ONM: Is the range of weapons more diverse?
EA: Of course some of the old items are back – things like the slingshot – but I really think that people will play this with MotionPlus and the items will almost feel new because of the technology. But of course if you look on the weapons menu you will see a couple of question marks – those are new items that aren’t available [in old Zelda games].

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: Why have you changed the art style?
EA: The graphical style is the result of a collaboration between myself and Mr Miyamoto. We are both interested in art and it is a style that we like – we are very pleased with what we’ve done this time. One of the reasons we’ve chosen the art style we have is that we wanted to showcase the exaggerated characteristics of some of the characters, not only of the enemies, but the representation of the sword spirit itself.

Swordfighting is an important part of the gameplay, and Link is carrying the weapon and the shield. Because of the way we have put everything together you have to focus on how the enemy is carrying the weapons and there are a couple of different ways you can go about that – you can be super-realistic or not so realistic. We thought that because we wanted to highlight the swordfighting, we had to exaggerate the features and the art style we chose was suited to doing that. You have to match the art style to how the game plays, and we thought this worked better.

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: Where does Skyward Sword stand within the Zelda timeline?
EA: There is a master timeline but it is a confidential document! The only people to have access to that document are myself, Mr. Miyamoto and the director of the title. We can’t share it with anyone else!

However, I have already talked to Mr Miyamoto about this so I am comfortable in releasing this information – this title takes place before Ocarina Of Time. If I said that a certain title was ‘the first Zelda’, then that means that we can’t make a title that takes place before that! So for us to be able to add titles to the series, we have to have a way of putting the titles before or after each other.

ONM: Has MotionPlus made it possible to create the Zelda game you’ve always wanted to make?
EA: Yes, when I first saw the Wii Remote that was one of the first things we thought about too. When Wii MotionPlus came along, and we saw how it was implemented in Wii Sports Resort’s swordplay game, we saw what we could now do in Zelda. Mr Miyamoto had thought the same thing – we then decided that we could do this in a Zelda game.

ONM: Is it a lot of fun coming up with new and different uses for M?
EA: Once we found that we could move the sword around as freely as we wanted, then we were like, ‘wow’! Through working with the sword we saw what MotionPlus could add to the game. Through that experience, ideas were born to implement the technology in other ways. So we were able to think of new ideas and items, and this time we really do have really new and unique ideas using the MotionPlus technology. I really hope you look forward to seeing how we have used it.

ONM: Will there be any vehicles in the game?
EA: Link does have to travel between Skyloft and the world below, so there will be a means of conveyance for him, but we don’t want to reveal that at this time.

ONM: Moving onto 3DS, can you tell us more about the new Ocarina Of Time game?
EA: I am excited. We are at the planning stages at the moment. I don’t want to give away too much right now, but I am looking forward to showing everyone what we have.

The 3D technology is perfect for The Legend Of Zelda series. It’s everything from the depth that you get from riding through vistas, or a more accurate sense of distance between you and the enemy you are fighting. I think it is perfect for this series. Of course we are very excited to see what it can do.

Check out the rest of the interview here.

PREVIEW: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Continues to Impress
IGN’s Craig Harris previews Skyward Sword.

VIDEO: Off-screen Footage
Jeux Video captures some gameplay footage from the show floor.

It’s the unspoken star of The Legend of Zelda. A silent hero who has clashed with villainy in thousands of forms. Whose steely gaze has sought out more glowing weak spots than you could wave a Deku stick at. Who has travelled through lava, brine, time and dimensional vortexes without dulling. Who has absorbed more elfin palm sweat than can be decent. It is, of course, the Master Sword. And it… is a she. Whoa. If we’d known, we wouldn’t have spent years jamming her up monster guts. Sorry, ma’am. And in Skyward Sword, she’s about to get the respect she deserves.

The Master Sword. The Blade of Evil’s Bane. The Sword of Time. Dr. McStabbington. Link’s iconic blade goes by many names. Legend – specifically Zelda in Twilight Princess – tells of ancient sages forging the sword. Nintendo’s own ancient sage, producer Eiji Aonuma, weaves a new yarn – revealing that the titular Skyward Sword becomes the Master Sword. A simple turn of phrase (Link’s blade inevitably ‘becomes’ the Master Sword in every Zelda) or an origin story? Either way, the weapon is protector, guide (it transforms into the cloaked lady seen in 2009’s E3 teaser art) and narrative crux.

Link’s latest game begins in the clouds, in the floating island world of Skyloft. Beneath the cloudy paving slab of peace wriggles the woodlouse of chaos: Hyrule. Down there, evil runs riot. Well, aside from the new Octorok/Deku Scrub hybrids, which sort of squat riot. Skyloftians are none the wiser. Not until an event – we’re betting Link befriends the Skyward Sword – reveals the turmoil below to our elfin star. What follows will shift between the two altitudes – an interesting twist on the dual-world mechanics of Zeldas past. Could flight feature? Promoting Spirit Tracks, Aonuma joked that airplanes were next on his vehicular hit list. And imagine Epona sporting Pegasus wings…

Whether Link makes his journey between worlds by beanstalk, cannon or Hyrulian Air, the Skyward Sword is firmly in his heroic mitts. And thanks to MotionPlus, firmly in yours too. (As long as you’re a right-on righty, that is. Aonuma confirmed there’ll be no left-handed Link.) Wii Sports Resort is the obvious model. One-to-one sword/remote mapping makes Link feel particularly puppet-like. Sway and he sways. Hold the remote up and the sword thrusts toward the heavens like a tour guide’s umbrella. It’s that same magical Resort feeling of commanding a 3D hand in a virtual space. Only where Wuhu Island’s Miis were rooted to the spot, Link roams, taking our 3D hand with him. This is a wandering 3D hand. Watch out, world.

It begins with giggles. Adult Link’s heroic frame battling with an animated hand is patently absurd. Dramatically striding forward with arm held uncontrollably aloft is a vision of silliness; with his arm out to the side Link is halfway to pretending he’s an airplane. Cutting is a more serious business. Slices stick to fixed horizontal, vertical and diagonal axes – as Miyamoto said in a recent Iwata Asks session, “Swinging freely and being fun aren’t the same thing.” Like Red Steel 2, Skyward Sword would rather master a few hits perfectly than goose its way through simulation.

Check out the rest of the preview here.

Key Notes: Zelda will return, no comment on Ganon, no voice acting, races such as Goron and Zora will most likely return, new puzzle designs, the 8 slot item holder is just temporary for the demo, how Link travels between Hyrule and Skyloft will be revealed soon (and sorry no, it won’t involve Epona as a Pegasus) and confirmation yet again that SS takes place before Ocarina of Time.

Check out the rest of the scans after the break!

“Basically what leads Link on this adventure is the Skyward Sword,” said Aonuma. “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.”

Yet Aonuma denied that the figure would eventually be revealed as Princess Zelda. “It would be kind of nice to keep this a mystery, but I can tell you right now that it is not Zelda,” he said.

Although I never heard any rumor myself about Zelda being the Skyward Sword, it was officially denied anyways. So who do you think this mysterious creature is that takes form of the Skyward Sword?