The lights are on
It's almost impossible for any gamer to dispute the development mastery that brought the classic 2D Zelda gameplay to the third dimension. It set the standard for all 3D action/adventure games to come, and introduced genre standards like lock-on aiming (touted as "Z-targeting" back then). However, if you asked gamers to name one thing they disliked about it, you'll most likely hear the same answer from most - the Water Temple. It was a pain to constantly raise and lower the water levels, and even more of a pain to keep putting on and taking off the Iron Boots. Director Eiji Aonuma seems to agree with this sentiment, apologizing in a recent interview.
"I am most sorry that it was not easy for you to put on and take off the heavy boots, that all the time you had to visit the inventory. I am very sorry about that. I should have made it much easier to switch to the heavy boots," Aonuma said.
Most gamers probably won't have a problem accepting his apology, considering the reverence Ocarina is still given today. Later in the interview, Aonuma drops a possible hint regarding Link's mode of transportation in the new Wii Zelda:
"I have an eight-year-old son myself at home, and quite recently he started playing The Phantom Hourglass for DS, because when the software first hit the market he was too young. When he started playing with the boat, I told him: 'In the next Zelda, you are going to be able to ride on the train.' He answered: 'OK, Dad, first boat, and then train? Surely next time, Link is going to fly in the sky...'" Aonuma continues, "I just don't know. If many people make many speculations...some of them might be correct. Right now, I have to refrain from commenting on anything."
What do you think? A subtle hint at a future ability for Link, or just a simple anecdote about his son?
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I didn't think it was so bad.
I facepalm'd when I found out what I was doing wrong in the Water Temple. Best dungeon design ever.
That might be fun, I was wishing i could fly a lot of the time in the Wind Waker.
umm they should go back to the ship as transportation. Wind Waker FTW!
Let the rumors begin!
If you can fly it would be hard to prevent some people from flying over all the enemies so I don't think it would work so probably not.
Why would he fly? Wouldn't that need some gameplay improvements but couldn't he use the bird thing to fly in the wind waker? or that one cartoony LoZ
i forgive you.
Children are full of creative ideas. Perhaps the future modalities of transportation in Zelda will reflect Eiji's secret brainstorming with his child.
The true source of his power!
I didn't find that temple too bad anyway, so apology accepted. I can't wait for the next Zelda game!
Well I like how the boots were handled in the later games. Making them a C-button item made it a lot easier to switch between Iron and regular.
The water segments were annoying though. Especially when you lose track of where you were going in the dungeon.
The water temple was great, annoying as heck but still one of the better temples (the whole boots thing was a minor inconvenience but no big deal). Fighting your own shadow is just beyond awesome! As for flying... na. It would allow people to skip too many things. Gliding might be cool though.
Flying in a Legend of Zelda game would definitely be interesting. It would depend on how they implemented it. For example, I wouldn't want to have to constantly shake the Wiimote or something like that, but tilting it to change direction might be cool.
I'll wait and see. But I'm confident that it can only add to the game as a whole.
It seems likely that they'll eventually have some sort of flying as a main mode of transportation. I thought, for about a minute, that flying in Twilight Princess was fun.
But given it's Zelda, I expect flying to the extent of sailing as in Windwaker.
I wouldn't read into this brief interview as clue dropping though; flying is bound to be more prevalent in Zelda
Surprisingly, given my shorter-than-your-average-short attention span, I never really got frustrated with having to go in and out of the inventory. The Water Temple definitely tested my love for Zelda, but overall I liked that temple. Probably because I love Dark Link.
The only problem I had with the Water Temple was the keys and which rooms I missed. The boss and Dark Link are ridiculously easy if you had the Biggoran sword. The flight thing sounds pretty cool maybe a bird transformation since Link already went wolf on us.
Great game either way.
That would be different if you could fly in Zelda.
I never found it to be that bad, as I don't have the attention span of an ADD addled six-year-old after a case of mountain dew. As for flying...hey, that sounds great to me.