Home > ONM Interview with Eiji Aonuma!
Below is an excerpt from an Official Nintendo Magazine interview with Eiji Aonuma;
ONM: What's the significance of the game's title and how does it relate to the piece of artwork that was released at E3 in 2009?
Eiji Aonuma: Did you happen to watch the trailer? That last scene where Link dives off the big cliff and goes flying through the clouds is a key hint as to the connection between the game and the Skyward Sword title.
Link lives on Skyloft, a series of floating islands that are above the clouds. He's a normal kid living up on these islands above the clouds, but then an incident occurs and Link is forced to travel to the land beneath the clouds. This other world below the clouds has been captured and is being ruled by evil forces. So he has to go down there and start his adventure. The juxtapositon between the two worlds is very important.
What leads Link on this adventure is the Skyward Sword and when that Sword is actively guiding Link, it actually transforms into a feminine figure. I wouldn't say that it's female per se but it's a feminine figure.
ONM: Is this a major reboot for the series then?
EA: It's hard to introduce major changes to the Zelda gameplay, and one of the reasons for this is that we have some traditional elements that we have protected and continued throughout the series. You have a field, you have dungeons and there is a distinction between which area you are in and which style of gameplay you are participating in. So what we've tried to do is to introduce some new elements - this time we have larger fields and there are dungeons that don't really feel like dungeons but will incorporate some of those elements. So we are reimagining some of the traditional gameplay elements.
ONM: Will there be any famous Zelda characters in the game?
EA: I believe there might be! We really haven't decided whether certain characters will re-appear or not appear. One of the things we talked about with our staff is how a character could be used in this game or would it be fun to tie in a connection that the fans would be appreciative of? I am pretty much letting the team decide how and when we implement that sort of thing.
ONM: Is developing for a 3D console more demanding?
EA: One of the things that I want to take up further going forward is how playing in 3D effects things - does it make you tired? Do you want to create a game where players are sitting in front of their systems for a long period of time? Obviously there are things that can be done in 3D but we don't have to shoehorn it in.
If it's beneficial, of course we'll want to use it. So what I would like to do is to take a look at what other people are doing out there, see what the reaction is, then go back and figure out exactly what I want out of 3D.
ONM: Would you ever work on another franchise?
EA: I probably have to at some point! The problem is that when I start thinking about new ideas and new gameplay elements I end up incorporating them into a Zelda title! For me to be able to create a non-Zelda title I might have to take a leave of absence for a year and go away from the company and do it!
Check out the source link for full interview.
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