Nintendo’s official website has posted an intriguing interview with Shigeru Miyamoto as the launch of Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker hits full power in Japan. Enjoy…
Mr. Miyamoto: It's been about two and a half years since Majora's Mask was released. Of course it featured a more realistic visual style, but now we have a completely new Zelda ready. Considering that we started from scratch -- The Wind Waker has completely new graphics and gameplay -- the fact that we were able to complete this in two and a half years is really good for a Zelda game. I'm relieved that, as I promised, we were able to complete the game and launch it in Japan by the end of the year. I do have some regret that we weren't able to do that for the U.S. version.
But in Japan this year, while we do have Zelda, we do not have Metroid, which is obviously a large title that the U.S. has for the end of the year. This time around I think the story is more in-depth and the characters that appear in the game have a lot more to them. So, we are going to take the right amount of time to localize this properly for the U.S. and have it out early next year. I apologize.
This time around, I'm not actually the director of the game. I'm the producer. Mr. Eiji Aonuma sitting here to my right is the director. It's actually been nice to be able to work as the producer on this game. I've been working with Mr. Aonuma since the Ocarina of Time. On Majora's Mask he was pretty much independent in moving that project along. So it's been very easy for me as producer on this game.
As a producer, I play a few different roles. One of them is getting involved early in meetings designed to determine direction. Then I get involved later in the development, working on the fine-tuning and helping to make improvements. This time around it was actually quite easy -- a lot of meetings were held throughout the development and we didn't have to make many changes to the game spec. In the end, it wasn't so much me coming in and having to change things around ... it was just me being there to give input and to make sure that the quality was there. It was easy for me in that sense.
For me personally it's been great because it's given me a different feel for the development, rather than having to create everything myself. It's also given me some insight into other aspects of development that I didn't have a chance to see up until now.
Of course, Zelda games have a long history. The world of Zelda has a very strong tone that lets you know you're playing a Zelda game. This time, I really think we did an excellent job of bringing out that flavor, as well as enhancing the whole experience of the player going into the world and interacting with it. I think we've really done a great job.
When did development on Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker begin?
Mr. Miyamoto: Right when Majora's Mask ended we already knew that the Nintendo GameCube was going to be our next platform, so we had to begin planning for that. If you were to actually go back and look at when we were doing experiments on the Nintendo GameCube hardware itself, it would be more than two and a half years ago. The reason we were able to show you the more realistic-looking Zelda battle at Space World 2000 was because we had been doing some preliminary experiments with the console prior to completing Majora's Mask. That's why that video existed. It wasn't until afterward that we began working with the director and the programmers to go ahead and create The Wind Waker.
In the beginning of the game, we see Link receive his trademark green tunic. It is explained that Link is the Hero of Time. Just how many Links are there?
Mr. Aonuma: In our opinions, every Zelda game features a different Link. A new hero named Link always rises to fight evil.
The wind plays a large role in this game. Where did the idea come from, and how is it used?
Mr. Aonuma: This time we decided to set the stage out on an ocean. We began talking about how you would travel on an ocean. Obviously, the best option was a sailboat. So that's how we ended up with a game where the wind is blowing constantly through the land to let the player sail around.
Mr. Miyamoto:Actually, for a long time we've wanted to be able to use wind in games. We've had windy stages in the Super Mario games before, but really it wasn't until we were able to use the technology of the Nintendo GameCube and some of the visual styles possible with it that we were able to really show wind blowing in a videogame. So, that was one of the things we decided to challenge ourselves with, which made it a driving force behind The Wind Waker.
Where does The Wind Waker fit into the overall timeline of the Legend of Zelda?
Mr. Aonuma: In terms of the storyline, we've decided that this takes place 100 years after the events in The Ocarina of Time. We think that as you play through the game, you'll notice that in the beginning the storyline explains some of the events in The Ocarina of Time. You'll also find hints of things from The Ocarina of Time that exist in The Wind Waker.
