Over recent years, it has felt like the more traditional Legend of Zelda formula was a thing of the past. 2017's Breath of the Wild was one of the most ambitious titles ever released, earning it a near-perfect 97 on Metacritic. A few years later, Tears of the Kingdom proved lightning can strike twice, and the feeling was that this would be Zelda going forward.
For those who miss the more traditional format, there's good news, as The Legend of Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma has revealed that the upcoming Ocarina of Time remake may inspire newer team members to make a similar title.
Eiji Aonuma Believes Having Staff Rebuild Ocarina Of Time Is "Incredibly Valuable"
Ocarina of Time's remake is now just a few days away. It's already shaping up to be one of the biggest games of the year, and it looks like the perfect way to revisit the only game to ever score a 99 on Metacritic. For fans new and old, it's an incredibly exciting time, but Aonuma views the remake as more than that, calling the process of rebuilding it "incredibly valuable" for new team members, potentially inspiring them going forward.
"Many of the team members who work alongside me on Legend of Zelda games today have only experienced developing the more recent titles. That led me to wonder, 'Do they truly understand just how significantThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was to the series as a whole?'" Aonuma mused in a new Ask the Developer with Nintendo.
I started to wonder how they'd interpret The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time as they go about developing future Legend of Zelda games.
"Of course, there are team members who vaguely know the game, and those who played it in their childhood days. But I started to wonder how they'd interpret The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time as they go about developing future Legend of Zelda games. By learning the game structure and development style behind the original The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and by actually rebuilding it as a full remake, it may trigger new insights that they can carry forward into future development," he continued.
Aonuma has played a pivotal role in the development and evolution of The Legend of Zelda, with his first work coming on Ocarina of Time all those years ago. These comments certainly make it seem like he would love to return to that format in some way in the future.
The closest we have come to it since Skyward Sword is Echoes of Wisdom, a game that featured Zelda as the protagonist and launched to critical acclaim. As somebody who grew up on Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker, but cites Breath of the Wild as their favorite game of all time (often interchanging with Elden Ring), the thought of a more old-school Zelda game excites me.
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