Nintendo considered “The New Legend of Zelda” name for A Link Between Worlds
Nintendo shared an interesting tidbit about the name for The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds in the latest Iwata Asks. According to director Hiromasa Shikata, the company considered calling the 3DS release “The New Legend of Zelda”.
In Japan, A Link Between Worlds is called Triforce of the Gods 2. Nintendo decided to stick with A Link to the Past’s original Japanese name while adding the “2” because “it didn’t feel out of place,” series producer Eiji Aonuma said.
Iwata: This game borrows the world of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, but it’s a completely new game.
Aonuma: Yes, that’s right.
Iwata: The subtitle in Japanese is Triforce of the Gods 2, but it’s a completely different game, so they aren’t using the “2” overseas.
Aonuma: Overseas, the subtitle for the earlier game was A Link to the Past.
Iwata: Now it will be A Link Between Worlds.
Aonuma: Yes. This time instead of “linking” to the past, the setting of the new game takes place far in the future, and the story passes between the two worlds of Hyrule and Lorule.
Iwata: So that’s why it’s called A Link Between Worlds.
Aonuma: Right. In Japan, though, it didn’t feel out of place to add a “2” to Triforce of the Gods, so we decided on that. Some of the staff, however, thought that would encourage people to think it is a remake.
Shikata: There was even talk of calling it The New Legend of Zelda like there’s New Super Mario! (laughs)
Everyone: (laughs)
Aonuma: But we use the game world of Hyrule and the top-down point of view. Because of those similarities, we decided on The Legend of Zelda: Triforce of the Gods 2 here in Japan.
