The magnificent new 'Legend of Zelda' game has 2 hidden characters — here's how to get them

It's beautiful, for starters.

But looks are fleeting, and the real joy of "Breath of the Wild" is its incredible sense of wonder and discovery. Simply put, it's an easy game to fall in love with. Spending hours exploring the genuinely dangerous, delightfully varied, hauntingly beautiful regions of Hyrule is a true pleasure.

And it's an even greater pleasure with some old friends by your side.

That's right! Both Wolf Link from "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess" and Epona from "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" are in "Breath of the Wild." But where are they? How do you get them?

We've got answers.

First up, let's start with the obvious one: Wolf Link.

The first thing you might notice is that he's adorable. That's because he's adorable.

But more importantly, you'll notice that Wolf Link has hearts — a life meter — on the left side of the screen:

That's because he's your partner, ready to fight by your side — which is genuinely helpful given how difficult "Breath of the Wild" can be.

You don't "find" Wolf Link in "Breath of the Wild." Instead, you summon him to your side by using his amiibo with the Nintendo Switch!

The first thing you need to do is activate the amiibo functionality in "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," which is turned off by default. You can find that toggle in the game's main menu, in the Option section:

Or you can click the "amiibo" option in the main menu, which also lets you turn on the functionality:

Voila!

Your next step is to activate the Wolf Link amiibo in-game, which is handled through the rune system in "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild."

The game will prompt you to place your Wolf Link amiibo over the NFC spot on your Joy-Con or Pro controller (or Wii U gamepad if you're playing on Wii U):

After you place the Wolf Link amiibo over the NFC spot, he'll appear in-game! Just like that! If he dies in battle, you can bring him back to life the next day. You get one Wolf Link "spawn" every 24 hours.

So that's Wolf Link. How about Epona, Link's trusty steed? That's a bit more tricky.

Like Wolf Link, Epona is "spawned" in-game by using an amiibo to summon her. Except, unlike Wolf Link, there is no Epona amiibo. So what gives?

Turns out that Epona is a reward for the most serious of Zelda fans — she's unlocked by using the Link amiibo that came out with "Super Smash Bros. for Wii U":

Nintendo hasn't actually announced this — it's a bit of an Easter Egg for fans:

You can ride — and even tame — wild horses in "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild." But Epona requires no training, and can run faster for longer than any horse I've encountered in "Breath of the Wild." It's also just a delight seeing an old friend — another subtle touch of nostalgia in a game full of throwbacks.

But wait, there's more! If you use the "Breath of the Wild" Link amiibo — pictured below — you also get some stuff: resources! When I put this Link on the NFC spot, I was given a bunch of in-game food, arrows, and other supplies. Like the other amiibo functions, this can be used once every 24 hours.

That's all we've discovered thus far in terms of amiibo in "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild." Go forth and gallop the plains of Hyrule Field with Epona and Wolf Link by your side!