Interview:Iwata Asks: Skyward Sword (Volume Eight: Those Who Played The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for Hundreds of Hours): Difference between revisions

Iwata Now, I'd like to do something a little different for "Iwata Asks." We had a massive amount of debuggers play Skyward Sword for hundreds of hours. Aonuma Play time of 600 to 700 hours was common, while some played as much as 1,000. Iwata Usually after playing something that much, you wouldn't ever want to see it again! But they all said they want to buy it and play it again when it comes out. Aonuma They really did. And they weren't just being polite. Iwata When I heard that, I became incredibly interested in exactly what it was they felt while debugging. What I would really like to do is invite them all and talk to them, but that's not feasible. Aonuma I'd think not. (laughs) Iwata So I proposed having them write down their opinions and reactions in order to participate in this session of "Iwata Asks" virtually. Aonuma Like the session of "Iwata Asks" to Mario Club Co., Ltd.6

Iwata Yes. We received comments from Mario Club Co., Ltd. in Japan and various people involved in debugging and translation and so on from America, Europe and South Korea. I'd like to introduce some of those comments and talk about them.

●This game was more interesting and fresher the more times I played it—in my second and third rounds. I'm fascinated by how hard it is to come up with an explanation for that.Aonuma This person from South Korea played 880 hours. Iwata That many?! And he's the first one on our list! (laughs) Aonuma Yes. (laughs) I can understand that the game gets more interesting the more you play it, but this also says it stays fresh. Iwata Usually, when you repeatedly play parts you already know, they get old. Aonuma Someone from Europe provides a concrete reason for that.

●There are different ways of solving puzzles, but I'm always surprised when I find a new way to defeat an enemy. When I change the way I do something, or do things in a different order, or move a different way by chance, I make new discoveries.Aonuma This person finds a new way of beating enemies every time. Iwata Could that be because the Wii Remote Plus7 controller increases the game's expressivity and variation?

Aonuma I think so. There's an infinite number of combinations, so when you play it multiple times, your skill improves and you naturally do something different even in the same place. And when you try something new, you make a new discovery. Iwata So that's why they still want to play even after hundreds of hours. Aonuma They can sense that there are things they haven't done yet. Iwata I think that is without precedent for single-player games. Aonuma During debugging, I played the same places multiple times myself and didn't mind. Iwata Why do you think that was? Aonuma Well, in my case, one factor was that the game was still under development, so it improved rapidly, but I wanted to try out strategies I had heard about or seen others do. Sometimes I was doing something lame when a much smarter solution was available! (laughs) Iwata I see. (laughs) The folks in Mario Club Co., Ltd. are experienced and can easily find the optimal way to master the game. It's quite something that they're saying, "There's more depth there."

It's exhilarating to use your head in battle to skillfully defeat an opponent. The battles are a lot of fun. Iwata This is a refreshing comment to me. I appreciate the way it expresses the appeal of the game so straightforwardly. Aonuma That's right. I told the overseas media that even the battles involve puzzle-solving. Those words came out very naturally. Iwata In addition to the puzzles prepared by the developers, this game also has limitless puzzle-solving in the battles. Aonuma Unlike battles carried out by pushing buttons, you can try all sorts of moves and discover how your opponents' reactions change accordingly. Those in the media also said that is fun. Iwata That is common to everyone. Aonuma Yes. The Legend of Zelda was originally a single-player game, but I've always thought that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword may be more fun played together with others. Iwata Why do you think that? Aonuma I wonder how others play, but I also want to show how I play. I think that feeling will naturally arise in those who play the game from now on. Friends and siblings and other family members having a good time playing together isn't something that was possible in previous games in the series, but I'm sure it must be fun. Iwata And aside from really sharp fighting methods, you may make some new discoveries by wildly swinging the sword around.

●In the first few moments, when Link has the sword in his hands, I was surprised by the sense of immersion as I was playing the game.  

●My attitude towards Link has changed compared to previous games in the series. Before, I was controlling Link, but this time I become Link myself. That is totally different. Aonuma That first comment is from the leader in charge of the French translation. Iwata We can imagine him getting used to the Wii Remote Plus as he describes his experience. Aonuma People in Europe wrote about what they experienced as if it were a story. Reading their comments, how they felt comes across. It was like they couldn't go without expressing their exact feelings as they were absorbed in the world of the game. Iwata The second comment is by someone who played the game 20 times! Aonuma He mentions becoming Link. That's deep. Iwata In The Legend of Zelda, you can see Link on the screen, so it's in third-person perspective8, but this person felt a unison with Link. Aonuma Until now, there has been a fixed idea that unless a game is first-person perspective9, there are limits to how much you can get into it. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword may be able to overturn that.