By Jeff Bond on July 29, 2013 at 3:44pm
Ever since E3, there have been rumblings about a new title in the "Zelda" franchise. Eurogamer interviewed Eiji Aonuma and got some interesting information. He, of course, talked about the two throwback games that are coming out later this year but also talked about an upcoming game and his inspiration for it.
Skyrim! [For some reason, mention of Bethesda's fantasy epic tickles him, and he laughs.] Obviously I play other games, and I'm curious what 'Zelda' fans like about the Skyrim experience. Maybe there are some 'Zelda' fans who are looking for something similar out of a 'Zelda' game. But I don't look at the technology that made these games possible. I don't look at what's happening in the game, but how it made me feel, what in the game moved me, and how I can bring out those same emotions in players who play my games. My intent isn't to copy them, but those are the things that stay with you as a player. It's not what you see but how the game makes you feel that makes you feel closer to the experience. It's more about the feeling and expression of emotions in the game, and I do take that into consideration when working on my own projects. It's like the difference between someone who takes a picture and looks at that picture when drawing a painting, and someone who sees something, keeps it in their head, and then tries to recreate that.
I was talking about in the Nintendo Direct shown earlier this year about visiting the "Zelda" tradition and remoulding the formula. We're looking at ways to do that and we hope people look forward to experiencing those.
Even Nintendo President Satoru Iwata is talking about it. Nintendo mentioned that they were close to showing it off to the public in the near future.
It is true that Mr Aonuma’s team has been working on a new 'Zelda' title for the Wii U. But the only announcement we have at this time of software which will soon become available is 'WindWaker HD.' But they are actually working on an exclusive new Wii U title in the 'Zelda' franchise, and I hope in the not-too-distant future, we will be able to make the relevant announcement.
All of this talk has certainly pumped up the hype train as it begins barreling ahead full steam. Rumors have started going around, and some seem more likely than others.
[RUMORS] The game is said to be open world similar to "Skyrim." The player would be able to explore Hyrule in all its glory with a large portion of the development team working on content to fill it with all sorts of side quests, sub-dungeons, and more. Motion controls have also been put aside to focus more on the Wii U Game Pad with controls similar to the GameCube version of "Twilight Princess." Princess Zelda is also rumored to have more involvement in the story in response to fan criticism. It has supposedly been in development since 2010, prior to the release of "Skyward Sword." Online co-op similar to "Four Swords" is even suggested as a separate multiplayer feature. The game would be announced at E3 2014. [/RUMORS]
Some of the rumors have come from less than reputable sources, but the overall theme seems to be consistent containing murmurs of a large, open world, developed for next gen, and a tweaked formula. As long as we don't end up with a giant Water Temple, I think many fans may finally have a reason to pull the trigger and purchase that Wii U they had been holding off on.
Eurogamer The Guardian Zelda Informer
