Aonuma says Link Between Worlds is more of a “new title” than a sequel, game has hints, hand-holding not fun
Polygon caught up with Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma following his speaking session at the New York Comic Con yesterday.
Aonuma delivered some very intriguing answers, in which he said that A Link Between Worlds can be considered more of a “new title” than a sequel, revealed that there are hints in the game, and spoke about how the team set out “to make it a game where it would be fun to get stuck and be lost.” He also acknowledged, “we kind of have a bad habit of hand-holding, trying to make things easier for everyone. But more and more, I start to think that that kind of isn’t actually that fun.”
The full Q&A roundup is posted below. You can also check out Polygon’s full piece here.
On fans in North America…
“This is actually the first time I’ve ever been able to be in front of fans and speak the way I did today. It was kind of crazy, the way I would say one little thing and get this huge reaction from people. It really made me realize that man, the fans here are so passionate. I think they’re even more passionate than the fans in Japan.”
On how A Link Between Worlds ended up as a sequel after thinking about the wall merge ability…
“But we could’ve made this game, or a game, without having Link to the Past as a base. Because we have the ability to go into the walls, and then contrasting that with the top-down view, that was basically the kernel of the game — that mechanic, and then those two contrasting camera views.”
On any concerns about dampening the affection fans maintain for A Link to the Past by developing a sequel to it, similar to the new Stars Wars Trilogy…
“On the topic of Star Wars, I was one of the people who felt that way about the new films as well. So I think there’s always this phenomenon where things in the past always end up getting viewed more favorably. So I think even with me, if I had thought back to what I thought of Link to the Past and said, ‘All right, since we’re making a new game in that world, a sequel to that [game], Link to the Past was like this so this new game has to be like that’ — I don’t think that would’ve matched fans’ expectations, either. But I think, more than being a sequel, A Link Between Worlds, it’s not really a sequel so much as I think it’s a new title. And I have confidence that when people play it, they will feel it’s more like they’ve played a new title.”
On how A Link Between Words does a lot that’s different even with its connections to A Link to the Past…
“We used a lot of the base material from Link to the Past, setting it in that same world to kind of deepen the entire experience. Because that would make it easier for people to get into, and easier for people to understand. But there’s also a lot of stuff in it that’s completely different. So it could’ve just been its own game — I mean, it is its own game.”
On how A Link Between Worlds is less linear, more free, and lack of hand-holding…
“We wanted to make it a game where it would be fun to get stuck and be lost. I think that one thing all game developers worry about when they’re putting something into a game is, ‘Will people notice it? Will people realize what they’re supposed to do?’ And we kind of have a bad habit of hand-holding, trying to make things easier for everyone. But more and more, I start to think that that kind of isn’t actually that fun.”
On how there are hints for those who need them, and those who don’t can do their own thing…
“There’s actually one area in the game where I fought for three days with my director over whether we should have a hint in there or not. As a result, after the end of that we actually decided to take it out. So if that part of the game is too difficult, it’s my fault. But it’s fine — it’ll be fine!”
On connecting with Zelda fans…
“It’s great to have that exchange, and I can kind of see what Zelda fans are looking forward to, expecting, from new Zelda titles. And I hope I can just satisfy their wishes.”
