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Aonuma Says Zelda Wii U May Reconstruct Franchise’s Traditional Puzzle-Solving Elements

Zelda series designer and producer Eiji Aonuma has spoken about turning the beloved franchise’s traditional puzzle-solving elements on its head. In a recent interview with Kotaku at E3 this week, Aonuma said he was looking to freshen up the traditional puzzle-solving format by rethinking the way players come to solve them.

While Zelda Wii U will give players the opportunity to explore Hyrule in an open world not seen since the beginning of the franchise, the producer is clearly looking to take a number of different approaches within the game. He’s already given us food for thought when he teased fans on Link’s androgynous appearance, but in response to a question regarding some big changes fans are likely to see in the upcoming game, Aonuma said the following:

“So you know we’ve talked a little bit today about the puzzle-solving element in Zelda, and how that’s kinda taken a different shape in Hyrule Warriors. But I think people have come to just assume that puzzle-solving will exist in a Zelda game, and I kinda wanna change that, maybe turn it on its ear.

“As a player progresses through any game, they’re making choices. They’re making hopefully logical choices to progress them in the game. And when I hear ‘puzzle solving’ I think of like moving blocks so that a door opens or something like that. But I feel like making those logical choices and taking information that you received previously and making decisions based on that can also be a sort of puzzle-solving. So I wanna kinda rethink or maybe reconstruct the idea of puzzle-solving within the Zelda universe.”

91 thoughts on “Aonuma Says Zelda Wii U May Reconstruct Franchise’s Traditional Puzzle-Solving Elements”

  1. I gotta admit….I just assumed that this would be in the game anyway. Don’t all of the big LoZ games have these kinds of puzzles? I certainly remember them in Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker at any rate

    1. I have a feeling this game is going to rely heavily on context sensitive commands… a b x y choiced during important cut scences… please to the golden goddesses dont cheapen The Legend of Zelda. ..

      1. I think its more about expanding the world, and offering more content to players.
        I’m also pretty sure this game well have lots to offer gamers out side of the main story, and keep players going for a long time.

        Their well most likely be side quests based on items you well need collect.
        I wouldn’t even be surprised if this is the first Zelda to offer DLC, and like Skyrim it well add hours of new missions

        1. I really like what you said, that’s what I’m hoping for actually that or items you collect in dungeons make you stronger fighting creatures you’ll encounter in the future.

        2. I really like what you said ariycon!! that’s what I’m hoping for in this new Zelda game; that or the items you collect in dungeons will make you able to beat an outside creature and/or boss that you found in the open world that you weren’t able to beat before. (so basically using items for better offense and defense)

    2. Is not that Aounuma san will forget the puzzle solving, he says it will be reconstructed, Maybe going to some place will trigger an event that could modify the geography on a different locación allowing us access to that second area. It could be nice

      1. Tallon Ridley XIII: Kalas

        Yeah. I love the idea of an open world but I also like the idea of something that keeps you from getting to certain areas. It would be a bit lame if I could just freely get to a new area. Having to do something in another area in order to access a new area would be awesome, ESPECIALLY if it’s a long ways between the new area & the old area. Since we know Hyrule is going to be very beautiful with a lot of scenery, backtracking would actually be a great thing in my opinion.

        1. there will be stuff that keeps you from getting to certain areas on the map like pushing blocks are knocking things over to jump on. Not big things that will make you not able to explore the big parts of the world like the rest of the Zelda games.

    3. The puzzles are primarily linear in past LoZ games. I believe Aonuma intends to make the puzzles context-sensitive — as in, how you solve one puzzle will affect how you solve another. I could be wrong, of course, but that sounds pretty interesting anyway.

  2. i find these interviews rather funny.. i mean seriously.. without any hype.. it’s just gonna be another zelda game, where link has to save princess. the only difference will be open world and more beautiful graphics.

    1. Funny because I didn’t remember seeing Link saving the Princess in Majora’s Mask… or Minish Cap…. or Four Swords… or Spirit Tracks… or Oracle of Seasons/Ages

          1. If he can remember playing these games, then he can obviously remember what’s going on so look who’s talking about one being illiterate.

            May I have to remind you how to reexamine textbooks and sentences?

      1. Uh, well, you do save her in Minish Cap… and Four Swords… and Spirit Tracks (kind of), and the Oracle Games.

        Sooooooooo……

        1. didn’t you also save the goddesses in the oracle games?
          It’s been a few years, and I can’t remember quite well.

    2. Valve Admiral GLaDOS

      Same should be said for just about every other game in existence if you think that way. Beside if you played Skyward Sword to the end, it would explain why it’s always the save the princess deal, because Demised cursed both Link and Zelda and they’re successors to live the same fated scenario till the end of never.

