Q&A: Zelda U, Link’s Last Name, and More Zelda U!

Our Q&A’s are back after a short hiatus, and we’ll be sure to keep them coming every Sunday from now on.

Today’s questions are all about Zelda U, which will be announced at E3 2014, in just two month’s time! Clearly, the world cannot keep its excitement at bay. The questions are answered by myself—Fernando Trejos—and editor-in-chief Nathanial Rumphol-Janc.

Nathaneal Dunkley: This is more of conformation question but

was majoras mask 3d really announced?

Fernando: No, sadly, Majora’s

Mask 3D was not really announced. That was just a bad April Fool’s joke

that got way out of control.

Nate: No. It was an April Fools joke that fans sort of ran

away with. Be sure to always check your calendars at the start of April or end

of March when seeing too good to be true stories.

Joseph Gullion: What is a possable last name for Link?

Fernando: That’s an interesting question. Personally, I’m

very opposed to the idea of Link having a last name in the first place—it goes

against a lot of the principles of the mysterious, silent protagonist, and

against the whole idea of Link being an orphan that never really fit in. Link’s

never had a real family, outside of a grandmother and sister in The Wind Waker, an uncle in A Link to the Past, and a grandfather in The Minish Cap. A last name would change

all of that, and make the player feel a little more distant to the character,

as if there was more heritage and more history to him than is apparent to the

player.

But as for name suggestions, we could come up with

something. Depending on exactly where you think Link has descended in the

different games—he could be part of the royal family, he could be descended

from his past lives by blood instead of just spirit—Link could have a bunch of

different last names that made canonical sense. Gaebora, Gaepora or Kaepora

could make sense, as the name seems to originate from Zelda’s father in Skyward Sword, and has been passed down

by the royal family over the years (despite the fact that the man was only

called Gaepora). The name belonged to the owl in Ocarina of Time and the blacksmiths in Majora’s Mask, and was even inscribed on Phantom Ganon’s sword in The Wind Waker.

The last name could also be something boring, like Hylia or

Hylian or Smith.

We can’t really know, but it’s fun to come up with names. I

like the last name “Trejos;” Link Trejos

has a very nice ring to it, similar to another name of legend, Fernando Trejos.

Nate: Honestly, anything is possible. However, I am going to

go with “nothing at all”, because it seems like Last Names are not actually

part of the Zelda World. Remember, Last Names are a mechanism us humans came up

to identify each other because some of us have the same first name. Chances

are, in the Zelda realm, this isn’t an issue. There are far less characters. Do

you know the last name of Noah? Moses? The point is, it’s just a convention we

came up with. As far as I am aware, no one in the Zelda world uses a last name.

The only thing that differs some characters are titles. Such as King of the Red

Lions, Hero of Time, etc.

Matt Kacar: what are the odds that Zelda WiiU is announced at E3 and

comes out this year?

Fernando: We know for sure that the game is going to be announced at

this E3; Aonuma confirmed it last year. He’s been wanting to announce it for

almost a year now, so it’s very unlikely that it’ll be delayed once again.

As for when it’s going to come out, we can’t be sure. I know

a lot of people will say that no 3D Zelda

game has been released on the same year of its reveal, but if you think about

it, the announcement of Zelda U was

meant to be during last year’s E3; it’s very possible that the game is much

farther in development than we think, and could be released this holiday

season.

I’m still betting that it won’t be released this year, but

rather during Spring of next year at the earliest.

Nate: We know for certain Aonuma is going to talk about the

game at E3. He said as much in an interview late last year. However, I think it

will be more than just talk. Miyamoto stated they almost showed the game off at

E3 last year. Eiji Aonuma said he wanted to show it off at Comic-con but

couldn’t fit it in with the given time available. He promised at that time…

next time he talks about it he will have something to show.

Thus, you can translate that his promise to talk about it at

E3 means he is going to show it off. So, at least a trailer, with a slight

possibility of a playable demo. If there is a playable demo, I would think a

winter release is possible. Imagine a winter featuring Smash Bros. AND Zelda U.

If that doesn’t make the Wii U one of the bestselling consoles this holiday,

nothing will.

Still, 2014 is more of a “we would like it now” sort of

dream. Chances are more likely 2015, around November. It could come out sooner,

but they try to save most blockbusters for the holiday season.

Zeldatheism: will the next game be more open world, and/or darker in tone

&themes? Also, Will you be targeting a more mature audience?

