Miyamoto Went Sour at First A Link Between Worlds Idea

[roseofbattle]

Miyamoto Went Sour at First A Link Between Worlds Idea

The room went cold when the Zelda team approached Miyamoto with its initial idea for Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds.

Before the team had pinned down the current idea for upcoming Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, the game had a vague theme of communication. Presenting this idea to Miyamoto, the Nintendo veteran lay down a harsh ruling: "This sounds like an idea that's 20 years old."

Originally, A Link Between Worlds was going to be an extension of the DS Zelda games, using an angled overhead perspective, and Link had a Toon Link design. It wasn't until a later brainstorming session that the team chose to add Link's ability to enter walls.

A Link Between Worlds was put to rest for development of Skyward Sword and Wii U launch titles. Producer Eiji Aonuma revived the project on his own while other team members were busy. Kentaro Tominaga, assistant director and plan leader, created some dungeons using the wall-entering ability just for Miyamoto to tear apart-again. At this point, Miyamoto suggested tying the game into A Link to the Past. This is what led the team to use the top-down perspective.

The game went through months of tweaking, and core team members had to persuade others to give serious consideration to new additions, such as the game running at 60 frames per second and the designing of the world based on A Link to the Past.

"The ones who undertook [rethinking conventions] were younger developers," Aonuma said, "and during development, I often exclaimed, 'We can do that?!'"

Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds launches for 3DS Nov. 22.

Source: Iwata Asks [http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/3ds/a-link-between-worlds/0/0]


Permalink

 

[josemlopes]

I loled at "This sounds like an idea that's 20 years old." coming from Miyamoto, his games may still have some creative features but are dated (not particularly in a bad way) as fuck in their core design.

 

[Alpha Maeko]

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to Majora's Twilight Ocarina Past the Awakened Four Skyward Swords and into the Wind

Go forth and make this.

 

[Someone Depressing]

An idea that sounds at least 20 years old you say?

Like, every single Zelda game since Wind Waker?

I have a bad feeling about this game.

 

[Jumwa]

I have a bad feeling about this game.

You must've missed the part where that was the rejected idea that wasn't used.

My only problems with the Zelda titles since Wind Waker is how they are overly bloated. Too much forced content to hit those ridiculous hour/dungeon milestones that fans demand. I wish they would go for a more Elder Scrolls style, where the main story is a more manageable length, with a lot of extra optional content. That and they've gotten too hard.

Skyward Sword was brutally tough.

 

[MysticSlayer]

So first Miyamoto complained about the game sounding like one presented 20 years ago...

And then he goes and tells them to link it to a game that was released 20 years ago?

Regardless, I don't really mind that a lot of Nintendo's games are somewhat dated. Still, I'm wondering what Miyamoto was thinking during and between those two meetings.

 

[Double A]

I have a bad feeling about this game.

You must've missed the part where that was the rejected idea that wasn't used.

My only problems with the Zelda titles since Wind Waker is how they are overly bloated. Too much forced content to hit those ridiculous hour/dungeon milestones that fans demand. I wish they would go for a more Elder Scrolls style, where the main story is a more manageable length, with a lot of extra optional content. That and they've gotten too hard.

Skyward Sword was brutally tough.

I just whatted three times. Too hard? Zelda games have been getting easier. The only time I ever felt challenged in Skyward Sword was the first Ghirahim fight because I had no idea how to hurt him for a good ten minutes - after that, it was easy. The final boss took roughly a minute of wiimote flailing to defeat. There were only two other instances I had trouble with - those shadow realm sequences, because they're sorta timed and involve stealth (while I like to explore), and the last fight against the Imprisoned, because it requires flawless timing.

I do understand that you and I don't have the same level of skill, though, and I feel like any conflict can be easily resolved by a hard mode, like giving bosses an extra round or two and causing their attacks to be more damaging in the later stages of the game (but balanced so not every enemy when you only have three heart containers is practically a miniboss). I mainly want to see harder puzzles, though, they are extremely easy in SS.

 

[Colt47]

I'm actually not too surprised about the original idea being shot down and forcing the developers to come up with something more creative. Nintendo has always valued their "core" series and try to build each new game as a brand new experience. This is something that EA and Activision are pretty much the polar opposite on with their core series, constantly churning out the same game over and over again with a few new features thrown in.

Now if only they could bring about a Metroid universe space sim. The setting is just begging for one!

 

[Jumwa]

I just whatted three times. Too hard? Zelda games have been getting easier. The only time I ever felt challenged in Skyward Sword was the first Ghirahim fight because I had no idea how to hurt him for a good ten minutes - after that, it was easy. The final boss took roughly a minute of wiimote flailing to defeat. There were only two other instances I had trouble with - those shadow realm sequences, because they're sorta timed and involve stealth (while I like to explore), and the last fight against the Imprisoned, because it requires flawless timing.

I do understand that you and I don't have the same level of skill, though, and I feel like any conflict can be easily resolved by a hard mode, like giving bosses an extra round or two and causing their attacks to be more damaging in the later stages of the game (but balanced so not every enemy when you only have three heart containers is practically a miniboss). I mainly want to see harder puzzles, though, they are extremely easy in SS.

It's tough for gamers who have been playing the series for a long time to gauge how difficult it is now, as we've been there every step of the way, adapting and honing our skills at it with each new iteration. I will stand firmly by my assertion that the series has gotten considerably tougher, however, from the perspective of someone who were to pick up Ocarina of Time and Skyward Sword for their first time.

Though my biggest issue is just the bloat and repetition. I don't get much time for gaming anymore now that my life is full with running a business, and I don't have much time for mastering games or doing a lot of filler content. When I game I wanna relax, and I don't want to feel my time is wasted doing repetitious drudgery.

But that's my perspective, I probably wouldn't find the new Zeldas very hard at all if not for the fact when I fail at something and have to repeat part of a dungeon it means yet more time tacked on to the tediously long bloat of filler content. That's probably adding to my annoyance.

I'm hopeful that this new handheld Zelda avoids the issues of the console versions, however.

 

[Elvis Starburst]

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to Majora's Twilight Ocarina Past the Awakened Four Skyward Swords and into the Wind

Go forth and make this.

That name sounds wonderful to say out loud XD

OT: I'm excited for this game~ Funny Miyamoto actually didn't like it at first

 

[ThunderCavalier]

A top down Zelda game?

... Why not? Those were fun.

 

[Scrythe]

I'm not naming names, but not too long ago I got into a fight on these forums over Miyamoto's "Copy and Paste" approach to game design.

If this isn't clear-cut evidence of that, then I don't know what could convince you other than a hand-written document sign from Miyamoto himself, with is own blood mixed in the ink, because this is really fucking cookie-cutter design right here.