What Is Zelda Now? Aonuma Responds

One thing that interviewers have asked Aonuma a lot over the years is “what is the essence of

Zelda?”—and with Hyrule Warriors coming out and Aonuma talking about changing the conventions of Zelda, those questions are only going to increase. So, it’s no surprise that in a recent, extensive interview Aonuma was asked that key question, “How do you define Zelda?“

Schreier: Something we’ve been talking about a little bit is, with Zelda going in so many interesting different directions, like Hyrule Warriors and the new open-world game, what exactly is Zelda now? I think the answer to that question might have been different a few years ago, but in the abstract, what do you see Zelda as? How do you define Zelda?”

Aonuma: “I think it’s both complicated and wonderfully appealing at the same time. You know, people have asked me how I’ve been able to work on something so complicated and complex for so long, and my answer is always ‘This is all that I know.’ I think, especially in recent years, Zelda has proven to be something really flexible. I’ll explain that a little bit. In Link Between Worlds, there’s a scene with baseball in it, which doesn’t always fit with all environments. In contrast, in the trailer the other day you saw a beam, like a laser almost, come out of an object, so I feel like it’s got a lot of flexibility. It’s defined, but it’s also loose and flexible. And I also think it has a lot of potential.”

What I find most interesting about Aonuma’s response is the fact that he views

The Legend of Zelda as such a flexible franchise. While Zelda always has been a revered fantasy epic, it never has taken itself too seriously. That’s why you can have everything from baseballs to lasers in the series. Overall, I think it’s great that the person in charge of Zelda sees it this way, as the more flexible he views the series, the more creative he can be. In the Nintendo Digital Event, Reggie Fils-Aime said, “There’s nothing wrong with having a little fun“—and it seems Aonuma views things the same way. Though, we already knew that.

Source: Kotaku