Aonuma Reveals Multiple Story Elements to Nintendo Power (Spoilers!)

The August issue of Nintendo Power contained an interview with Eiji Aonuma, producer of Skyward Sword, in which he talks a lot about different elements of the game’s story. Read further if you don’t mind reading several spoilers. The interview can be found here, and a summary with comments are after the jump.

This list from GoNintendo summarizes the new things Aonuma tells us:

One of the important things that I would like to expand on is Zelda’s role in the story. I’m a big fan of her design in this game and was very pleased to see them step away from the seriousness we saw in her Twilight Princess character, more towards what we saw in The Minish Cap. However, I also expressed concerns that if she continued to behave the way she did in the trailers and demo, she could get a little annoying. I think the Zelda team has been doing a good job of improving their character development lately, and what we learn of Zelda in this interview is very promising. At the beginning, she’s just a carefree schoolgirl, who doesn’t even have the responsibility of being a princess like in other games. But by the end, she will be forced to cope with the “tremendous fate that’s been placed on her shoulders.”

Related to Zelda is her lyre, which we have deduced from the GDC trailer to be an item that Link can use. Aonuma tells us that Link will have to play the lyre by strumming at specific rhythms (as opposed to different pitches of previous games) in order to “find something important.” That important item could be any range of things at this point. The Triforce, some Sheikah artifact, something new… Also, Aonuma indirectly suggests that the lyre does indeed relate to the one Sheik uses in Ocarina of Time. “The design is the same as the harp that Sheik has in Ocarina of Time.” The way he says that so confidently implies that it was an intentional decision, meaning there is indeed some connection.

Ghirahim. The more I learn about him, the more I like him. Aonuma designed him to be a contrast to Ganon. “Someone who is a little bit mysterious and kind of makes people think, ‘well, I don’t really know what to make of this somewhat terrifying character.’” Ghirahim has already had exactly that effect before most people have even encountered him themselves. I think those who try to describe him as “fabulous” are perfect examples of these people Aonuma is talking about, who are terrified deep down and try to make it funny to cope with what they can’t explain. (It’s a psychological thing.) Aonuma also shoots down the theory that he’s related to Vaati. “Perhaps there’s something about Mr. Fujibayashi’s sensibilities in regards to design that might have influenced both characters. But beyond that, I don’t think so.” Players familiar with The Minish Cap will find countless similarities between the two titles. I’ve found plenty already, which I will not get into at this time. This also bolsters the lyre connection, since he would have used this kind of language if he didn’t want to confirm it.

Aonuma reiterates what he said the last time he was asked about Skyward Sword’s timeline placement in Official Nintendo Magazine. He doesn’t want to say it’s first, just because that will box him in, but it is before Ocarina of Time. He fails to mention any other games before Ocarina of Time, strengthening the argument that Ocarina of Time is now the second game in the timeline. With Ocarina of Time describing the first time the Triforce leaves the Sacred Realm, it can’t really serve the same role as it does in most of the other games. Aonuma states that “this time around, the Triforce sort of takes on a different meaning and plays a different role in the story.” I want to speculate about what sort of role this would be, but “different meaning” makes that seem futile. I think they’re going to surprise us. With the Triforce not serving the same role, Ganon is also confirmed to not be in the game (not that a lack of the Triforce hasn’t stopped him before — Four Swords Adventures).

We were told in Aonuma’s last interview, with Famitsu, that Link and the other bird riders are classmates in some sort of boarding school. He explains in this Nintendo Power interview that it’s a (currently unnamed) knight acadamy, run by the two adults at the ceremony. He wasn’t pressed for connections between these two and characters from other games.

Several Nintendo of America employees have gotten the opportunity to tell us about the Loft Bird transportation. Link’s bird is used to travel between many islands in the cloudy overworld as well as access new areas in the land below. Aonuma reiterates this and throws in that just like the train in Spirit Tracks and the boat in The Wind Waker, things will happen in transit. This could be bad news for some, or good news. Spirit Tracks was criticized for its boring overworld that required you to sit and watch in case you’re attacked. With the way the bird is controlled, it looks like you won’t be able to walk away from the console like in The Wind Waker. Let’s hope this time the obstacles make it more interesting rather than more tedious.

Sources: Nintendo Charged, GoNintendo

Related: Skyward Sword Walkthrough