Interview:Edge June 6th 2013: Difference between revisions

{{Interview/A|Aonuma|I didn't make the original, but it was the first game I played that opened up my eyes to all the things a videogame can be. It's the game that inspired me to make games.<br><br>When the [[Nintendo 3DS|3DS]] came along, I thought it would be cool to make a 2D-style Zelda game that you could play in 3D – it seemed like a challenge. In the meantime, one of our younger staff had this idea of giving [[Link]] the ability to turn into a painting and walk around the walls. While I was thinking about how best to implement that idea, I thought it might be interesting to combine that side-on view with the top-down view of A Link To The Past. So we arrived at the idea of making a new game set in the existing world of A Link To The Past. More than the world or whatever else, the main thing I wanted to get back to was the jaunty tempo of a top-down game. In a 2D Zelda game, you can zip through the stage at a faster pace, which brings the action to the fore. I wanted players to revisit that style.}}

{{Interview/A|Aonuma|Each time we make a new Zelda game, we're aware that if we change it too much, the fans will feel it is too much of a departure from the series. But if we don't change the game systems, then there's nothing new to enjoy. So it's all about expanding the ways to play while still making a Zelda game.<br><br>This new title will feature lots of things that are new to the series; right at the start of the game, there's a big surprise that will shock players. We started out with the new play mechanics, such as Link being able to become a painting and walk along the walls, and then figured out from there how to build a story around them. Rather than forcing elements of the original story into this one, we've instead focused on bringing back the characters, so you can see what happened to them after the events of the first game.}}

{{Interview/A|Aonuma|The truth is that the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]] version used lots of sneaky tricks to portray that 2D world [laughs]. For example, when you had a lot of trees, you could see the roots as well as the treetops, but in reality you can't see the roots of a tree from above. However, if you can't see the roots then it's difficult to navigate the field, so we had to show them this time, too. So again there are lots of sneaky tricks in this version.<br><br>The staff were split between those who thought we might have to stick rigidly to the world of the original and those who thought we should make something completely new. But those discussions led us to conclude that some things were worth keeping and others were worth changing. For example, some enemies and their attacks worked differently in a 2D space than they do in 3D, and with the new game's extra level of depth. So we took each element on its own merits.}}

{{Interview/A|Aonuma|Well, there are players who don't like 3D and always keep it switched off, so there's nothing in the game that absolutely requires 3D, like puzzles that can't be solved without it.<br><br>The problem with the gyros is that moving the 3DS destabilises the 3D effect, so we're avoiding that. But the game runs at 60fps, while all the 3D games up till now have run at 30fps. The faster the framerate, the more stable the 3D effect, so 60fps is a big deal. And, of course, we'll take advantage of there being two screens, so that you have the map on the bottom screen and can change items by touching and so on.}}

{{Interview/A|Aonuma|The thing I was most excited about was the 3D worlds Nintendo was creating for [[Nintendo 64|N64]], and thinking about how best to explore the new boundaries and turn that into a Zelda game. I found it fascinating and so much fun. And after I finished making the game's final battle with [[Ganondorf]] and the ending, I cried.<br><br>I remember getting a letter from a schoolgirl who had paralysis on one side of her body. Her mum had given her a copy of Ocarina Of Time to keep her occupied in the hospital, and she was inspired by Link to not give up. She started to put more effort into her rehab, and she regained the ability to walk again. I realised from that letter the power of games to move people, and the importance of never making a game halfheartedly.}}