Aonuma and Sano on Twilight Princess HD – challenges, picking Tantalus, more

Last week, Stack published an interview with Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma and assistant director Tomomi Sano about Twilight Princess HD. Between them both, they commented on when the project began, challenges in remaking the game, why Tantalus was specifically chosen, and more.

As usual, we’ve picked out some excerpts below. The full interview is located here.

Aonuma on when the decision was make to bring Twilight Princess into HD…

The decision was finalised when it was decided that Tantalus would collaborate for this title, and the project started at the end of 2013 with the verification of technology.

Aonuma on the challenges in remaking a game like Twilight Princess…

It is, needless to say, that we have to make many programming changes in order for a title to work on different hardware, and in creating a remake HD version, we have to replace the existing artwork with more highly detailed textures. In addition, if we draw in every detail, it might evolve to lose its original qualities, so it’s challenging to create a balance in that regard.

Also, we wanted to ensure the feeling of playing could be enjoyed by current players even 10 years after release, so through a process of trial and error we fixed many points.

Aonuma on gauging whether there is an audience for a remake of a title like this…

Of course, I sometimes check the reactions and feelings of players via the Internet and so on. However, in the case of this remake, we didn’t decide to proceed based on the research of players’ requests, but rather from the perspective of whether we thought it would be worthwhile for Zelda fans. Actually, I am not totally sure if many fans will purchase this title, so I am nervously excited (ha ha).

Aonuma on any temptation to improve the gameplay, mechanics or story…

Yes, it is hard for me not to be tempted into improving certain elements. I was really pressed for time during the development of the original game, so when I paused to reflect following its completion, it was inevitable that there would be some parts for which I felt “hmmm…”

Usually it is impossible to develop a title again, however, I always consider myself lucky to have another chance to do so when remaking a title like this.

Aonuma on what about Tantalus that seemed the right fit for the HD remake of Twilight Princess…

I felt they had strong developing skills from seeing their work across remakes of previous titles, so I decided to ask Tantalus to remake this title.

As a result, I think they created great work beyond my expectations.

Sano on input received from Miyamoto and Aonuma…

There were various inputs with a focus on improving the ease of game play. In fact, their opening remarks were “We want to fix something! We don’t want to put rupees back into a treasure chest when the wallet is full.”

The opened treasure chest is a very important sign of how much you have achieved, so I think many players might have had something in the back of their mind while playing.

Perhaps Mr. Aonuma was the one who had something in the back of his mind the most!