There's also a more complicated explanation. If you think back to the end of The Ocarina of Time, there were two endings to that game in different time periods. First Link defeated Ganon as an adult, and then he actually went back to being a child. You could say that The Wind Waker takes place 100 years after the ending in which Link was an adult.
What did Nintendo GameCube technology allow you to achieve which would have been impossible before?
Mr. Miyamoto: One of the things we were able to do with all the space on the new disc media was to give a lot of life to the characters through animations. All of the characters you'll see in the game do a lot of different things. There are many different animations. We were really able to bring things more to life than back when we were limited to the silicon ROM cartridges. So, as you play the game you'll see a lot of different characters doing a variety of things -- each with their own AI [artificial intelligence] performing independently of one another. We think that that has really enlivened the gameplay experience.
Do you think the new graphic style used in The Wind Waker will attract a new audience to the game? Conversely, do you think older gamers may be turned off?
Mr. Miyamoto: I think that when people first see the game, the graphics are the first thing they talk about. Once you play the game, you'll really come to understand why we went with this graphic style. Also, the more you play the game, the more you get sucked into the graphic style. You forget about it.
When we make a game we think it is the quality of the game that determines whether or not it will have a wide appeal for an audience. The Wind Waker is a very high quality game. We think that its graphic style will appeal to certain groups, but at the same time as soon as you start playing you're going to get sucked into the story and the gameplay. You're really going to enjoy yourself, and we don't think that it's going to turn anyone off.
We actually think that as you play this game and look at the world around you, it's going to seem very realistic despite the graphic style. By using the term "realistic," I mean the qualities of the world itself. I don't mean to deny the value of more photorealistic graphics, but the more realistic graphics get, the more unrealistic things such as bumping into a wall or getting hurt might seem. If not expressed properly, it seems out of place.
This time we've tried to have very realistic facial expressions. We want to have a game where everything in the world feels like it is in its place. We think that when you play, you will see Link do something and react realistically. From that point of view, The Wind Waker is very realistic in terms of expression and the whole oneness of the world.
Stay tuned for more, next time.
Mr. Miyamoto: It's been about two and a half years since Majora's Mask was released. Of course it featured a more realistic visual style, but now we have a completely new Zelda ready. Considering that we started from scratch -- The Wind Waker has completely new graphics and gameplay -- the fact that we were able to complete this in two and a half years is really good for a Zelda game. I'm relieved that, as I promised, we were able to complete the game and launch it in Japan by the end of the year. I do have some regret that we weren't able to do that for the U.S. version.
But in Japan this year, while we do have Zelda, we do not have Metroid, which is obviously a large title that the U.S. has for the end of the year. This time around I think the story is more in-depth and the characters that appear in the game have a lot more to them. So, we are going to take the right amount of time to localize this properly for the U.S. and have it out early next year. I apologize.
This time around, I'm not actually the director of the game. I'm the producer. Mr. Eiji Aonuma sitting here to my right is the director. It's actually been nice to be able to work as the producer on this game. I've been working with Mr. Aonuma since the Ocarina of Time. On Majora's Mask he was pretty much independent in moving that project along. So it's been very easy for me as producer on this game.
As a producer, I play a few different roles. One of them is getting involved early in meetings designed to determine direction. Then I get involved later in the development, working on the fine-tuning and helping to make improvements. This time around it was actually quite easy -- a lot of meetings were held throughout the development and we didn't have to make many changes to the game spec. In the end, it wasn't so much me coming in and having to change things around ... it was just me being there to give input and to make sure that the quality was there. It was easy for me in that sense.
For me personally it's been great because it's given me a different feel for the development, rather than having to create everything myself. It's also given me some insight into other aspects of development that I didn't have a chance to see up until now.
Of course, Zelda games have a long history. The world of Zelda has a very strong tone that lets you know you're playing a Zelda game. This time, I really think we did an excellent job of bringing out that flavor, as well as enhancing the whole experience of the player going into the world and interacting with it. I think we've really done a great job.
