IGN:We talked to Nintendo producer Eiji Aonuma about the benefits of taking Zelda back to the drawing board.
During The Game Awards 2023, we had a chance to talk to Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom developers Eiji Aonuma and Hidemaro Fujibayashi, who reflected on the classic formula versus the new, Zelda's role in the series, and why they don't put much stock in the timeline.
I don't want them to go back the old formula, I just want them to rethink things like the shrines and how free you are to climb and glide everywhere. The big open world where you can tackle the dungeons in any order is cool, but I'd like some heart pieces to be tied to side quests rather than "Rauru's blessing" shrines, and they've made the game so open ended it's nearly impossible to create a good smart puzzle.
"Well, I do think we as people have a tendency to want the thing that we don't currently have, and there's a bit of a grass is greener mentality"
I think Eiji Aonuma is on point here, which there is nothing wrong with it at all, it's natural to not want something to disappear, you want to make sure you will be getting it once again, and a lot of other factors!
Bad news for TOTK fans, as it now appears unlikely we'll get DLC if comments by the game's producer are anything to go by.
There was no way to upgrade the master sword and no master mode...yea, definitely all they could've done lol.
Well, I think it's better they move on with the next game anyways.
I mean all they did was release a big dlc as a game, so ofcourse they are out of ideas
It was a crime that they sold totk as a new game when it could have been sold as a 30-40 dollar dlc and is definitely not a 70 dollar full blown game
Amemiya writes: "We interview producer Eiji Aonuma and director Hidemaro Fujibayashi from the Nintendo development team that created this fascinating world."
im willing to wait until Oct, 4th for the hard copy even tho i want it so bad on sept, 20th
Im glad he is doing this... it is a great way to gain more players like my self.
Even though I haven't played WindWakerHD or Link Between Worlds, the last few paragraphs of this article make me really really excited about Zelda U. For your convenience -
"But it's interesting that Aonuma had the opportunity to visit two very distinct projects before the next major entry on Wii U. In Wind Waker's case, he had a chance to revisit his own work. For A Link Between Worlds, he's had an opportunity to look closer at Zelda: A Link to the Past -- a game that legendary Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto directed. How does revisiting those two games distinct game worlds inform the development of the next Legend of Zelda?
Aonuma acknowledged that the opportunity to work on these two Zeldas is a unique and almost fateful occurrence, if you wanted to put it in overdramatic terms. "Of course, we’re looking at the new Zelda game for Wii U, and absolutely, working on these titles has influenced and impacted the development of the new Wii U title, " he said.
"For example, in Wind Waker, we’re using the GamePad to travel around in the boat, using it almost like a GPS controller. I really want to take that mechanic and implement it in the Wii U game, " Aonuma explained. "I’m not saying that we’re going to be in a boat, but we’re going to be traveling around in the adventure. I think the GamePad is something that can allow us to make that as smooth and enjoyable an experience for the end user as possible."
"Also, with A Link Between Worlds, we have some brand new elements, some never before seen in Zelda play styles in that game, " Aonuma said. "I don’t have any direct or concrete examples, but it’s definitely bleeding over into the development on Wii U."
"So what we’re seeing is…, " Aonuma trailed off and choose his next words carefully so not to reveal too much. "I think it’s a Zelda that incorporates some of the elements that players have come to love in the series and want to see, and also marrying them with new technologies and some new play styles from A Link Between Worlds. It’s all coming around full circle. It all ties in together."