    3. Saving the princess is almost never the main objective in the story! But of course you have to play a Zelda game from beginning to the end, to realize that!

    4. Does the story even matter? Ever heard the saying, “it’s not the about destination but the journey” or some shit like that.
      Story is just story, you could make hundreds of games using the same basic story and each of those games can still be different and unique.

  3. as long as the game isn’t mind bogglingly easy like many previous zelda games. hero mode needs to be like albw.

    1. Tallon Ridley XIII: Kalas

      It also needs to be an option BEFORE you actually play the game for those that want it to be challenging.

      1. Tallon Ridley XIII: Kalas

        Playing Zelda on the “easy” mode then playing it on the “hard” mode is not a real challenge as you’ll already know what you have to do for that 2nd, hard mode play through.

  4. Pingback: Zelda U Will Have Puzzle-Solving Elements Like Never Before - E3 2014 • Always Nintendo

  5. that the thing i don’t like with Eiji-san he wants to change the franchise too much and the franchise will change that much the game will event be way way different than legend of Zelda.

    Next we are going to have poof (the heroes) whose is a mix of an elf and a panda, travelling across Hyrule to look for the body’s part of Din (the baddy of the game) and prevent his/her (let’s go for the androgen type) resurrection. Also poof have to recruit an army and organise a coup d’etat cause misty the princess could not be asked to be kind and rule Hyrule. You have it here exclusive to My Nintendo News!!!!

    1. He’s truly careful not to change much of Zelda from what made Zelda great but to redefine its gameplay/story approach to make it feel more free and expanded for fans instead of the old point A to B BS.

    2. I’m sorry, but what exactly are you smoking? Suddenly, it sounded like you were trying to associate Castlevania with Zelda in a ridiculous manner. Bravo sir, You’ve earned a gold medal of idiocy.

      1. ????? when somebody don’t understand sarcasm and the point I trying to make. it will be a waste of time to explain to you. Do me a favour, grow up and buy brain training I learnt it was free on e-shop. From your reply you really need to play it (@ least 3 years solid). Once you finish to be a retard, read my reply (at this point you will get it) then we can have a decent conversation.

  6. i would have hoped they could have a crafting system in this. like for arrows and bombs and such. or you can just purchase them at the shop! or you could sell stuff you gathered and earn rupies or credit! to buy stuff you need! also the puzzles need to be bigger and more compact ( not too much tho. i remember in oot that the puzzles were often too far from eachother. so if you put 2 small puzzles nearby eachother. and 1 big one a way’s away that could work. and even several ways to do the same puzzle. like this ” option 1 : gather stuff then go to the spot you need and defeat a guy and then do the puzzle to enter a cave or some sort! option 2: bypass by sneaking and or optional way in that requires an item you have to get!” anyways this game will meet my requirements either way! also that scene in the trailer with link with the boss. i think that might be cutscenes put in in a certain spot you have to wait untill the right time or just arrive there and the quest begins ! frankly i don’t care because it seems awesome!

    1. Tallon Ridley XIII: Kalas

      Just ignore this bitch troll, guys. We all know he’s just butthurt it’s not another Twilight Princess with realistic graphics that has Link shooting everything in 1st person with his Master Handgun while riding in his trusty Ford Mustang nicknamed Epona running over innocent Hylians, Zoras, Gorons, etc while listening to the latest Gerudo rap song.

        1. Tallon Ridley XIII: Kalas

          Why bother with the Wii U version of Call of Duty Advanced Warfare? The last gen Xbox 360 is also getting the game. Just trade in your Wii U at a Gamestop & use the credit & the money you saved up through your collecting of pennies to get the Xbox 360 for cheap.

        2. Figures. You want real rehash garbage instead of originality and games that drifts you into their world and feel like you’re being a part of it which is what gaming is suppose to be about.

          Grow a fucking brain for once and stop acting like you’re somebody’s bitch wanting to prove something you don’t have nor ever will.

    2. Yeah, try saying that to all the millions of fans plus the Xbots and Sony Ponies that bitch that they can’t get the Zelda games… You are running low on damage control juice.

    3. Valve Admiral GLaDOS

      Yes totally, a game that you never played that is being released in 2015 is bad. Your contradicting argument is invalid. I have now exposed you more times than how many Xbombs were sold then detonated. Exposed.

        1. Tallon Ridley XIII: Kalas

          xD More like you’re too weak & pathetic to fight back against her because you know she’ll crush & expose you again.

