New Zelda won't be "radically different"

By Robert Purchese Published 3 July, 2009

Miyamoto doesn't think so, anyway.

Judging by a snatched quote from Nintendo Power magazine, Shigeru Miyamoto has said the new Zelda will be a familiar experience, despite being the first instalment specifically built for Wii.

"I don't think it's going to be that radically different," the veteran designer said (read by Aeropause, spotted by vg247).

Amid the Mario E3 madness, Miyamoto managed to sneakily confirm development of a new Zelda game for Wii. Not wanting to announce the project empty-handed, the legendary Nintendo creator produced a picture, which he said proved he is "quite far into the development of the title".

No game specifics were mentioned, other than that Zelda will likely support Wii MotionPlus, although whether this will be a required control method or an option depends on Wii Sports Resort sales.

Wii Sports Resort arrives here on 24th July. Expect our thoughts soon.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (41) Latest comment 3 years ago

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  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #1 3 years ago

    Same old, same old, then.

    I actually liked Wind Waker better than Twilight Princess because it felt like less of a retread of Ocarina of Time. And it didn't have the irritating shakey sword controls, that helped.
    Edited by 1 at 03/07/09 @ 08:56

  • Eraysor #2 3 years ago

    I didn't enjoy the last one much, so this one isn't going to impress either it seems.

    Making the Wii has drained all innovation from Nintendo. They're getting horribly lazy.

  • leftlion #3 3 years ago

    Well I for one am glad it is not going to be radically different.
    Twilight Princess was a good game with a good length to it - far more value for money than a lot of games nowadays!
    I didn't think the sword shaking was irritating either. All I want is a different bad guy to ganondorf.

  • wizlon #4 3 years ago

    I knew of a few people who didn't rate TP, personally I loved every second of it, but then again I am easily pleased.

  • Cid #5 3 years ago

    Each game has been different enough from the last as far as I'm concerned. Just look at Majora's Mask. It uses the exact same game engine (right down to the NPCs) as Ocarina of Time, yet it couldn't be any more different from it. Then along came Wind Waker which, in turn, wasn't anything like the two N64 games.

    People only started complaining once Twilight Princess arrived, and the only reason that borrowed so heavily from Ocarina was because that's what Nintendo thought the fanbase wanted after the WW backlash. As long as they go back to doing their own thing I think it'll turn out alright.
    Edited by 1 at 03/07/09 @ 09:10

  • andywilkie35 #6 3 years ago

    I loved Twilight Princess so this isn't bad news for me at all

  • LazyDan #7 3 years ago

    I remember not too long ago someone, or even Miyamoto, said that they played Shadow of the Collossus and wanted Zelda to be more like that.

    I hope that's the direction they go in.

  • Linkified #8 3 years ago

    they need to shake it up, put in a new time period move awayfrom epona the horse and more to epona the motor bike. etc etc.

  • frostcircus #9 3 years ago

    He might as well say it'll have swords in it.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #10 3 years ago

    they need to shake it up, put in a new time period move awayfrom epona the horse and more to epona the motor bike

    You know, that idea isn't entirely without merit. Jak and Daxter did it with considerable success in Jak 2. And the Final Fantasy series has shown us an intriguing blend of technology, magic and swordplay for years. Various Zeldas have been set in the past and the future with respect to other ones, so why is there never any technological progress?

    Even within the existing canon, perhaps there might have been an irresponsible age of technology that leads to the great flood that covers Hyrule in the time of Wind Waker. That could happen at the end of the game - it could have a Miyazaki-esque trite eco-message and everything.

    Not that they'll do that, because it won't be 'radically different', but it could potentially be a wonderful thing if they did.

  • Triggerhappytel #11 3 years ago

    So basically it'll be in Hyrule again with Ganon as the antagonist, Princess Zelda and the Triforce in need of rescuing and the customary regions with the Zora, Gorons and so on. I really would like to see a change of direction for the series - just take on a new plot with a new villain, new items and a new cast besides Link, and most of my grumbles about the series would be quelled.

    Kind of like making Link's Awakening 3D, but I don't want them to literally do that.

  • menage #12 3 years ago

    I'm with the do something new vibe.

    I tried TP and new DS one, but I really can't get into playing the same game again. Like Yatzee put it, only thing you're really wondering about is if you're getting the boomerang or grappling hook first. At least Metroid is getting a reboot once every 5 years.

  • Burkey123 #13 3 years ago

    I loved TP so I'm not worried. Imo, Zelda games are always top drawer and this will be no different.
    Edited by 1 at 03/07/09 @ 10:49

  • Cid #14 3 years ago

    "just take on a new plot with a new villain"

    Link's Awakening, Majora's Mask, Minish Cap and Phantom Hourglass all did this.

    Ganondorf is the Bowser of the Zelda series. I've always said that the games which don't have him as the main antagonist usually end up with bland final battles, because Link vs. Ganon is just the done thing. Also, they were actually starting to give Ganondorf more of a personality and motive in Wind Waker, before reverting to the "I am evil because I can be" Ganon in Twilight Princess. I'd like them to take things a step further in the new game. They're the sort of changes I want to see.

  • sneetch #15 3 years ago

    Didn't he - and correct me if I'm wrong - but I seem to remember him saying after last years E3 that the next Zelda would shake things up? Still, he can shake things up without being radically different. He may just mean it's still an adventure title, and say, not a build-your-own racer with platform elements as a random example. ;)

  • Freek #16 3 years ago

    I think we can all agree that we have now saved the Gorrons enough times and consider the Forest,Fire,Water temples done.
    It's time for something fresh.

