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Eiji Aonuma

GameSpot has put up a new article/interview with Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma. Topics include Toon Link, cel-shading technology, budgets, and more. You can find the Q&A rundown after the break.

Eiji Aonuma

Technical difficulties do not prevent Nintendo from adding certain elements to Zelda games. That’s according to series producer Eiji Aonuma, who was speaking with GamesTM last month.

Aonuma gave an example by discussing The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Aonuma said “it was a technical challenge to make Link’s sword swings match the motion controls completely,” and he also had some concerns as to how the feature would be received by players. However, the team ended up pursuing motion controls because Aonuma felt “in the end many users would enjoy the unique gameplay”.

Aonuma told GamesTM:

Eiji Aonuma has been heavily involved with The Legend of Zelda since Ocarina of Time. Given how he’s played a major role in the series for over 15 years, it’s only natural that thoughts crop up about moving on. There’s one major element that keeps Aonuma going, however: the pursuit of perfection.

Aonuma admitted to GamesTM in its previous issue, “I always make these games with the thought that this is going to be my last.” But he ends up having regrets and wishing certain things could have been implemented, which motivates him to work on another Zelda title.

“I guess that could come to a close if I finally make a perfect game,” Aonuma said, “but perhaps I would not be able to create such a thing even if I spent my whole life on it.” Aonuma understands that he’ll one day have to stop making Zelda games, so before that happens, he “really would like to create something as close to perfection as possible not too far into the future” and “retire with no regrets.”


This neat video popped up on the eShop. Didn’t see it elsewhere, so I figured I’d go ahead and upload it. You can watch Eiji Aonuma himself transform into a drawing… and run around New York!

Wind Waker HD was used as a starting point of sorts for Zelda’s first original outing on Wii U. Series producer Eiji Aonuma has previously spoken about how the updated GameCube release was a way for the development team to get its feet wet in terms of creating Zelda games for Nintendo’s latest console. Additionally, the two are connected in the sense that elements used in Wind Waker HD will be brought over to the brand new Wii U title.

Aonuma discussed this further with GamesTM this month. While speaking with the magazine, he said Wind Waker HD’s GamePad interface and motion control aiming will be included in Zelda Wii U. He also mentioned a desire “to bring the experience of being able to explore the Great Sea however you want to locations other than the sea.”

Aonuma said:

Nintendo tends to make use of various art styles with the Zelda games. We’ve seen approaches that have been realistic, cel-shaded, and even impressionistic.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker most definitely introduced the biggest change in the series. No one saw the cartoon-like visuals coming, and the style initially caused quite the uproar. It’s in part due to Wind Waker’s original reception that it seems as though Nintendo will be more cautious with art styles in future Zeldas.

Eiji Aonuma, speaking with GamesTM this month, said the development team “will be a bit more careful in the future” with regard to the visual direction of Zelda entries. That being said, Aonuma would be willing “to break new ground again” if an approach was created that would appeal to the developers and players.

Aonuma told the magazine:

“We encountered an awful lot of problems from the drastic leap we took with Wind Waker. I think we will be a bit more careful in the future, but if we find a new approach that not just the developers, but also the users would enjoy then I think we will want to break new ground again. But we haven’t found such an approach yet.”

Thanks to joclo for sending this our way.

IGN has gone live with a new piece filled with quotes from Eiji Aonuma regarding The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD. There are quite a few interesting comments, including his thoughts on the original Zelda tech demo shown for GameCube, how he’s approaching remakes, and more.

You can find all of Aonuma’s quotes below. Also be sure to check out IGN’s full piece here.


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