Interview:Game Informer March 9th 2007

With Twilight Princess out the door and Phantom Hourglass approaching release, Nintendo's Zelda master Eiji Aonuma hasn't missed a beat since he took the helm of the franchise. While we weren't able to go into too much detail about future details of the Zelda franchise due to the company's stock situation, we get a retrospective look at Twilight Princess, an update on the status of Phantom Hourglass (it's almost done), and the future of the franchise on both the Nintendo DS and Wii.

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GameInformer: Let's start out talking about Twilight Princess. Looking back at Twilight Princess, were you happy with how everything turned out in the end?

Eiji Aonuma: Yes, in North America to hear that most people who bought Wiis also bought copies of Twilight Princess for me makes me feel as if the hard work paid off.

GameInformer: Originally, as most people know, the game was supposed to come out for the GameCube–solely on the GameCube. How far were you into development of the GameCube version of the game when the whole Wii concept was brought up?

Eiji Aonuma: We were actually at the finishing stages, adding the finishing touches on the GameCube version, when Miyamoto made the Wii announcement and explained the features on it. After hearing those, we thought that it may be a good move for us to create a Wii version as well, so we started to work on a Wii version of the game about a year before it was released.

GameInformer: So that was basically around Tokyo Game Show 2005? (ed: September 2005)

Eiji Aonuma: Yes, around that time.

GameInformer: GameCube had the power to do progressive scan and widescreen with other games, why was the widescreen not possible for Twilight Princess on the GameCube?

Eiji Aonuma: If you try to show that much more of the screen on the GameCube, the CPU can't really handle it. But the Wii can handle it, so we did do it on the Wii.

GameInformer: This is the first game you've really experimented with widescreen. Is this something that you plan on continuing with?

Eiji Aonuma: Having created a game with 16:9, I don't think I could ever go back. It's just a richer experience.

GameInformer: I remember after Wind Waker was out and we had our first interview about Twilight Princess, originally there was not a plan for widescreen for the GameCube version and we talked about that, and I was like, "please do it!" It was nice to see that was something you added.

Eiji Aonuma: (laughs) Ah, yes! I remember that!

GameInformer: I think it was right after I got a new TV. (laughs) With Wind Waker, you had to cut a few dungeons out of the game to have it released on time–was there anything that you had to cut for Twilight Princess?

Eiji Aonuma: With Wind Waker, it wasn't that we removed dungeons because of time constraints or anything like that. Actually, we thought that there was just too much volume. So we reduced it to something that we thought was much more manageable to the end user. But having released it, we heard from North American end users that there wasn't enough and they wanted more. So with Twilight Princess, we added one more dungeon than was in Ocarina of Time.

GameInformer: We always want more. (laughs) Many people thought—at least this is what I read in reviews—that there was this "been there, done that" kind of thing, because it was Hyrule based, and Twilight Princess was this spiritual successor to Ocarina of Time. Would you like to continue in the future in Hyrule, or would you like to venture to other places or other lands.

Eiji Aonuma: With regard to the games kind of feeling similar, with Twilight Princess the scale is so large that in order to make sense of this space I spoke to members of my staff, and we thought it was still probably best to make the focal point Hyrule. Because this time, you have the realistic Link the game experience is completely different. So it shouldn't feel like "been there, done that"—it should feel like a completely different adventure in a new setting. But Phantom Hourglass is not going to take place in Hyrule.

GameInformer: Will we ever see Midna again?

Eiji Aonuma: (laughs) Do you like Midna?

GameInformer: I loved that character. I was very skeptical at first. She was a cool character. She was different. It's fun seeing Link get messed with, I guess. I was sad at the end of the game. It was a very good moment at the end of the game.

Eiji Aonuma: (laughs) In Japanese, there's a phrase called "tsundere," which means in the beginning you're kind of snobby and cruel, but towards the end your shell kind of breaks off and you become sort of sappy. Women with that kind of personality, I think guys are really attracted to. Both Miyamoto-san and myself are quite fond of characters like that.

GameInformer: Sounds like a lot of my ex-girlfriends, actually. (laughs)

Eiji Aonuma: (laughs) Because of the way Twilight Princess ended, I don't see her making a reappearance, but who knows. If we hear enough voices for her to come back, how can we not.

GameInformer: Have a lot of people asked about her in other interviews?

Eiji Aonuma: There weren't many Midna questions. There was one.

GameInformer: Now that you've finished with Twilight Princess and have your first Wii title under your belt, was there anything that you didn't put in the game, or gesture-based controls with the Wiimote and Nunchuk in afterthought that you go, "Oh this would be cool for the next one."

Eiji Aonuma: I knew that the Wii was capable of many more controls than we added to the Wii version of Twilight Princess. I was kind of afraid of adding too many, because I didn't want to confuse the end user or make the game intimidating. Moving forward, though, that was a launch title so we had to keep it kind of "at the basics," but moving forward I can definitely see us incorporating more controls into the game.

