Will Hyrule Warriors 3DS debut The Legend of Zelda's first female Link?

The Legend of Zelda fans believe Hyrule Warriors may introduce a version of Link we've never seen before.

Hyrule Warriors was once set to feature a female version of Link. Introduced to fans in an art book showing her armed with a crossbow, Linkle unfortunately didn't make the final cut.

Now it looks like the first female Link to grace The Legend of Zelda universe may make it into a game after all. Kotaku reports eagle-eyed fans spotted a crossbow lying about in a promotional image for the Hyrule Warriors re-release.

No other Hyrule Warriors character uses a crossbow, and there are no other random weapons floating around without owners. It does seem quite possible the image teases the inclusion of a new character, and specifically Linkle.

Hyrule Warriors for 3DS was revealed by a trailer overnight, but Koei Tecmo has since pulled the video, presumably because it hit the button ahead of schedule.

We can probably expect to learn more about the game during Nintendo's E3 2015 presentations, though - unlike The Legend of Zelda Wii U, which is skipping this year's show and very unlikely to release this year.