It's official. Aonuma doesn't care what you, the Zelda fans, want from a Zelda game. But he's really interested in your feelings. From ZeldaUniverse:
And with regard to the kind of opinions or fan response that I really want to hear, it’s “What stayed with you?” What left an impression? What made you feel happy? What made you feel sad? That kind of information is really helpful to me. I understand that people will have specific requests with regard to a certain dungeon, or “We want to see this particular item in the game,” or something like that. But even more than that I really value the emotional experience that people have, and as a creator it’s very important for me to leave an impression, and I’d like to hear what those impressions are. - Aonuma
He made a similar respond when talking about Skyrim with Eurogamer. There he said that he didn't look at the content of the game, but at how it makes you feel.
Also, a fun quote from EDGE magazin (source):
When I first started making Zelda games, I was more interested in the enemy characters than in Link himself. But while I was making Twilight Princess, I was listening to the theme on an iPod while walking hand in hand with my child, and I suddenly burst into tears. I was thinking about all the awful trials Link would have to go through in the new game. I realised that Link really is my other child. I don't inhabit the character so much as watch him from somewhere very close.
What a sissy!
...
So, he wants our feelings? Then let's talk about feelings.
When I play the classic Zelda games, they make me feel satisfied and happy. When I find a stronger sword in classic Zelda games or better armor, it makes me feel really powerful and like I have achieved something. When I enter the open fields of Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda, A Link to the Past and especially Ocarina of Time, it makes me feel excited. Excited about all the things to explore. The classic games deliver a nice sense of exploration. When I play a classic Zelda dungeon, it makes me feel challenged. The dungeons used to be designed as mazes and navigating them, finding the best possible way through them is still challenging. It makes me feel smart.
When I play modern Zelda games, they make me feel unsatisfied and depressed. I'm unsatisfied and depressed because those game make me feel constrained and like an idiot, who needs constant hand holding and guidance. I feel constrained, because everything is linear, there's never a choice of path. It makes me miss the sense of exploration from the earlier games. I feel bored, because dungeons are just linear paths of easy puzzles. I feel unchallenged, because the game makes sure that I simply can't lose or get stuck anywhere. I feel like I've achieved nothing, when I find a new sword, because it's usually just a story tool and not something to help against stronger foes, which are nonexistent anyway.
So, there they are. My feelings... Now I just need Aonuma's email adress to channel my feelings directly to him... His Twitter account would work as well, I'll just tweet him everything feeling by feeling... Anynone?
And with regard to the kind of opinions or fan response that I really want to hear, it’s “What stayed with you?” What left an impression? What made you feel happy? What made you feel sad? That kind of information is really helpful to me. I understand that people will have specific requests with regard to a certain dungeon, or “We want to see this particular item in the game,” or something like that. But even more than that I really value the emotional experience that people have, and as a creator it’s very important for me to leave an impression, and I’d like to hear what those impressions are. - Aonuma
He made a similar respond when talking about Skyrim with Eurogamer. There he said that he didn't look at the content of the game, but at how it makes you feel.
Also, a fun quote from EDGE magazin (source):
When I first started making Zelda games, I was more interested in the enemy characters than in Link himself. But while I was making Twilight Princess, I was listening to the theme on an iPod while walking hand in hand with my child, and I suddenly burst into tears. I was thinking about all the awful trials Link would have to go through in the new game. I realised that Link really is my other child. I don't inhabit the character so much as watch him from somewhere very close.
What a sissy!
...
So, he wants our feelings? Then let's talk about feelings.
When I play the classic Zelda games, they make me feel satisfied and happy. When I find a stronger sword in classic Zelda games or better armor, it makes me feel really powerful and like I have achieved something. When I enter the open fields of Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda, A Link to the Past and especially Ocarina of Time, it makes me feel excited. Excited about all the things to explore. The classic games deliver a nice sense of exploration. When I play a classic Zelda dungeon, it makes me feel challenged. The dungeons used to be designed as mazes and navigating them, finding the best possible way through them is still challenging. It makes me feel smart.
When I play modern Zelda games, they make me feel unsatisfied and depressed. I'm unsatisfied and depressed because those game make me feel constrained and like an idiot, who needs constant hand holding and guidance. I feel constrained, because everything is linear, there's never a choice of path. It makes me miss the sense of exploration from the earlier games. I feel bored, because dungeons are just linear paths of easy puzzles. I feel unchallenged, because the game makes sure that I simply can't lose or get stuck anywhere. I feel like I've achieved nothing, when I find a new sword, because it's usually just a story tool and not something to help against stronger foes, which are nonexistent anyway.
So, there they are. My feelings... Now I just need Aonuma's email adress to channel my feelings directly to him... His Twitter account would work as well, I'll just tweet him everything feeling by feeling... Anynone?
4 comments:
I don't use Twitter, so I can't do anything for you.
Yup you said it right...
@K2L:
No one can. That part at the end was a joke. You can't contact Aonuma. And he certainly doesn't care.
He's just making excuses why he wouldn't listen to feedback from fans. He's still angry that he had to make Twilight Princess because of fan reactions.
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