GameInformer: I was at Koji Kondo's speech yesterday, and I'm a huge fan of his. He showed a lot of old clips of previous Zelda games, and one was Wind Waker. Seeing that old toon-shaded link, I was like, "Oh I miss that on the console." Are you planning on keeping the toon shaded link on portables and then the realistic Link on Wii?

Eiji Aonuma: When a player plays on a large screen, to make them feel like they're actually a part of it I think that requires something very different from a small screen, where the player is interacting with a stylus. The big screen has to be convincing, so for that I think the realistic Link fits really well. The toon-shading style looks like a moving animation, so letting the player control that at their fingertips works out really well, too. So that might be the direction I'm going in.

GameInformer: Talking again about Phantom Hourglass, I guess it was a year ago this time that the game was announced and we got to play it at E3, and we get to play the multiplayer aspect here. It was also announced that when the DS was first shown that there was a Four Swords Zelda game also coming to the DS. Are you think of incorporating the Four Swords concept into Phantom Hourglass as a sub-game much like when you released Link to the Past for GBA?

Eiji Aonuma: I remember talking about that game. I think there was something lost in translation. The staff of Four Swords Adventures is working on Phantom Hourglass, not that we're creating a Four Swords Adventure game for the DS.

GameInformer: Ahhhh. There was a Four Swords game listed on the product list when the DS was originally revealed.

Eiji Aonuma: At the time, we were thinking of creating a multiplayer Zelda game for the Nintendo DS, and right now the multiplayer is on the show floor. That is something that we're always working on.

GameInformer: Will there be multiple multiplayer modes for Phantom Hourglass? Like mini-games?

Eiji Aonuma: In the single-player game, the actual amount of data there is quite large. If we were to add too many multiplayer games, it would start to effect how much gameplay there is in the single player. So even within the single player, we're having to limit the number of maps we use to the most interesting. That's not to reduce variation but we want the players to experience each map to its fullest. So it's actually enhancing gameplay as opposed to limiting it.

GameInformer: Is there only one multiplayer mode?

Eiji Aonuma: Yes, but there's also going to be a tag mode. So there will be variation.

GameInformer: Right now its one-on-one. Will there be more than one-on-one play?

Eiji Aonuma: No. I would like everyone to battle one-on-one.

GameInformer: Will you be able to battle over the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection?

Eiji Aonuma: Yes.

GameInformer: How far into development is Phantom Hourglass?

Eiji Aonuma: We're actually in the fine-tuning and polishing stages of development. When I get home, the first thing I have to do without taking any breaks at all is get into the office and see that it gets done.

GameInformer: I know you haven't announced a release date, but it's safe to say the game is almost done then, right?

Eiji Aonuma: Yes, I'd like to finish it. (laughs)

GameInformer: Will it be released in Japan first?

Eiji Aonuma: Yes.

GameInformer: You know I play Zelda games in Japanese first.

Eiji Aonuma: Let's battle over Wi-Fi! (laughs)

GameInformer: That would be great! I'll send you my friend code! (laughs) How big of an adventure is Phantom Hourglass, and how long do you think the average gamer will take to play through the game?

Eiji Aonuma: Because this game is on a handheld, the approach has been a little different than with the Wii or the GameCube. In this Zelda, there are several islands, and each kind of has its own story. It's pretty full because of this, and we'll explain more how this works closer to release. There are some dungeons that you'll have to play more than once. It's a very full, fleshed-out game.

GameInformer: Is it safe to say that you have two Zelda teams? One for portables and one for consoles?

Eiji Aonuma: Yes. However, it's not as though there are always two teams. If there's multiple projects, then that's how many teams there needs to be. It all is kind of one giant Zelda team. Depending on the needs of the department and other departments, if there are other projects going on that are not Zelda that require manpower then they're sent out.

GameInformer: Capcom has traditionally been the team that's done portable Zelda titles previously. You've worked on Four Swords, obviously, and Minish Cap a bit. But what was it like working on a full-fledged portable Zelda title?

Eiji Aonuma: Whether I'm creating a game for the handheld or a console the thinking is always the same—I'm always thinking about the experience for the game player. Because the screen is smaller, the graphics might look different, and the interface is different so we always have to keep that in mind. It's always the essential gameplay that I keep in mind.

GameInformer: Are you intrigued to get back to work on a new Zelda game for the Wii?

Eiji Aonuma: I am always looking forward to making new things, and because the Wii is a new piece of hardware there are so many possibilities with that I am looking forward to also creating games for it. But I don't know if I can handle it physically right now. (laughs) I need a little break.

GameInformer: You'll have to ask Mr. Miyamoto to stop "upending the tea table!"

Eiji Aonuma: (laughs)