When did development on Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker begin?
Mr. Miyamoto: Right when Majora's Mask ended we already knew that the Nintendo GameCube was going to be our next platform, so we had to begin planning for that. If you were to actually go back and look at when we were doing experiments on the Nintendo GameCube hardware itself, it would be more than two and a half years ago. The reason we were able to show you the more realistic-looking Zelda battle at Space World 2000 was because we had been doing some preliminary experiments with the console prior to completing Majora's Mask. That's why that video existed. It wasn't until afterward that we began working with the director and the programmers to go ahead and create The Wind Waker.
In the beginning of the game, we see Link receive his trademark green tunic. It is explained that Link is the Hero of Time. Just how many Links are there?
Mr. Aonuma: In our opinions, every Zelda game features a different Link. A new hero named Link always rises to fight evil.
The wind plays a large role in this game. Where did the idea come from, and how is it used?
Mr. Aonuma: This time we decided to set the stage out on an ocean. We began talking about how you would travel on an ocean. Obviously, the best option was a sailboat. So that's how we ended up with a game where the wind is blowing constantly through the land to let the player sail around.
Mr. Miyamoto:Actually, for a long time we've wanted to be able to use wind in games. We've had windy stages in the Super Mario games before, but really it wasn't until we were able to use the technology of the Nintendo GameCube and some of the visual styles possible with it that we were able to really show wind blowing in a videogame. So, that was one of the things we decided to challenge ourselves with, which made it a driving force behind The Wind Waker.
Where does The Wind Waker fit into the overall timeline of the Legend of Zelda?
Mr. Aonuma: In terms of the storyline, we've decided that this takes place 100 years after the events in The Ocarina of Time. We think that as you play through the game, you'll notice that in the beginning the storyline explains some of the events in The Ocarina of Time. You'll also find hints of things from The Ocarina of Time that exist in The Wind Waker.
There's also a more complicated explanation. If you think back to the end of The Ocarina of Time, there were two endings to that game in different time periods. First Link defeated Ganon as an adult, and then he actually went back to being a child. You could say that The Wind Waker takes place 100 years after the ending in which Link was an adult.
What did Nintendo GameCube technology allow you to achieve which would have been impossible before?
Mr. Miyamoto: One of the things we were able to do with all the space on the new disc media was to give a lot of life to the characters through animations. All of the characters you'll see in the game do a lot of different things. There are many different animations. We were really able to bring things more to life than back when we were limited to the silicon ROM cartridges. So, as you play the game you'll see a lot of different characters doing a variety of things -- each with their own AI [artificial intelligence] performing independently of one another. We think that that has really enlivened the gameplay experience.
Do you think the new graphic style used in The Wind Waker will attract a new audience to the game? Conversely, do you think older gamers may be turned off?
Mr. Miyamoto: I think that when people first see the game, the graphics are the first thing they talk about. Once you play the game, you'll really come to understand why we went with this graphic style. Also, the more you play the game, the more you get sucked into the graphic style. You forget about it.
When we make a game we think it is the quality of the game that determines whether or not it will have a wide appeal for an audience. The Wind Waker is a very high quality game. We think that its graphic style will appeal to certain groups, but at the same time as soon as you start playing you're going to get sucked into the story and the gameplay. You're really going to enjoy yourself, and we don't think that it's going to turn anyone off.
We actually think that as you play this game and look at the world around you, it's going to seem very realistic despite the graphic style. By using the term "realistic," I mean the qualities of the world itself. I don't mean to deny the value of more photorealistic graphics, but the more realistic graphics get, the more unrealistic things such as bumping into a wall or getting hurt might seem. If not expressed properly, it seems out of place.
This time we've tried to have very realistic facial expressions. We want to have a game where everything in the world feels like it is in its place. We think that when you play, you will see Link do something and react realistically. From that point of view, The Wind Waker is very realistic in terms of expression and the whole oneness of the world.
Stay tuned for more, next time.
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Shigeru Miyamoto
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