Aonuma discusses Skyward Sword, Ocarina of Time 3D, thinks he’ll have to work on another franchise eventually, more
Eiji Aonuma on the significant of Skyward Sword’s title and how it relates to the original piece of artwork…
“Did you happen to watch the trailer? That last scene where Link dives off the big cliff and goes flying through the clouds is a key hint as to the connection between the game and the Skyward Sword title.
Link lives on Skyloft, a series of floating islands that are above the clouds. He’s a normal kid living up on these islands above the clouds, but then an incident occurs and Link is forced to travel to the land beneath the clouds. This other world below the clouds has been captured and is being ruled by evil forces. So he has to go down there and start his adventure. The juxtapositon between the two worlds is very important.
What leads Link on this adventure is the Skyward Sword and when that Sword is actively guiding Link, it actually transforms into a feminine figure. I wouldn’t say that it’s female per se but it’s a feminine figure.”
Aonuma on why the art style was changed…
“The graphical style is the result of a collaboration between myself and Mr Miyamoto. We are both interested in art and it is a style that we like – we are very pleased with what we’ve done this time. One of the reasons we’ve chosen the art style we have is that we wanted to showcase the exaggerated characteristics of some of the characters, not only of the enemies, but the representation of the sword spirit itself.
Swordfighting is an important part of the gameplay, and Link is carrying the weapon and the shield. Because of the way we have put everything together you have to focus on how the enemy is carrying the weapons and there are a couple of different ways you can go about that – you can be super-realistic or not so realistic. We thought that because we wanted to highlight the swordfighting, we had to exaggerate the features and the art style we chose was suited to doing that. You have to match the art style to how the game plays, and we thought this worked better.”
Aonuma on whether or not there will be famous Zelda characters in Skyward Sword…
“I believe there might be! We really haven’t decided whether certain characters will re-appear or not appear. One of the things we talked about with our staff is how a character could be used in this game or would it be fun to tie in a connection that the fans would be appreciative of? I am pretty much letting the team decide how and when we implement that sort of thing.”
Aonuma on if MotionPlus has made it possible to create the Zelda game he’s always wanted to make…
“Yes, when I first saw the Wii Remote that was one of the first things we thought about too. When Wii MotionPlus came along, and we saw how it was implemented in Wii Sports Resort’s swordplay game, we saw what we could now do in Zelda. Mr Miyamoto had thought the same thing – we then decided that we could do this in a Zelda game.”
Aonuma on if it’s fun coming up with new ideas for MotionPlus…
“Once we found that we could move the sword around as freely as we wanted, then we were like, ‘wow’! Through working with the sword we saw what MotionPlus could add to the game. Through that experience, ideas were born to implement the technology in other ways. So we were able to think of new ideas and items, and this time we really do have really new and unique ideas using the MotionPlus technology. I really hope you look forward to seeing how we have used it.”
Aonuma on whether or not the range of weapons is more diverse…
“Of course some of the old items are back – things like the slingshot – but I really think that people will play this with MotionPlus and the items will almost feel new because of the technology. But of course if you look on the weapons menu you will see a couple of question marks – those are new items that aren’t available [in old Zelda games].”
Aonuma on whether or not there will be vehicles in the game…
“Link does have to travel between Skyloft and the world below, so there will be a means of conveyance for him, but we don’t want to reveal that at this time.”
Aonuma discussing Ocarina of Time 3D…
“I am excited. We are at the planning stages at the moment. I don’t want to give away too much right now, but I am looking forward to showing everyone what we have.
The 3D technology is perfect for The Legend Of Zelda series. It’s everything from the depth that you get from riding through vistas, or a more accurate sense of distance between you and the enemy you are fighting. I think it is perfect for this series. Of course we are very excited to see what it can do.”
Aonuma on whether or not it’s more demanding developing for a 3D system…
“One of the things that I want to take up further going forward is how playing in 3D effects things – does it make you tired? Do you want to create a game where players are sitting in front of their systems for a long period of time? Obviously there are things that can be done in 3D but we don’t have to shoehorn it in.
If it’s beneficial, of course we’ll want to use it. So what I would like to do is to take a look at what other people are doing out there, see what the reaction is, then go back and figure out exactly what I want out of 3D.”
Aonuma’s favorite Zelda game…
“It’s such a tough one to answer – all of these titles are very special for their own reasons. I don’t think I could say that I have a favourite, but certainly my first experience with the Zelda franchise was Ocarina Of Time. It was very pivotal for my career so for that reason and because it was my first experience with the franchise it was probably the most memorable work that I’ve done.”
Aonuma on any other games that have influenced him…
“I know that some of the younger staff members and everyone else for that matter play a lot of games. I may say ‘I really like this game’ but I never look at a game and think to myself that I like a particular element and that we should try and do something with that.
One thing that we try and do is look at the other DS titles that we have created. Because we spent so much time making the DS Zelda titles easy to play, we really want to try and do the same with the home console version of the Legend Of Zelda. One of the things that has prompted that this time is to make a bunch of changes to the map system.
And one of the things that I think has been really helpful is to create games for different systems at the same time, so for example creating a Game Boy Advance title at the same time as a GameCube title, or creating a Wii title at the same time as a DS title. So we come across an idea and think ‘this would be great in this game, but might be better used on this system.’
If we are looking at two different platforms then obviously it affects how we design things for each. Now that we are concentrating primarily on the Wii, we are also thinking about what we can do on 3DS. I think that’s its really nice when you have two different platforms and you create a title that branches over both platforms, and each influences the other.”
Aonuma on whether or not he’ll ever work on another franchise…
“I probably have to at some point! The problem is that when I start thinking about new ideas and new gameplay elements I end up incorporating them into a Zelda title! For me to be able to create a non-Zelda title I might have to take a leave of absence for a year and go away from the company and do it!”
Aonuma on whether or not he still finds it enjoyable…
“Absolutely – it is always fun and the thing is that every platform that we work on has different technology so it just keeps going and going – it’s very enjoyable. Another thing is that I have such great staff and they do such splendid work that with each game they keep getting better and better. With each new title they can draw upon their experiences and again we keep getting better and better titles. That’s thanks to all of their hard work.”
Aonuma discussing Skyward Sword once again…
“With Skyward Sword I think that we want people to play the game – once they first get a chance to pick up the Remote and Nunchuk and play, they’ll understand how great the sword feels and how easy and natural to use the items are in the game. We’ve given the folks in the US the chance to experience it, but I really want to get it in the hands of our friends in Europe as well. That’s why I must get back to Japan and get this game done and released so that everyone can experience it for themselves. That’s the main thing – to get it in people’s hands so they can see how great it feels.
It’s interesting – the problem with MotionPlus is that until people get it in their hands and play it, it is very hard to convey the experience. And now we have put Nintendo 3DS in the mix – so explaining Nintendo 3DS is even harder because until they see it, they won’t understand. We have just created another obstacle for ourselves!”