Fernando: We are

not going to be targeting anything; as much as it pains me to say it, we’re a

fan site, not Nintendo EAD. We have little to no inside information of

Nintendo’s plans for the next Zelda game.

Personally, I’d be open to anything, and would love to see a

more open world with more things to do and see. I’d also be open to any themes,

dark or colorful, as long as they fit into the core gameplay and the feel of

the game in a nice way.

Nate: As Fernando stated, we aren’t involved in the process

at all. However, we do know it will likely be more open world based on the

initial talk from Eiji Aonuma on February 2013. As for the tones and themes,

your guess is as good as mine. There was a quote at one point that said they

wanted Zelda U to be the best selling Zelda game ever made. If that is the

case, especially with the low install base, than it will assuredly be a bit

darker with a visual style that is more realistic but probably slightly more

cartoony than Twilight Princess. This would be the best shot the game would

have to possibly move 8+ million units. If it can even be done.

Robert 1996: How would you feel about a time-system in Zelda U to liven

up the world of Hyrule with side-quests and whatnot?

Fernando: I’d love it. One of the strongest points in Majora’s Mask was the clock system, and having

a world that feels that alive and so full of real, thinking, breathing people

was what made the game beautiful. I’m not sure whether Zelda U should take this approach or not, and I’m not sure if it

would work out the way it did in Majora,

but more side-quests and a world that feels more alive are always a good thing

in my opinion. Maybe a clock system would feel a little like ripping off Majora’s Mask, but that’s not really a

big concern of mine; whatever works would be welcome.

Nate: Essential. Most of the 3D Zelda games have featured

time (day, night, etc), and Majora’s Mask

featured every waking minute of the clock, but few of the quests outside of

Majora’s Mask had anything to do with the time. I could see some sort of clock

implementation opening the door to more ideas. However, I don’t see it actually

being in the game. Too many people get panicked when facing a clock. They don’t

want that kind of pressure on the player these days.

Carlos Hugo

Sandoval: Zelda U in a Nintendo Direct o Zelda U in a live presentation?

Fernando: Hopefully a live presentation—if Zelda U can have as big of an impact as Twilight Princess did with its initial

reveal, that would be amazing.

Nate: What I want: a live presentation. I think everyone

wants that. Reality is that I think it is a coin flip. Last year made sense –

why have a live event that is overshadowed by two new console reveals? There is

no new hardware to be announced by their competitors this year, so if they skip

a live show this year then they are diminishing their software value when lined

up head to head with competitors.

However, Nintendo Directs are cheaper and more controlled.

They are also the wave of the future – a day may arise where there never will

be live presentations again. Still, for now, I think Nintendo has a good shot

for another live show. They get far more attention, and they are going to go

for that attention if they feel they have the software to warrant it. Zelda, X,

Bayonetta, Smash, and any number of unannounced games could easily push them to

want to do a live show.

SwagtasticGuy: Have you beaten all the Zelda games? This includes Master

Quests, Second Quests, and Hero Modes.

Fernando: I actually lied about this on my interview for Zelda

Informer last year, but I have not played every single Zelda game. I still have to play both of the Four Swords games, and even then, I haven’t given Phantom Hourglass a fair play-through in

about six years, so my memory of it is very shaky. Other than that, yes, I’ve

played every Zelda game, most of them

multiple times. I’ve played the Master Quest for Ocarina of Time and the Hero Mode in A Link Between Worlds, but not the Hero Mode in either Skyward Sword or Wind Waker HD, because to be entirely honest, I am not very good at

video games. Difficulty is not something I find very appealing, and when I play

either of those games for a fourth or fifth time, I always choose the regular

mode.

As for the Second Quest in the original Legend of Zelda… no, I have not played it, because I do not have a

death wish.

Nate: No. Have I played and beaten all the Zelda games? Yes.

However, your definition extends beyond that. Adding in second quests, Hero

Modes, etc… you might as well be asking if I 100%’ed the whole series, which is

a big no. I am not one of those gamers that feels the desire to 100% games. I

just enjoy them for what they are. The gameplay, the story, etc.

That being said, I have beaten the second quest in TLoZ, OoT

Master Quest (both versions), and Skyward Sword Hero Mode. I have not beaten

ALBW’s hero mode yet, but I feel little desire to do so. I already got out of

that game everything I wanted to get.

That’s all for this week, folks! Remember to submit your questions next week, and we’ll be sure to answer them all!