Zelda: Twilight Princess Retrospective – Episode 2, Prima Guide preview pages

27 February 2016 Lite_Agent Aya Kyogoku, Eiji Aonuma, Koji Kitagawa, Prima Guides, Tantalus Media, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD, Yoshiyuki Oyama

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Retrospective

Yesterday, Nintendo uploaded the second episode of a video series called The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Retrospective. It looks back at the development of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess on GameCube and Wii. In this second episode, the following developers get to say something about the game:

Eiji Aonuma
Yoshiyuki Oyama (Enemy Design)
Koji Kitagawa (Dungeon Design)
Aya Kyogoku (Script)

First, Eiji Aonuma reveals that they had decided right at the beginning that the game would feature two worlds, that would intersect. One day, he dreamed he was a wolf, locked in a cell: that’s how he got the idea to have Link transform into a wolf when in the Twilight. It’s a bit like in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, when Link transforms into a bunny, and it show Link’s status as a hero.

Then Aya Kyogoku explains that when developing a Zelda game, they have a story, but they’re not afraid to change it to accomodate new gameplay elements. Alternatively, there’s also gameplay elements that arose from the story itself. She believes that they were able to get a much better game by not having a fixed story or gameplay elements.

After that, Yoshiyuki Oyama explains that Zant gets a lot of characterisation towards the end of the game, which is why they chose to have the final battle with him end on a comical note.

Later in the video, Eiji Aonuma explains that his favourite character is Telma (the bar owner). He wanted a more grown-up female character, that would contrast with Link. He reveals that Telma is actually based on an actress he’s quite fond of, and that he also likes being scolded by women like Telma.

Finally, Koji Kitagawa talks about Midna traveling with you, and guiding you when in the Twilight. They needed to give her a purpose for helping Link. They also made it so Midna would be a mysterious character, that players wouldn’t be able to tell whether she was friend or foe.

Here’s the second episode of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Retrospective: