Aonuma talks about how Zelda: Twilight Princess connected with his wife and son
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 5 Comments
Nintendo Life recently had the opportunity to speak with Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma about Twilight Princess HD. When asked about what makes the game an important entry in the franchise and resonating with players, Aonuma decided to refer to the experiences his wife and son had with the game.
Here’s what he shared:
This is a very difficult question. There’s lots of different things that make Twilight Princess an important title, and I don’t have a single conclusive answer for you. However, there was one thing rather personal to me that stands out. Until the original version was released, my wife had never shown any interest in playing any of the games I’d made. But all of a sudden, without any encouragement from me at all, she played through the whole of Twilight Princess together with our son, who was just three at the time.
I asked her why she decided to play and she replied that she thought the game would be too difficult for our son to play by himself, so at first she wanted to help him by playing through the first part of the game for him. Before she realized it though, she found that she wanted to play through to the end herself. I think that maybe the setting of the game somehow appeals to the kind of people who wouldn’t normally be interested in this type of game.
Even my son, who at the time was too scared of the Imp Poes to play the game has recently played through the Wii version. I didn’t have to encourage him to either, he said that he just thought that maybe now he’d be able to play though to the end. I think that maybe this game has something to it that means you can play it even now without the game feeling too dated. And I think that is even more true with this HD version where you can experience the setting much more vividly. I hope that both people who played the original and those who didn’t will be able to really enjoy delving into the game’s world in this new version. (I’m quite sad that I wasn’t able to tell my son that if he waited a little bit longer then he’d be able to play an HD version, haha).
Zelda: Twilight Princess retrospective – episode 3: “Gameplay & Dungeons”
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Videos, Wii U | 8 Comments
Nintendo has continued its new retrospective video series for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD. Check out the third episode below, which has a few staff members reflecting on the gameplay and dungeons.
Zelda: Twilight Princess retrospective – episode 2: “Characters & Story”
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Videos, Wii U | 2 Comments
Nintendo has continued its new retrospective video series for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD. Check out the second episode below, which has a few staff members reflecting on the characters and story.
Zelda: Twilight Princess retrospective – episode 1: “A Look Back”
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Videos, Wii U | 16 Comments
Nintendo has kicked off a new retrospective video series for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD. Check out the first episode below, which has a few staff members looking back at the initial reveal and development.
Aonuma on valuing feedback from Zelda fans, not trying to force messages into the games
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 79 Comments
Speaking with GamesMaster this month, Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma commented on how feedback from the fans is greatly valued.
He said:
“We’re constantly thinking about how to make it unique compared to other games, both in general as well as to others in the Zelda series. Of course, the response of fans is most important and something we care very much about, which is why recently we have been showing early previews at events like E3. We’re looking to see that there are no problems with the directions we’re taking, and are reflecting the reactions we do get into subsequent development.”
At another point of the interview, Aonuma talked about how the Zelda games are free of meaning. He finds the idea of putting ideologies in games “kind of scary.”
Aonuma stated:
“I haven’t and won’t be trying to put any message or meaning into the games. (If someone else were to make a Zelda game though, of course it might be different.) Occasionally I receive messages from fans telling me how playing Zelda games has changed their lives. While of course this makes me incredibly happy to hear, I feel a great sense of responsibility as well, so part of me feels that developers putting their own ideologies in games is kind of scary.”
That wasn’t all from Aonuma. During the same interview, he also weighed in on Link having a voice. You can find his comments about that topic here if you missed them last week.
More: Eiji Aonuma, interview, The Legend of Zelda, top
Aonuma unsure about having Link speak in Zelda games
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 80 Comments
In an interview with GamesMaster this month, Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma shared some thoughts about the possibility of having Link speak. He does believe that this could be a good idea, but at the same time, he also “feels that that air of proud independence he has because he doesn’t speak is a precious part of the individuality of his character.”
Aonuma’s words in full:
“We’ve had a lot of requests from fans to hear [Link’s] voice, and while in some ways I do feel that it could be good to have a game where he speaks, part of me also feels that that air of proud independence he has because he doesn’t speak is a precious part of the individuality of his character. I want to think long and hard about whether changing that would be for the better or not before I make any decision.”
Link has been known throughout the history of Zelda as being a silent protagonist. If he were to be given a voice, that would definitely have a notable impact on the series. How would you feel if Link spoke in a Zelda title?
More: Eiji Aonuma, interview, The Legend of Zelda, top
Tri Force Heroes devs on reusing A Link Between Worlds’ engine, cut Emperor’s New Clothes costume talk, more
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 0 comments
Game Informer has put up a new interview with Zelda: Tri Force Heroes director Hiromasa Shikata and Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma. During the discussion, the two developers commented on things like using the same engine as A Link Between Worlds, the cut Emperor’s New Clothes costume, and more.
Continue on below for excerpts from the interview. You can read the full thing here.
Aonuma and Koei Tecmo on Linkle’s origins, fan influence, personality
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 26 Comments
IGN has more on Linkle, one of the new roster additions to Hyrule Warriors Legends, from Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma and Koei Tecmo producer Yosuke Hayashi. The two spoke with the site about Linkle’s origins, how the response from fans motivated the team to reconsider her, and the character’s personality. Head past the break for Aonuma and Hayashi’s comments.
Aonuma says Linkle will be kept in mind for future Zelda games
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, News | 110 Comments
Linkle is making her debut in Hyrule Warriors Legends. However, it’s possible that we’ll see the character in future Zelda games.
Speaking with IGN, series producer Eiji Aonuma said: “I’m sure we will keep her in mind when thinking about future titles.”
Aonuma also said that he was able to share input about Linkle during the development of Hyrule Warriors Legends:
“I had a chance to give feedback on Linkle during development, but the satisfying action of using a crossbow, which we developed for the spinoff title Link’s Crossbow Training, was implemented this time completely by Koei Tecmo. It may feel a little different from other titles in the franchise, but she doesn’t feel out of place at all in the world of the Zelda games.”
Tri Force Heroes devs – communication origins, cut item ideas, amiibo in future Zeldas, more
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, News | 3 Comments
GameSpot has posted an interview with Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma and Tri Force Heroes director Hiromasa Shikata. Between the two, they commented on the inspiration behind the game’s communication features, item ideas that were scrapped, consideration for two-player support, interest in using amiibo in future Zelda games, and more.
We’ve rounded up the various comments below. You can also read up on a few extra comments from GameSpot here.
