Nintendo has been asking Zelda Series Producer Eiji Aonuma, a ton of questions the last few weeks and now they’re at it again, as Nintendo of Europe conducted another interview with Aonuma, only this time around, it was more like the quick fire round you’d have on a game show and tons of great answers was to be had!
Below you can find both a video, and our highlights of the interview:
Nintendo of Europe: So to start off, which would you choose: rupees or hearts?
Eiji Aonuma: Hearts!
Nintendo of Europe: If you could choose to be one, would you be a Goron, Zora or Deku Scrub?
Eiji Aonuma: Zora!
Nintendo of Europe: They’re two sides to the same coin, but who’s the coolest: Sheik or Zelda?
Eiji Aonuma: Hmmm…Sheik!
Nintendo of Europe: Bombs or Bombchus?
EA: Bombs! (Laughs) Bombchus are difficult to control…
Nintendo of Europe: Do you prefer to sneak by, or smash straight into battle?
Eiji Aonuma: Sneaking!
Nintendo of Europe: When crossing Hyrule Field, do you ride Epona or just forward roll the whole way?
EA: I’d adventure on Epona.
Nintendo of Europe: If you could have any item from The Legend of Zelda series, which would it be and why? EA: The Ocarina of Time! I’d like to time travel.
Nintendo of Europe: We thought you’d say the Hookshot!
Eiji Aonuma: I do love the Hookshot, but if I had the Ocarina of Time I could go back and be young again, and relive my life one more time. (Laughs)
Nintendo of Europe: What’s your personal favourite weapon or tactic for clearing out a Bokoblin-infested outpost? Give us your best tip!
Eiji Aonuma: Gliding in with the Paraglider, approaching the outpost very quietly and sneakily, right up to the door, and then going crazy with bombs and arrows. Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam! (Laughs)
Nintendo of Europe: What’s your favourite use of the Sheikah Slate in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild?
Eiji Aonuma: The stasis rune! Using the stasis rune to freeze a barrel, hitting the barrel loads of times and then unleashing it so that the barrel flies into a load of enemies is really fun. (Laughs)
Nintendo of Europe: What is your favourite song from The Legend of Zelda series?
Eiji Aonuma: There’s this song from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, the music in the battle in the desert against the sand worm, Molgera. I love that song. It has a kind of Japanese feel to it, with the Taiko drums.
Nintendo of Europe: Clock Town or Hyrule Castle Town – which is your favourite?
Eiji Aonuma: Clock Town. Clock Town is a whole society and microcosm, and I find that interesting
Nintendo of Europe: Link or Toon Link? EA: Ah…it’s a really difficult question…! But around the time we created Toon Link, my own son was born, and so I kind of think of Toon Link as being my own child. So I have to say Toon Link!
Nintendo of Europe: Tingle had his own game. What other characters from The Legend of Zelda would be interesting to see in their own games?
Eiji Aonuma: Maybe Beedle. We could make a game where you try to become a millionaire. (Laughs)
Nintendo of Europe: Did anything funny, or unexpected, happen during the development of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild?
Eiji Aonuma: In Breath of the Wild we are using a proper physics engine, and this was a brand new experience for me. The way the puzzles and things worked felt so differently from older Zelda games. Well, I mean, it’s like in the real world, so if I thought about it I should have just been able to solve them normally, but my brain was so used to the old Zelda games I would say how weird it was, and ask why it was like that. And then everyone would laugh at me, saying that’s what would happen in the real world. Making Breath of the Wild really made me realise how my brain was stuck back in the old Zelda mode.
Nintendo of Europe: What do you think makes up the spirit, or the essence, of The Legend of Zelda?
Eiji Aonuma: The most important thing for me about The Legend of Zelda is that all the games are a journey of growth for Link. He grows as he progresses through the game. And at the same time, the player, the person who is actually playing the game, grows with him. I think that really is the essence of the series.
Nintendo of Europe: What does the future hold for Mr Aonuma? Can you give us any hints?
Eiji Aonuma: As I get closer to the retirement age, people ask me if I’m ever going to make anything other than a Zelda game. And so sometimes I think maybe I should. But Zelda games really have everything in them that I would want to make in a game. The way the main character grows and develops. The puzzles and the minigames. I don’t think there’s much point in me making something other than Zelda, if I did it would only end up being something just like it. It’s a problem. So I think I’ll just keep making Zelda games!
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For anyone who wishes to see the full interview, use the link below:
Source: Nintendo UK
