Zelda series director Eiji Aonuma hints at revolutionary new gameplay for the upcoming Zelda title on Wii...
The last few weeks have been rife with tidbits about the secretive next Zelda title, currently in development for Wii. The game will utilise MotionPlus and apparently differ from the usual structure of a Zelda title.
But perhaps even more intriguing is this comment from Zelda series director Eiji Aonuma on Link's method of transport for the upcoming game. Talking to The Guardian, he commented:
"I have an eight-year-old son myself at home, and quite recently he started playing 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 ... '"
At this point Aonuma paused, grining saying: "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."
Aonuma also reiterated MotionPlus support and a different structure for the title, saying the upcoming title will feature "not just an improvement over the movement of Link himself [but] the realisation of your more minute movements on the screen will expand the entire gameplay ... we are contemplating altering the way the game progresses in comparison with all the past Legend of Zelda franchises."
What surprises do Nintendo have in store, and how do you feel about a flying Link?! Let us know your thoughts below...
November 26th, 2009 at 09:46 || Total Comments: 47
Another propeller hat?
Fused_King Says:
November 26th, 2009 at 10:01 || Total Comments: 100
:)
This zelda will be a thorough surprise!
Hopefully I'll not fall into a coma when I see a trailer (Or even more) at next years E3.
Tealovertoma Says:
November 26th, 2009 at 10:03 || Total Comments: 365
MotionPlus flying would be cool, as long as the item fits in whatever world they're putting it in - after all, usually TLOZ looks like it plays in medieval times.
In fact, if they're going to make big changes on the series I'd like to see Link in a completely new world. Maybe the entire game can play in a Twilight-like world, or something closer to already existing styles (cyberpunk, post-apocalyptic).
ProtoKun Says:
November 26th, 2009 at 10:07 || Total Comments: 109
Link flying isn't anything new, really.
He flew in Link to the Past by using the Flute. Then he flew in Ocarina of Time, using the same technique as in Link to the Past, but Flute/Ocarina free. He did it again in Majora's Mask, then in Wind Waker, then in Twilight Princess (oh yeah, that cannon was the most brilliant way of flying, ever).
So yeah, nothing new there :P
RawkingRawlings Says:
November 26th, 2009 at 10:10 || Total Comments: 344
Maybe he will get to fly on a giant eagle? Not only does he get to ride a horse but now fly on a giant eagle. Hmmm maybe he could ride a tadpole to cross the great sea.....
Tphi @ N-E Says:
November 26th, 2009 at 10:24 || Total Comments: 426
@ProtoKun, I take your point, but surely Aonuma here is discussing the main method of transportation used for exploring the main areas in the game (like horse, boat, train, etc.) Something far more expanded than previous titles.
@RR - something like the Lord of the Rings-style giant eagles would be amazing.
Nathan Says:
November 26th, 2009 at 10:34 || Total Comments: 1116
Indeed. They could swoop down and peck out Ganondorf's corneas after 50 hours of questing and battling, just as you're about to drive your sword between his bastard eyes.
SanderEvers Says:
November 26th, 2009 at 11:33 || Total Comments: 119
Just give Link some wings and call it..
The Legend of Zelda: Icarus :p
Nintenbro Says:
November 26th, 2009 at 11:52 || Total Comments: 23
I would like to see the new Zelda as an epic world on a grand scale where Link could traverse it in muliple ways. By land, either walking or on horseback. By sea sailing on boat or by air in a hot air balloon or on the back of a dragon. That would massive.
Darkflame Says:
November 26th, 2009 at 13:17 || Total Comments: 961
I always pictured a bezare creature evolving as the game progress's, starting from a small worm like creature on links shoulder and eventualy turning into a flying Ghibli-esq dragon thing.
However, I was thinking not only flying, but also digging/tunneling with the creature would be possible.
(Hard to present onscreen, but cool if possible).
The nice thing about having 1 creature like this is you could grow attached to it, and explore progressively more areas as the game goes on....as well as being able to travel past the overworld faster.
Solitanze Says:
November 26th, 2009 at 15:23 || Total Comments: 1655
StarLink Wii confirmed...
Ld560 Says:
November 26th, 2009 at 21:54 || Total Comments: 81
An extremley pointless post Sol as most of them are..lol
(on topic) I would defently think that Link having control of a winged beast to get around the land would be interesting.
Or perhaps you can turn Epona into a pegasus..lol
Darkflame Says:
November 27th, 2009 at 03:12 || Total Comments: 961
Sol - He's a wolf, not a fox.
