Aonuma explains artwork change for A Link Between Worlds

When A Link Between Worlds was displayed at E3 2013, comparisons to A Link to the Past, to which it was pegged as a direct sequel, were expected. The game clearly carried over many trappings from the SNES classic, including overworld areas and basic gameplay mechanics. Likewise, the concept art used to promote the game was also highly-inspired by A Link to the Past.

The artwork showed a teenage Link, about 15 to 16-years-old, who looked almost identical to the hero from A Link to the Past. Fast forward about two months later, and a redesign of this character art was unveiled by Nintendo, depicting a much younger Link  that caught many fans by surprise. Why did the old design for Link require such a drastic revision? Aonuma now has an answer for you after the jump.

When asked by IGN why Link’s concept art for A Link Between World was altered, Aonuma said it was done to match the way the young hero appears in-game:

“But addressing the artwork, if we look at the original title, you see that the artwork that we used to advertise the game didn’t really match the artwork that was in the game, because the artwork we had to advertise the game had a very mature, adult-like Link. Then, when you got into the game, of course, because of the technology of the time, you couldn’t see Link in any specific detail. So that gap wasn’t problematic, let’s say. However, as we’ve moved on to 3DS and started developing this game, we’ve discovered that you can see Link in the game.

I have to say that when we were creating artwork for E3, we really just hadn’t finalized what that artwork was going to be, so the image that you saw, the art asset we used for E3, was almost a placeholder, let’s say. Then, as we started getting further into the development of the game and started finalizing the artwork and looking at the cinematic scenes and looking at how Link was represented in the game itself, we then adapted the artwork to come closer to what you were going to see in the game, and thereby remove that gap that had previously existed in the original title.”

Aonuma went on to say that the concept art for Link is still not set in stone, and that more changes might be made moving forward.

Although many jaded Zelda fans might prefer an older design for Link, it is hard to argue against Aonuma’s justification for going for a younger look. From what has been seen of it so far, Link’s in-game character model simply doesn’t match the original concept art. He’s too -for lack of a better word- cute. The newer concept art simply reflects this in-game reality, discarding a mature look that isn’t present in the game.

What do you think about Aonuma’s reasoning behind the shift in Link’s character design? Which version of the concept art is your favorite? Feel free to share you opinion in the comments.

Source: IGN