Majora’s Mask: Aonuma on the 3-day cycle, how he came to work on Zelda

In an interview with Game Informer, Eiji Aonuma talked a bit about the 3-day cycle in The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. He explains that it was a big move, really different from the traditional Zelda experience. The developers felt that it would be stimulating for players who played Ocarina of Time before.

That being said, Eiji Aonuma and his team really didn’t want to confuse players who were new to the Zelda series. They also had a very short development cycle (only 1 year), and they really wanted to bring a brand new vision. The developers were against using the short amount of time to simply rechash the same gameplay mechanics. It was something really important for Eiji Aonuma, who wanted to make a big move with this game.

In this interview, Eiji Aonuma also talks a bit about his path in video game design. He first started as an artist, designing characters in various games, but at one pointed, he started wanting to make his own games. It all happened around the time The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past was released, as this game made him realise there were so many different feelings that could be conveyed via video games.

After that, he directed a few games (like Marvelous: Mōhitotsu no Takarajima, a Japan-only game), and all of them had a very Zelda-like feel. He explains that it’s probably because A Link to The Past made such a strong impression on him: even Miyamoto noticed it in his work. He then told Aonuma that if he really wanted to make a Zelda game, then maybe he should join the team making them: that’s how he came to join the team working on Ocarina of Time!

Source: Game Informer (via Zelda Informer 1 – 2)