          1. Valve Admiral GLaDOS

            I can’t take all the credit. He does a good job exposing himself, I just say it how it is.

        2. Valve Admiral GLaDOS

          Yet your too stupid to realize that you should stop coming here because you are stupid to the point of Chris Chan levels. Not only that you changed the subject, therefore your own stupidity cost you another argument.

        3. Please explain what bronies have to do with the subject besides you bring up such an irrelevant subject in first place like every single one of your comments.

    4. have you played the game to make such comments? you’re a somekind of psychic you always keep making weird predictions and you always fail. zelda will be amazing and i don’t need psychic powers to predict it. you’re just a retard who needs a life and you keep insulting the people who have made more good in life than you. BTW your comments make me sick you don’t have anything better to do in life than watching naruTURD and bashing a company.

      you don’t have a life, start living it, what if you don’t like nintendo anymore? that’s a reason to troll everybody who likes their products.

      as someone commented you in the past just destroy your wii u in youtube or sell it or whatever you want and get your xbox and leave nintendo and us in peace.

        1. those kind of idiots make me sick i want to barf in their faces, sasori is the good example of idiots who doesn’t do anything productive and deserve to be erased from existence

        1. Thats the thing about money bro, you buy whats value to you, not to someone else! We all think the same about you. U dont value money buying the same COD every 6 months, and you definitely dont value your time commenting on a game that u dont like! ;)

        2. you don’t value money becaus eyour parents pay for everything you have lol they day your start to earn money that’s the day you’ll value it. i’m 16 years old and i have a job as a graphic designer lol i even have more money than you and i could pay you to dance

  7. I’m personally very interested in this game at this point. I’m glad less traditional puzzle solving is going to be involved. I mean, seriously. Who in their right mind is going to purposefully make a chandelier deadly and make one pull a giant chain after moving a 500 pound net of metal to move it, only so they can dash under it? That James-Bond stuff wouldn’t happen in a prison, that stuff doesn’t happen in real life. I know it’s a fantasy game, but then, they try to make the dungeons as though they’d make sense in the real world, too.

  8. Reading this reminds me a lot of things like the Mask of Truth/Biggoron Sword quests from OoT, or almost every sidequest in MM involving helping out characters. That’s one aspect of Zelda that I love which hasn’t been around as much recently. If they can bring that back and expand on it, then, to me, that would be just plain fantastic!

    1. Tallon Ridley XIII: Kalas

      In a huge ass open world, I’ll be sorely disappointed if it doesn’t have a load of subquests doing stuff for people like in Majora’s Mask.

  9. Pingback: Aonuma: Zelda Wii U Will Reconstruct Puzzle Solving Elements - Zelda Sanctuary

  10. Tallon Ridley XIII: Kalas

    This sounds interesting. I can’t wait for The Legend of Zelda for Wii U. It almost sounds like he intends to make this game the first challenging Zelda game in years.

  11. best thing could be that there could be different endings deppending on your choices, i think many zelda games have finished the same no matter what. Dungeons puzzles are a must for any LoZ game.

    1. I haven’t played a Zelda game in a long time because I remember every part of how to play them. It becomes mere routine rather than actual fun. This new Zelda game should change all that.

  12. its strange when ever i make a comment you drones come after me and call me a fake gamer. why should i care about mario or zelda gwmes when i can play more innovative games like call of duty advance warfare.

    1. 1. You’re purely stupid 1000 percent of the time you type and open that filthy mom’s cunt breathed mouth of yours spurring dumb irrelevant shit only a true retard fandork would say. You make babies look and sound more mature than yourself. Truly sad but none of us don’t feel sorry period.

      2. We don’t give a fuck what you like or not. Stop talking stupid shit about a product being a failure or rehash when in fact that you never touched a single damn product in particular in any point of your wasted, undeserved life.

      3. Advanced Warfare being “innovative”? Now you’ve really gone beyond the peak of retardation. First of all, the choice of name sucks. Second, it basically ripped off the Elysium movie so no originality found here and lastly, its COD. Everybody with a functional brain knows COD hasn’t done anything original for the past 7 years and therefore has gone stale as 7 week old french bread unless you count Black Ops 2 trying to change some aspects of COD.

      COD is obviously no better than an Elmo educational video game or all of the sholvelware put together.

      1. Fun fact: There were several educational Elmo games going from NES all the way to the Nintendo 64. This was continued by the playstation and x-box.

  13. aonuma is a stupid cunt who is ruining zelda. there was barely any puzzle solving in traditional zelda, it was all action and adventure

    1. There were puzzles actually. Just not “complex” as the ones we have today, due to technical limitations.

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