Did You Know Gaming? recently translated a classic interview from the Japanese magazine Nintendo Dream, which was first published in the mid-2000s.
Shigeru Miyamoto was not a fan of the aesthetic design for The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, according to an interview with The Legend of Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma.
Miyamoto’s reaction to Toon Link
Mr. Aonuma said that he and the rest of the team adored Toon Link and that they purposefully withheld Mr. Miyamoto’s concept ideas until the very last minute. Mr. Aonuma claims that when Mr. Miyamoto viewed the concept picture, “he genuinely grimaced” and said that he would have preferred a more aesthetically realistic experience for Link’s new adventure.
Mr. Miyamoto noted in another interview that creating a more realistic Zelda adventure would have taken the team roughly 10 years, thus he eventually embraced Wind Waker’s distinctly cartoonish design. When The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker was first unveiled to the world, its famous graphic style sparked a lot of disagreement among gamers, with some stating it looked too juvenile and would not be taken seriously by other console players.
“If I had approached him from the start, I believe he would have said, ‘How is that Zelda?'” Aonuma remembers. “ Miyamoto struggled to abandon the realistic link art approach until the very end. He had to deliver a presentation against his will at some time. That’s when he remarked to me, “You know, it’s not too late to reverse direction and build a realistic Zelda.”
About The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
This epic Legend of Zelda journey starts with our hero in the middle of a family crisis. Link’s idyllic existence on a secluded island is destroyed one tragic day when his beloved sister is kidnapped by a big, terrifying bird. Naturally, the hero with the sword and shield pursues. His quest sets in motion an epic odyssey over exotic nations and high seas as Link hunts for clues to his sister’s location.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker extends on the breakthrough gameplay seen in Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask for Nintendo 64, giving a new Legend of Zelda experience. Characters’ emotions vary when they laugh, weep, or display wrath and astonishment, and a range of vivid behaviors bring them to life. Plus, Link’s world has never appeared more atmospheric. Amazing effects like flickering flames, shadows, and smoke bring you even closer to the action.
The famous Zelda gameplay is, of course, at the heart of The Wind Waker. Link can slash with his sword (including a powerful spin strike), parry attacks with his shield, swing over gaps, and pick up weapons that his adversaries have dropped. Furthermore, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker has the remarkably easy control mechanism that Zelda fans have come to anticipate from the renowned franchise.
