Interview:Eurogamer June 14th 2013: Difference between revisions

{{Interview/A|Aonuma|After Wind Waker was released I heard all of the voices and opinions that came from the people who actually played it after it had launched. I carried those opinions, those ideas and thoughts about Wind Waker, when I worked on subsequent games as well.<br><br>So when the decision was made to make an [[The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD|HD version]], using the power of HD and thinking about the toon-shading and how that would be effective, I'm certainly very excited about making the kind of adjustments so many said that they wanted after the first one was released.<br><br>After the [[Nintendo GameCube|GameCube]] version was released it wouldn't have been the right time to make those adjustments based on how people thought the game played. But now we have the [[Nintendo Wii U|Wii U]], a system that is more powerful, has more powerful graphics and the [[Nintendo Wii U#GamePad|GamePad]]. So I'm hoping that in addition to making the changes that people wanted from the GameCube version, we can do things even beyond what people expected.}}

{{Interview/A|Aonuma|It was certainly a new graphical presentation - the Zelda world with its toon-shading, and also the younger, smaller [[Link]]. We heard the opinions of those Zelda fans that were somewhat critical at that time. They were saying that they didn't want it, quite frankly.<br><br>But now with the HD power, the shading, we're hoping to really bring a new graphical presentation to this product that, yes, when it was released some were negative about. We hope to bring those people back.}}

{{Interview/A|Aonuma|The higher speed option that we're including in the HD version is actually an option - you can turn it on and off. The reason we added it was because there were people who were irritated that it took longer than they wanted to reach their destination.<br><br>So, like I said, it is an option. If you want to take your time and make it a more leisurely experience you can do so. I think there's value in that. But we've also tuned that as well - so even if you don't use the high-speed option, if you use the GameCube version's speed, that experience should also be optimised as well.}}

{{Interview/A|Aonuma|I've received many questions about additional content beyond what was in the GameCube version of the game, but our desire is to stay true of the story that was in the original. If we add dungeons then that will affect other parts of the GameCube version, which we really want to stay true to.<br><br>If it felt like there were maybe too few dungeons then I feel that what was wrong with the GameCube version was the pacing. It was thrown off because it took longer to get to certain dungeons. There was a waiting period, and then when you arrived there the experience maybe didn't feel as big as you'd waited so long to get there. We're tuning the game to alleviate all that. The pacing should feel appropriate to the overall experience this time. And, quite honestly, those dungeons we removed we used in other games so we can't use them in this version!}}

{{Interview/A|Aonuma|The thought was that we wanted to make a top-view Zelda with the concept that every once in a while Link would enter the wall, and only at that time would it become a 3D experience.<br><br>We figured that if we used this Link to the Past world, this architecture and structure in place, we could create it even more quickly. There's also a lot more to explore in that environment, so we felt that world would be a great starting point. So if we say it's a sequel to A Link to the Past, it's easier for players to understand where we're coming from and our starting point for this story. It also felt like that story was really well suited for a sequel.}}

{{Interview/A|Aonuma|In saying it's not a single-player or lone experience, I didn't necessarily mean multiplayer. There has actually been multiplayer in Zelda games, in [[The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords|Four Swords]] for example. But for example in Wind Waker, with the [[Tingle Bottle]] - it's not a traditional multiplayer experience but you certainly have the feeling that other people are exploring the same world and sharing information.<br><br>So that's one way that I meant that it's not a single-player experience. We'll continue to explore different ways of opening up this world beyond a single-player experience, but that's not necessarily to say that there will be typical multiplayer.}}

{{Interview/A|Aonuma|We're certainly looking at different ways to add on content that would enhance the experience for the user - maybe more places to explore or just to enrich the experience beyond what is on the disc. But we also have to take into consideration that if we charge for this content then it needs to be worth it for the user.<br><br>So it's certainly a balancing an act, but I can't say that it is something we're not considering.}}

{{Interview/A|Aonuma|This also is the unique thing we're always looking for. What we want to do is - you know you're going along and you think you know what's happening, then we turn everything on its head and everything goes nuts.<br><br>In Twilight Princess you have the dark world, in Majora's Mask you have that strange world - we're not hitting in any particular direction. It's whatever direction suits that particular story and what we're trying to achieve.}}

{{Interview/A|Aonuma|I don't know if we are joking when we do this or not, but there are times when I'll discuss with [[Shigeru Miyamoto|Mr. Miyamoto]] about putting Link and Zelda in the modern day world. What types of gameplay would there be? What changes would there be in the presentation of the story? But I honestly can't imagine them there.<br><br>It's not that we place them in any specific time period or in any specific culture. If you look at what happens in Zelda games there's a mix of Japanese and what might be considered Western things. It also allows us a lot of flexibility if you don't define a specific time period or location for the story to take place in. I don't see us making any drastic changes, unless it really suits the story.}}

{{Interview/A|Aonuma|Skyrim! [For some reason mention of Bethesda's fantasy epic tickles him, and he laughs.] Obviously I play other games, and I'm curious what Zelda fans like about the Skyrim experience. Maybe there are some Zelda fans who are looking for something similar out of a Zelda game.<br><br>But I don't look at the technology that made these games possible. I don't look at what's happening in the game, but how it made me feel, what in the game moved me, and how I can bring out those same emotions in players who play my games. My intent isn't to copy them, but those are the things that stay with you as a player.<br><br>It's not what you see but how the game makes you feel that makes you feel closer to the experience. It's more about the feeling and expression of emotions in the game, and I do take that into consideration when working on my own projects.<br><br>It's like the difference between someone who takes a picture and looks at that picture when drawing a painting, and someone who sees something, keeps it in their head and then tries to recreate that.}}

{{Interview/A|Aonuma|I've been asked about new franchises and I think it'd be great if we could find another one. I think it's necessary for us to create new experiences and characters for fans to latch on to. But we've also got these great existing series that fans ask for new games for. So we've got to maintain these existing franchises while at the same time finding and creating these new IPs. That's a lot of work, it is very challenging.<br><br>I am part of the old guard at Nintendo, and I feel like it's also my responsibility to raise the new employees and really hone their skills to find that new IP for us. It's certainly something we're always trying to do - to empower the next generation to engage their minds and come up with that new special thing for Nintendo. But a lot of it is luck, a lot of it is chance. If you know of anyone, please give me a call!}}

{{Interview/A|Aonuma|We have newer, younger directors that we're bringing into the trenches that are replacing some of us old guard, some of whom are moving into different roles. But we've got to maintain our existing franchises and make sure they're doing well, while having a team of people looking for and exploring new opportunities.<br><br>We need to really figure out how to strike that balance and resources are always limited everywhere. It's just striking that balance between committing a group of people to search for new things while maintaining existing franchises.<br><br>That's not to put the responsibility entirely on them. It's also my responsibility to try and find answers for these new directors - new projects for them to work on that will give birth to the new awesome IP we've all been waiting for.<br><br>But timing is tricky. I've got Zelda to take care of, and I've also got to do this, too. Timing is going to be key on when I can pull myself off Zelda to do this.}}