best Indie Game for US studio Yacht Club Games.