DaN Says:
November 27th, 2009 at 04:33 || Total Comments: 5
Remember on ocarina of time when the owl gives link a lift down from death mountain to kakariko village? Maybe link will get to ride Kaepora Gaebora but control him this time.
CSP Says:
November 27th, 2009 at 05:11 || Total Comments: 316
hehe let it be known that if this does happen, I bloody called it.
Also the island flyover thingy...you had a castle in the sky in TP, I think it's time Link started flying somehow (lots and lots of Final Fantasy designs come to mind)
(ok that only took place like 8 days ago but still :p
Yes it would be the only logical way forward. We got the ONE PIECE inpired (sorry darkflame, go watch the series, then play 4 swords) sky world we then saw the laputa flavoured sky dungeonin TP, it is only natural to move towards a fully fledged sky world soon. Also while they are at it, some sort of underground land (not dungeon) would also be good, so yeah I think I can tollerate Hyrule being smaller if they add more "locales" like that.
Darkflame Says:
November 27th, 2009 at 08:14 || Total Comments: 961
Not sure what your apologising four, my ghibli comment was more thinking of the design for the flying creature this time.
Specifically the luck-dragon style thing seen in Spirited Away was what I was picturing.
Id prefer that to a big-winged creature.
As for four swords, it might well have been inspired by One Piece, as Ive never seen that, and while I complete 4swords (wii), I dont actualy remember much of it.
Not sure Id personally want a whole sky-world thing.
I think if anything is in the sky it should be "special" rather then being the norm. (not that there shouldnt be a few varying things mind...I just dont want "wind waker in the sky" with hundreds of floating islands.
As for underground land, I agree, that would be cool. Id love it if there was some way to dig into soft ground and kinda "fly" though the earth to it. (Perhaps some magic x-ray style view would be needed for that to work).
--
Id also like to see....call me crazy....an actual dungeon right in the middle of a big town.
Actually forming part of the town itself. (and the NCP's and their houses play roles in the puzzles).
Pod Says:
November 27th, 2009 at 08:26 || Total Comments: 1037
How about some sort of fancy hang-glider, like the one Aang flies in The Last Airbender?
Sariachan Says:
November 27th, 2009 at 12:41 || Total Comments: 326
I voted for "flying beast", but an aircraft of some sort would be awesome though (I hope they make a Zelda in a steam punk style/scenario). ^^
Anyway, I'm getting more and more hyped for this game for any new bit of info we know about it. And since these info are coming out quite often, lately, I'm starting to believe that in 2010 we'll not only have a new Metroid and a new Super Mario games, but a new Zelda one too. °_°
Pesten Says:
November 27th, 2009 at 16:29 || Total Comments: 101
Legend of zelda: Galaxy?
If flying - I hope not by an airplane. I´m sceptical enough ´bout that train bit...
Darkflame Says:
November 28th, 2009 at 02:05 || Total Comments: 961
"How about some sort of fancy hang-glider, like the one Aang flies in The Last Airbender?"
Tricky to model aircurrents to feel right gameplay wise.
Honestly, that just makes me want a decent avatar game.
I often thought the wiimote/motion plus could work great for pyro/hydro/umm...rock..kentic moves. Draw a shape on the surface of what you want to move, then you litteraly grab the shape and pull it up to move it. Not perfect, but I think it could work pretty darn nicely.
CSP Says:
November 28th, 2009 at 03:17 || Total Comments: 316
so..Zelda nuts & bolts
NO :p
Hamish Says:
November 28th, 2009 at 03:25 || Total Comments: 248
Give his horse wings!
Sariachan Says:
November 28th, 2009 at 08:25 || Total Comments: 326
I changed my mind and voted for the poll a second time, this time for the aircraft! I think it would be more creative than a magical beast, especially if they make something like Leonardo Da Vinci's aircrafts studies, and piloting that with the MotionPlus would be awesome! :D
Seamus_aran Says:
November 28th, 2009 at 09:28 || Total Comments: 249
Everything will be revealed at Nintendo's SPRING conference.
Mark my words.
CSP Says:
November 28th, 2009 at 13:03 || Total Comments: 316
@Darkflame
let me elaborate on this. the GBA Zelda port had the first multiplayer 4 swords game and while short, it did have one major new locale that will be used in later Zelda games. The 4th level seemed like it was in the sky. Sadly few fans noticed it (they were too buzy playing a link to the past again) but the idea resurfaced with a more proper sky world in minish cap.
