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Eiji Aonuma apologizes for the Water Temple in OoT, speaks a bit of Spirit Tracks, mentions his career at Nintendo and yet again reveals some new info on Zelda Wii (that will create much more speculation).
Eiji Aonuma, director of the Legend of Zelda franchise, has an apology to make. “The Water Temple in the Ocarina of Time was notorious for being very tough to conquer,” he says. “I am most sorry that it was not easy for you to put on and take off the heavy boots; that all the time you had to visit the inventory.
“I am,” he continues, genuine regret evident in his tone, “very sorry about that. I should have made it much easier to switch to the heavy boots.”
His favourite among his dungeon designs so far, the Ocarina of Time’s ingenious Water Temple is marred in his eyes by this slight ergonomic flaw. “Aside from the problem with the boots,” he continues, “I like the Water Temple so much.”
Aonuma’s first job for Nintendo was the design of the intricate temples and dungeons for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and he has been director of the Zelda franchise on every title since Ocarina’s 1998 release, including the latest instalment, Spirit Tracks (released on DS on 7 December in the US and 11 December in the UK). He is also working on a new Wii addition to the series.
Aonuma approaches games as he approached his puppets: as a craft. They are mechanical puzzles, designed to inspire wonder as they are understood and solved. “Surprise” is a word he keeps returning to. He loved the way that his dolls “surprised people”, and what first drew him to Nintendo was his observation that they were “trying to surprise people with video games”. His highest praise for Miyamoto is that, after 12 years, he “still comes up with ideas that really surprise me”. Surprise, for Aonuma, means the wonder of discovery.
It is because he does not want to spoil the “pleasant surprise” that he is reluctant to reveal details about the forthcoming Wii version. However, he does offer a teaser about transportation for the series’ protagonist, Link.
“I have an eight-year-old son myself at home, and quite recently he started playing The Phantom Hourglass for DS, because when the software first hit the market he was too young. When he started playing with the boat, I told him: ‘In the next Zelda, you are going to be able to ride on the train.’ He answered: ‘OK, Dad, first boat, and then train? Surely next time, Link is going to fly in the sky … ‘”
Aonuma pauses, grinning. “I just don’t know. If many people make many speculations … some of them might be correct. Right now, I have to refrain from commenting on anything.”
Wii move
One aspect of the Wii version that Aonuma is more than happy to talk about is its control system: it will be the first Zelda title to use MotionPlus.
“With this attachment, your minute hand movements are more precisely reflected … You can feel it so naturally and so intuitively. It’s not just an improvement over the movement of Link himself: the realisation of your more minute movements on the screen will expand the entire gameplay. I believe that we will be able to offer some great innovations in the new Legend of Zelda. Of course I have to refrain from giving any details, but we are contemplating altering the way the game progresses in comparison with all the past Legend of Zelda franchises.” He looks apologetic again as he catches himself short of giving something away. “But I have to stop talking here.”
Tags: Eiji Aonuma, Skyward Sword, Spirit Tracks
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