Creator's 27-year old words have just been translated.
(Image credit: Nintendo)
In 1998 the Japanese speaking world was treated to a This Ocarina Of Time interview with Shigeru Miyamoto. It was released in the February edition of the multi-format Japanese magazine GAMEJIN but was never translated into English.
I was 13 years old at the time and would have lapped up the interview but unfortunately learning Japanese was never offered at my school. I can’t believe I’ve had to wait 27 years but thanks to some incredible translation and formatting work done by Roryj and Javed Sterritt I now feel like I’ve been taken behind the scenes of one of the most classic Nintendo 64 games of all time (one of the best retro games consoles will help you to play it today).
When we created Mario 64 about 64% of the hardwares limits were tested, but with this new Zelda, I think we pushed the limits even more. Perhaps i’d say we used about 90% of the capabilities.
Shigeru Miyamoto
One of the stand out revelations was how "suprised" Miyamoto was by the similarities of the game with Studio Ghibli’s Mr. Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke.
Quoting the Japanese video game designer: "Scenes of Link firing the bow and arrow while riding Epona or the Giant Goron walking behind the mountain stirred thoughts like, 'oh that’s Ashitaka!' or 'That looks like the Nightwalker'. After struggling with the similarities, the team decided to “really build up Hyrule this time to differentiate it."
After struggling with the similarities, the team decided to "really build up Hyrule this time to differentiate it".
MPC worked on the VFX for the Jungle Book live action movie, for which it won an Academy Award. (Image credit: Nintendo)
Another incredible insight was that Link’s Epona could have easily been a unicorn or a moose rather than a horse. Apparently some staff argued for the alternative animal options but in the end the horse won out. I wonder how different the experience would have been. I’m now asking questions as to whether I would have emotionally connected with a moose in the way I did with Epona.
The interview also focuses in on Miyamoto’s personal life, including his childhood experiences. You’ll also find out whether a Zelda game exists for the Disk Drive or whether it’s just a phantom? You can read the full transcript for more insights as well as translations of other interviews with Zelda developers who worked on Majora's Mask and The Wind Waker.
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What do you think it would have been like for Epona to be a unicorn and do you see the similarities with Princess Mononoke? Let us know your thoughts on these new revelations in the comments below.
Paul is a digital expert. In the 20 years since he graduated with a first-class honours degree in Computer Science, Paul has been actively involved in a variety of different tech and creative industries that make him the go-to guy for reviews, opinion pieces, and featured articles. With a particular love of all things visual, including photography, videography, and 3D visualisation Paul is never far from a camera or other piece of tech that gets his creative juices going. You'll also find his writing in other places, including Creative Bloq, Digital Camera World, and 3D World Magazine.
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