Both developed by Flagship funded by Capcom, 4 swords was released in 2002 around the same time ONE PIECE was in the Skypiea arc on the manga. Then in 2004 Minish Cap was made with a sky world with TWO different types of clouds and a way to reach the land that looked really REALLY close to Giant Jack (yes both inspired by the classic tale)
See I would not really mention all this but when I saw Spirit Tracks (this internally made) it all became a bit clearer. After te Skypia arc, the next arc dealt with TRAINS on the sea. Since such a concept in a Zelda game would even make Oda stand up and say "Oi" there are no trains on the sea. But for the first time we see trains and all these coincidences tend to point out that Eiichiro Oda and his masterpiece provides with some new ideas to the Zelda team to move the franchise forward.
Some may say trains on a Zelda world? Isn't it a bit misplaced? Well Oda pulled it off, in a pirate world where no such technology was available and he did NOT tie it to alien tech. Then again he built a fantastic story about the carpenters which I think that only Majora's Mask could pull a story like this off.
hehe you know something Mr Aonuma? I loved Oda's idea about the three huge gates that when closed they create a vortex that enable ship movement, the calm belt zones, the whole grand line concept and many many other things like the long pose (a type of compass that points only at the next island), ideas which would really work on the next sea based Zelda. Just say that you ispired by Oda (just as you said Twilight Princess was inspired by ICO) and you are good to go.
Darkflame Says:
November 28th, 2009 at 16:26 || Total Comments: 961
Some fairly good points there.
I can see inspiration from various sources.
Id argue against anyone that says no to trains,planes or any other tech in a zelda game.
My concern is how its presented. I dont want -anything- looking remotely human.
Alternative tech is good. Dosnt have to be steampunk (I like Jules-verny stuff myself), but any alternative tech keeps me happy.
Likewise dont have much objection to alien tech myself (it worked in Okami), but I dont see the nessciety. Zelda already *is* an alien world too us. One we have only ever seen a small amount of, and in various eras.
I did love Majoras Mask presenting the ghosts as aliens though. That really was a nice statement to me of how different cultures can interpret the same unknown events differently.
hmz...getting off topic here and rambling...sorry :p
However, I didnt say Twlight Princess was inspired by Ico. (a game I have sadly not yet played).
I only said that parts were inspired by Studio Ghibli/Miyazaki's animated works.(who seems to love putting bezire castles and flying stuff in a lot of his work anyway).
===========================
" so..Zelda nuts & bolts
NO :p"
hu? What that directed at my comment, because it wasnt about Zelda, and it was nothing like Nuts and Bolts.
I was preposing how to do an Avatar:The Last Airbender game by having shapes drawen and extruded from the landscape. (letting you "bend" the landscape at least in limited ways)
Sorry if I wasnt clear.
CSP Says:
November 28th, 2009 at 18:24 || Total Comments: 316
However, I didnt say Twlight Princess was inspired by Ico. (a game I have sadly not yet played).
Aonuma said that
hu? What that directed at my comment, because it wasnt about Zelda, and it was nothing like Nuts and Bolts.
it was a joke
Darkflame Says:
November 29th, 2009 at 08:11 || Total Comments: 961
oh, ok.
CSP Says:
November 29th, 2009 at 10:02 || Total Comments: 316
as for the ICO comment have a look at the following (taken from wikipedia)
everal game designers, such as Eiji Aonuma, Hideo Kojima, and Jordan Mechner, have cited Ico as having influenced the visual appearance of their games, including The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time,
So in case you are wondering, what was somewhat copied was castle structures decayed by time and engulfed by nature. So you can say that the temple of time and the sky dungeon were inspired from this design along with pretty much the entire two thrones game.
CSP Says:
November 29th, 2009 at 10:05 || Total Comments: 316
also just as an FYI the game is pretty awful for today's standards. The camera is probably one of the worst I have even seen in a video game (you can only pan it not rotate it or zoom in/out) and the monster battling breaks the otherwise sublime pace that includes platforming and puzzle elements. Remember this in case you start to hate it (yes the controls are that bad)
Mr_bogus Says:
November 29th, 2009 at 12:16 || Total Comments: 224
Flying would be sooooooooo cool, seeing the world overview from above! Pilotwings style please - microlite/hanglider/rocket pack :D
Dreamtide Says:
November 29th, 2009 at 13:31 || Total Comments: 7
If they didn't have any problems making link a wolf, I don't think they'll mind makeing him some kind of bird. Just let it be a cool bird at least :P
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