Summary
It may be hard to believe, but it’s been one whole year sinceThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomwas released onNintendo Switch. A sequel to the Switch’s launch title and Wii U’s swan song,Breath of the Wild, TotK immediately resonated with fans and critics alike. The game’slevel of freedom and creative physics all within a breathtaking worldhas shaped the art form that is video games.
Now, one year later, its developers are looking back at the impact their game had. In an exclusive interview withJapanese magazine Nintendo Dream, which has since beentranscribed and translated by Nintendo Everything, series producers Eiji Aonuma and Hidemaro Fujibayashi shared more about their journey as well as heartfelt messages for fans.
Aonuma And Fujibayashi Are Grateful To The Fans
Aonuma, who has been working on The Legend of Zelda series sincethe Ocarina of Time, shared how happy he was to hear that fans had put hundreds of hours into TotK.
“The other day, I heard about an incident when a kid excitedly said, ‘I played Tears of the Kingdom for over 1,000 hours,’ and the mother smiled in response, saying, ‘I didn’t know about that,” he recalled. “Of course, I was shocked that one could play a single game that much, but I was also surprised that the mother accepted that.
“There are a lot of people around me who happily tell me about how they played this game for many hours, and I am really glad to have made a game that people enjoyed like that.”
Having already had a hand in entries likeSkyward Sword,Twilight PrincessandMajora’s Mask, Aonuma hopes to build off his experience with TotK into the next Legend of Zelda title. That next titlemay be a remaster of Twilight Princess, though it has not been confirmed.
“Zelda is a longstanding series, and I would like to utilize the experience from this title to create more games that everyone can enjoy in the future, so please look forward to it,” he added. “To all those who have played The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, thank you very much.”
Fujibayashi, who’s had a hand in the franchise sinceOracle of Seasons, shared his pleasure with how the Ultrahand mechanic turned out. That particular feature was a difficult part of development,and according to physics programmer Takahiro Takayama, it caused a lot of chaos.
“This has made me feel that we succeeded in implementing one of the core concepts we had been aiming for, which was to make a game that embodies ‘Can you do it? Yes you may,’ and so I am also pleased with that,” Fujibayashi said.
The director closed out his message by encouraging fans to continue to explore the world of TotKas it’s a game full of replayability. More so, there’s a potential for new discoveries and understandings.
“Replaying the game while already knowing the truth allows you to realize things you did not notice on your first playthrough, and the same scenes or dialogue could seem completely different,” he added. “So please enjoy finding new discoveries and experiences on a second playthrough.”
Tears of the Kingdom remains one of theSwitch’s best and most graphically impressive games. And it’s no wonder when the people working on it are so passionate about the things they do.
