The newest Iwata Asks has been published and it features some intriguing production elements about The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. Due for release later this week, A Link Between Worlds didn’t start out as a direct sequel to A Link to the Past, in fact, it was first considered as a successor to Spirit Tracks with Toon Link.
As a Link Between Worlds started production soon after Spirit Tracks was completed, it was natural for the team to think about a successor to the title. But with most of the Spirit Tracks team working on Skyward Sword, only three members were left to continue development on a new handheld game – and it wasn’t easy. Producer Eiji Aonuma, director Hiromasa Shikata and assistant director Shiro Mouri brainstormed a working idea involving communication. But when they presented it to Shigeru Miyamoto, he said, “this sounds like an idea that’s 20 years old.”
Distraught but not broken from the presentation with Miyamoto, Shikata was struck by the idea that Link should be able to merge and move in the walls, though he wasn’t entirely sure it made sense. At this point, assistant director Mouri stepped in to say it was a great idea and that he’d make a prototype, which can be seen in the Iwata Asks interview here.
Mouri: There’s this other programmer who is usually a really mild-mannered person, but Shikata-san, who had suggested the idea, was so indecisive about it that the programmer got mad and angrily said, “I think the idea of entering walls sounds amazing, so what’s wrong with it?!”
Iwata: Even though he’s mild-mannered?
Mouri: Yeah. (laughs) He got even hotter, saying, “We’re at a fork in the road as to whether this project runs astray or not, so I’m not changing my mind!” and “We’re making this no matter what, so tell us what to do!” Then Shikata-san was like, “Maybe the point is turning corners on the walls…” without any confidence, so I got angry too and fired back, “Then I’m making a prototype!”
Iwata: When you made that prototype, was it a direct top-down view like in A Link to the Past?
Shikata: No. As in Spirit Tracks, the viewpoint was overhead from an angle.
Aonuma: At the time, we were thinking of it as an extension of the Nintendo DS games.
Tominaga: But [Miyamoto] didn’t just criticize, he also gave us a hint. He suggested basing it on The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.Iwata: That was when A Link to the Past first came into the picture?Tominaga: Yes. And right after Aonuma-san said, “What if we base it on A Link to the Past, and try pairing entering walls with a point of view looking down from directly overhead?”
Kinda glad they changed it. The extended Wind Waker saga stuff has had its time I think
it´s not a sequel MNN, they started to think about this game and the diferents angles of vision in spirit tracks but isnt the sequel,
FIX that
It has been changed to ‘successor’ in the title.
thanx ^^
Ugh, Spirit Tracks was so fucking shit. Hype completely gone for this game now.
I don’t see why it should be gone. They were planning on basing it off the DS games, but they changed their minds.
Please cry more. The Ocean Realm is starting to lose a little bit of water and your tears could help replenish it.
you cannot mess with the cronology in this way, this events in ALBW occur after the events in A link to the past, this its a complety different side of time this is (Where the Hero Falls), not (When The Hero Returned To his Time)
Oh God. I want to vomit, just knowing that. Those DS Zeldas are the worst Zeldas.
And yes, that includes the Adventure of Link. As hard as it is, if you persevere with it it’s actually pretty bloody good.
I agree that the DS games PH and ST were not as good as the others but I enjoyed them very much but Zelda 2 was a different story, it was terrible even Miyamoto admits he dislikes it, we never speak of Zelda 2… or the tabooed CD-i
Just rebeat Zelda 2. It is good but just needs a few tweaks. Maybe rescale one or two enemies near the beginning of the game. Then add very minor pointers to put players in the correct direction. The bosses are solid, the end boss is awesome, and the downward stab makes its glorious arrival.
If they’re the worst Zeldas, it’s only because of the controls. I HATE the stylus controls in them. At least, in Phantom Hourglass.
They were awful, it’s why I never liked the stylus. It’s almost as bad as the Gamepad for me! DS games should just be like Draglade and not even use the thing
PH wasn’t that good, but I really liked Spirit Tracks. It’s one of my favorite Zelda games.
Agreed. PH tried lots of new things, but kind of failed to make them work. ST did lots of the same thing, fixing the problems and adding some new things.
Sorry, but ST was the only Zelda game I wish I hadn’t played. Perhaps the only redeemable aspect was some of its dungeon puzzles. Between any of the train portions and the slow controls for Zelda, the pacing killed any fun I was having.
@Sentinel,
Really? Most people I hear talk bad about Spirit Tracks, and acts like Phantom Hourglass is better. I have Spirit Tracks, but I’ve never played it due to having WAY too many games.
Cd cc. Aaagf
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lol
I’m glad they changed it, because I’m sick of the Toon Link sequels all appearing on handhelds. It’s a shame that we never got a true Wind Waker sequel on the major consoles. I’ll never understand why Nintendo did that?
Whew, suck-cessor indeed. Way to dodge a bullet.
The timeline is already fucked up enough like this plz stop right now lol.