STACK #137 Mar 2016

Q&A GAMES

Assistant Director on Twilight Princess HD, Ms. Tomomi Sano , talks about Australian studio Tantalus' involvement in the project.

How closely did you work with Tantalus on the project? Ms. Sano: Actually, I didn’t make it to Australia, however we utilised a video conference and web system. In the beginning, there was some confusion in communicating over the Internet, but we came to enjoy a lively exchange of opinions as we got used to the environment. Most of all, it was very encouraging for us that Tantalus always worked with our requests.

What kind of input did you receive from Mr. Miyamoto or Mr. Aonuma during the development? There were various inputs with a focus on improving the ease of game play. In fact, their opening remarks were “We want to fix something! We don’t want to put rupees back into a treasure chest when the wallet is full.” The opened treasure chest is a very important sign of how much you have achieved, so I think many players might have had something in the back of their mind while playing. Perhaps Mr. Aonuma was the one who had something in the back of his mind the most!

GAMES

Is there a temptation to improve the gameplay, mechanics or story when you’re presented with an opportunity like this? Yes, it is hard for me not to be tempted into improving certain elements. I was really pressed for time during the development of the original game, so when I paused to reflect following its completion, it was inevitable that there would be some parts for which I felt “hmmm…” Usually it is impossible to develop a title again, however, I always consider myself lucky to have another chance to do so when remaking a title like this. Are there any plans for additional content to be released post-launch? There is no plan for add-on content with this title because we are focusing on developing the new Zelda title for Wii U, so please look forward to it. Tantalus have been working on games for over 20 years – what was it about them that seemed the right fit for the HD remake of Twilight Princess ? I felt they had strong developing skills from seeing their work across remakes of previous titles, so I decided to ask Tantalus to remake this title. As a result, I think they created great work beyond my expectations.

• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight

Princess HD is out March 5

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