New Iwata Asks, Details, Gameplay & More!

Posted on October 31 2011 by Vince

As on schedule, another Iwata asks segment has been released on the Skyward Sword official site. In volume 3 of this Iwata asks segment many new and interesting details were revealed, including a couple of new details on new enemies, and some gameplay. We have received a rough translation which can be viewed after the jump. We’ll be sure to constantly update you with more information as we receive it. Also, stay tuned for the official translation coming soon. Minor spoilers are sure to follow so take caution in clicking that read more button.

Be sure to jump inside for some details and gameplay.

Along with the new flood of details, the new segment featured about 3 minutes of new gameplay which you may view below.

Volcano game field included because they wanted an area that had ups and downs to provide a wide variety of gameplay
A mountain was an obvious choice for this
This is in contrast to the forest field that is a flat plane
Volcano chosen over a mountain since it offers new ideas for gameplay
Tominaga thought about combining the Stamina Dash with ups and downs
He believed he could make something fun based around slopes
Scramble up steep mountain slopes with dash
Wanted players to be able to look down from up on high
Link can climb up at a good pace
Previous mountains in Zelda games had to be a zigzag, so it took awhile to climb up high
Tominga hopes players enjoy the scenery as they make their way up
Lava bubbles up in the dungeons and the game field
Lava goes up and down in some places
Have to empty the lava in some areas to progress
Oyama tried numerous effects for when Link falls into lava
It’s not as serious as Link falling into the lava as in Twilight Princess, but not as comical as in Wind Waker
It was similar to Twilight Princess early on, but the staff told Oyama, “This time isn’t like that” and “It doesn’t feel right”
Tried to make it look like Link was hot rather than being in pain
Key item at the volcano is the bomb
Bomb is the first item you get in the volcano game field
Bombs will explode if you’re not careful
Enemies will roll down a hill once they’re defeated rather than explode
Bokoblins fire arrows at you or throw rocks
They say “Foogyah” once they’ve found you, so you know they’ve found you
It looks like they’re grinning when the Bokoblins trample on you
They aren’t really, it just looks that way
Bokoblins can react in surprising ways
Dev. team gave the Bokoblins a touch of humanity
There are different types of Bokoblins
Bokoblins in the forest are primitive-looking
Bokoblins in the desert are in a slightly different style with surprisingly modern weapons
One walks around with a lantern
Another has a sword crackling with electricity
If his attack gets blocked, it shocks him and he can’t move for awhile
Different groups created for each field – forest, volcano, desert
Bokoblins are in every game field
They shout “Neeaahh!” as they come down off the ropes
Link can swing his sword in any direction, so the team came up with as much variation in enemy movement as possible
Bokoblins appointed to be Link’s opponent in sword battles
Oyama believes the enemies in this game have really evolved
When fighting Ghirahim, you need to look at his anticipatory movements and dodge, block, parry with your sword
Shield Attack: when it looks like an enemy will beat you, hold out your left hand and attack with the shield
If you don’t do it right, the Shield gauge goes down
Made this way since Link would be too strong otherwise
Because Link doesn’t talk, Fi was necessary to represent Link’s emotions and explain the world of the game
Fi acts as a sidekick, but she is a character with personality
Team made it so when you first entered a new field, Fi would explain the area, such as what kind of place it was and offer warnings
Emphasis that Link isn’t alone on his journey
Events occur that make you realize how important Fi is to Link
Oyama asked to work on connecting elements because when each area was taking shape, Fujibayashi noticed that the connections between various areas weren’t very good
“gang leader system”: when Fujibayashi couldn’t handle all the work or when things were beyond his ability, he appointed “gang leaders” to polish it up
Fi’s messages focusing on each area were written by planners, so differences in Fi’s verbal mannerisms arose
Oyama appointed as a gang leader to handle dungeon entrances
When you first enter the volcano dungeon, there’s an effect like a wall of heat hitting you
That effect is only seen the first time you enter; otherwise it’s the “tump-tump-tump” atmosphere from the original Zelda
A great deal of effort was put into dungeon entrances; frames were adjusted even slightly
The next time you go to the volcano, the Bow is the featured item rather than Bombs
Shoot enemies far away
Have to advance while protecting a certain character the next time around in this area
Bokoblins with bows/arrows also show up
They will fight back if Link shoots an arrow
You’ll know where the good places to hide are since it’s your second time around
A lot of effort put into Ghirahim as well to realize new gameplay using MotionPlus
Tominaga put in as much effort into Ghirahim as into the Bokoblins
Some enemies will respond in ways you never imagined
Team slipped in some low-key elements to make gameplay comfortable
If you cut Chuchu horizontally, they divide up and down; they divide left/right if you slice vertically
If they divide into upper/lower halves, they just fall back together
If they divide into left and right halves, they become two separate Chuchus
Players may fight the Chuchus difficult to defeat
Cut them horizontally so they split into upper/lower halves in midair; before they rejoin, vertically slash them to finish them off
Link Catching on Fire is done for a comical effect, similar to situations in The Wind Waker
Running up steep hills in bursts gives you a chance to stop and enjoy the scenery, was an intended effect.
Bokoblins are designed to have different reactions depending on what item you have equipped
An example of this you can see in the footage when Link uses his slingshot on the ones holding boulders
Bokoblin may have been one of the first enemies created for the game
Bokoblins are intended to fight with primitive weapons in the forest, but more advanced ones in the desert
Shield meter was created to balance the effectiveness of the Shield Bash move, and to naturally add a bit of risk in using the shield to defend
Even if you don’t know the pattern of the enemies yet, Fi will give you a hint
Bow and Arrow designed to work with the new vertical depth
The Blob enemy is referred to as a ChuChu, though this may not be what the English translation ultimately says