Zelda Tri Force Heroes – Shikata: “Why 3 players, and not 4?”
Update
Part 1 of the Miiting with Hiromasa Shikata is now available! However, please note that, as of writing, the Miiting is still going on.
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Today, Eiji Aonuma (Producer of The Legend of Zelda series) and Hiromasa Shikata (Director) posted a message on Miiverse, in order to talk about The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes (which is now available worldwide). Eiji Aonuma starts by talking about the series as a whole, which always “conjures up an image of solitary exploration and adventure”.
The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes is a departure from that, as it’s a multiplayer-focused game (which can be played in Single Player). Hiromasa Shikata then explains why they went with three characters for co-op, instead of 4 like in the Four Sword games. For him, it all comes down to developing a sense of coopeation.
For example: imagine one players gets lost, and the other two have to go find/help them by working together. According to Hiromasa Shikata, this help players develop a real sense of cooperation. But with 4 players, people generally tend to split into two teams of two players, which might make them “lose touch with the spirit of cooperation.”
The developers really wanted to put the focus on cooperation, which is why they talked a lot about the concept of “triangular relationship”. Hiromasa Shikata then mentions the totem mechanic, which is one of the central elements of the game: they allow for some fun vertical puzzles. Since totems are easier to form with three players, it’s another reason they didn’t go with 4 players for co-op.
Hiromasa Shikata is convinced that the challenges of The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes will “bring you and your friends closer”. As for Eiji Aonuma, he recommens to make good use of the communication when playing online (but if you’ve tried the demo or the full game, you know how hard it can be to communicate with other with just those!).
To answer questions fans might have about the game, MariChan is going to host a Miiting on Miiverse. Unfortunately, Eiji Aonuma didn’t tell at which time it would be posted! This post will be updated when it goes live.
The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes (3DS) is now available worldwide!
Source: Miiverse
