Eiji Aonuma: “No one said that was Link”

That trailer for the new Legend of Zelda for the Wii U sure looked great, didn’t it? But what was up with Link? He wasn’t wearing his iconic green tunic or hat. Why did Link look so weird?

“No one explicitly said that that was Link.”

That’s what Legend of Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma told me when I asked him about Link’s, or whoever it is’, new appearance during an interview at Nintendo’s E3 booth. He said this with a smile and a laugh. Could the bow-wielding hero we just saw not be Link, the star of every game in the series history?

Earlier in the interview, Aonuma told me that he was always looking for ways to shake up the series conventions. We saw this in the recent A Link Between Worlds for the 3DS, which let you explore dungeons in any order you wanted while renting items from a store. But a Zelda game without Link as the main hero? That would be a huge blow to tradition.

So, who is that? The outfit actually looks like the same one Link wore in the beginning of The Wind Waker. Aonuma himself smiled when I brought up this connection. Could this new entry be tied to that universe? Of course, that doesn’t explain why this wouldn’t be Link. Maybe it’s a child of a Link we already played as, like the one from Wind Waker or Skyward Sword. Let the speculation begin.

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Aonuma said the subject of change to the Zelda series has been discussed with creator Shigeru Miyamoto, who is now in charge of Nintendo's internal development. That sort of change goes beyond the pattern in which dungeons are tackled -- it could also extend to the roles characters like Link and Zelda have.

"Something that is 'traditional' is in a sense often something that copies previous works, so if you continue doing that, it gradually takes away from its uniqueness," Aonuma stated. "So we're currently working on making those parts more and more unique."

"So, by no means, am I tired of it," Aonuma added. "Rather, the more we change it, the more I get fired up. Having someone think 'Huh? Is this Zelda?!' at first, then 'Oh, it is Zelda,' is what we're going for. Something that wouldn't make it matter whether Link or Princess Zelda appear in it or not. Something where it wouldn't even matter if Zelda is actually a princess, or not."

Bill Trinen is the Senior Product Marketing Manager of Nintendo of America. Trinen is also a professional Japanese-to-English translator who has worked on the localization of numerous Nintendo-published video games and acts as an interpreter for video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto.

I work at Nintendo and sometimes tweet about that but often tweet about other things. My views are mine and mine alone.

ComptonTerry wrote:I wouldn't mindif they did something new like that. The series needs it. Majora and Wind Waker are my 2 favorites and they are also the 2 most original. Especially Majora. Also... No more unnecessary long tutorial shit.

NL: The Zelda series tells the story of a male hero rescuing a female princess. Would you ever consider giving Zelda her own game?

Aonuma: This is the second time I've received this question during this E3! I guess if people have strong feelings about it then it's something to consider. I'll keep that in mind! [laughs]

Game Informer - Is Link A Girl In Zelda On Wii U?

What are your reactions to everyone's reactions to the Zelda Wii U reveal?

Eiji Aonuma: Because I have been at E3, I haven't had much time to spend in doing this research, but I certainly have been checking fan reaction and I am really excited many comments have said how beautiful the game looks. The designers have been working really hard to make sure the visuals look like something players don't expect, or maybe something they haven't seen before, and this applies to not just to the scenery, but to the enemies and things like that.

Another interesting comment I've heard, quite frequently actually, is that, "Oh Link's a woman. Link is female now."

I thought that, too. I thought maybe it was Zelda when I first saw Link on Epona in the distance.

Eiji Aonuma: That might be something that consciously we kind of did, but not to say anything specific – I am not saying anything specific – but, I am hoping people continue to comment, and I will continue to follow the fan comments and reactions to the trailer. I am certainly curious, and I am sure there are things we as developers can glean.

Eiji Aonuma could simply be calling out a repeated comment that stood out to him, but the fact that he brought up the comment on his own, and said that maybe Link's gender was left unspecific on purpose could have greater meaning. Maybe Link is female in the new game, or maybe players can choose a gender at the beginning. Or maybe Link's features are just more feminine than they have been in the past. Whatever the case, Aonuma said we may learn more about the game next year.