  • wellzy4eva #17 3 years ago

    The problem with Zelda is...it's based on a limited dream made wa back in 1986, when it was completely fresh on the market, they refined it for the SNES, and the progression into 3d was huge and well polished.

    Problem is they set such a high benchmark, but are not willing to detract from the main plot, it's no wonder people are getting bored.

    Nintendo feel they can add novelties to Zelda OOT to succeed, be it a boat, a mask or a wolf and lots of waggling of a wiimote that barely works better than a simple button.

    This has been said many times before, but maybe Miyamoto should be benched, let Eiji Aonuma do something new and get fresh talent to start afresh.

  • scouserfuller9 #18 3 years ago

    @Triggerhappytel - Super Mario games are about beatinig Bowser just as much, Sonic's all about beating Dr Robotnik as well as Kirby's about beating King Dedede so of course it's most likely to involve saving Zelda and the kingdom Hyrule from Ganon.
    Don't forget not every Link is the same one in each adventure so Link's not picking up his sword thinking "oh not Ganon again!?"

  • roz123 #19 3 years ago

    If this uses motion plus and they think of a decent storyline it could one of the greatest games ever.

  • geeza2020 #20 3 years ago

    Did anyone else think that Twilight Princess' Wolf sections were a blatant rip-off of Okami? That game pissed all over TP, and its a shame that the devs seem to have gone bust.

  • Triggerhappytel #21 3 years ago

    @ scouserfuller

    But the difference between Zelda and the likes of Mario/Sonic etc is that as the Zelda games become increasingly narrative-driven, following what is essentially the same plot every time gets a bit tiresome. I feel just a change in setting like Link's Awakening would do a lot for the game, as well as getting a new inventory (there are only so many puzzles you can base around the hook shot, boomerang or iron boots before it starts to get really dull).


    @ Cid

    But I don't want Nintendo to implement one of those ideas; I want them to do all of them. I don't play the handheld versions post-LA, and while MM is probably the most unusual of the core console iterations, it still had the same inventory and the fucking annoying time limit put me right off - doing the same tasks over and over or not quite finishing a dungeon in time and having to do it all again really killed my interest in the game.

  • menage #22 3 years ago

    Okami is the Zelda formula perfected. No Zelda comes close to sheer gaming joy.

    Not bust, they're Platinum games now I think. At least some are.

  • JahB #23 3 years ago

    if they aren't gonna do anything new in the first place, could i then just please have a 3d remake of A Link To The Past?

  • scouserfuller9 #24 3 years ago

    @Triggerhappytel - We have seen new features with the items though. Using two hookshots instead of one, the boomerang has the effect of causing wind and the iron boots interact with metal all played a new roll in TP and if you go back to WW you got to lock on to five things with the boomerang and not just one so they're likely to come up with something new.
    As for the games I'm not saying they all should involve beating Ganon. Quite a few haven't! I just find it makes the story more exciting.

  • Triggerhappytel #25 3 years ago

    @ scouserfuller

    Fair enough; clearly we're not going to agree. I think new uses for existing items is a bit of a cop-out, and doesn't change the puzzles or the dungeons in any meaningful sense, which tend to be built around what items you have.

    I mean, don't get me wrong - with something like seven million combined sales for TP I'm probably in the minority, but I would like it if Nintendo made more effort to not follow the same tired routes the series almost always does. I also agree that Aonuma should be allowed free reign perhaps as director and producer, to produce something a little more characterful and individual than the other instalments.

    I also agree that Okami is better than any of the 3D Zeldas anyway.

  • Cid #26 3 years ago

    I've yet to finish Okami. Despite wanting to like the game it just never hooked me, and what I sampled of the combat was terrible.

  • Daryoon #27 3 years ago

    Let's see...

    The Legend of Zelda - Ganon
    Adventure of Link - No Ganon
    Link to the Past - Ganon
    Link's Awakening - No Ganon
    Ocarina of Time - Ganon
    Majora's Mask - No Ganon
    Oracle of Ages - No Ganon*
    Oracle of Seasons - No Ganon*
    Wink Waker - Ganon
    Four Swords Adventure - Ganon
    The Minish Cap - No Ganon
    The Phantom Hourglass - No Ganon
    Twilight Princess - Ganon

    Ganon doesn't even appear in half the games!!

    * Ganon only appears if your combine the two games together. Played separately, there's no Ganon!

  • sneetch #28 3 years ago

    @Daryoon
    Let's see...

    ...

    Ganon doesn't even appear in half the games!!

    * Ganon only appears if your combine the two games together. Played separately, there's no Ganon!

    He does star in nearly all the non-handheld games though, I don't know if that's an important distinction but I never really got into the handheld scene.

  • Triggerhappytel #29 3 years ago

    Yeah, what sneetch said. The only handheld instalment I'm familiar with is LA, and he's the principal antagonist in all the console iterations bar one.

  • Telepathic.Geometry #30 3 years ago

    If Link doesn't have a sword, I'd say that's pretty radically different.

  • scouserfuller9 #31 3 years ago

    @Triggerhappytel - If you were to play through the games you'd see we do see a few new items in all the the games as well as old ones. The old ones keeps the game play similar to what it always been. It's a bit like saying in Mario Galaxy get rid of all Mario's jumping strategies and make new ones. It's ok getting rid of the odd one or two but you still wanna keep the rest so it won't have too much effect in changing the game play.
    What I love about Ganon being involved is it puts in your mind where does this title fit in the storyline compared to the others. Other bosses out there to be beaten have that off your mind. When I played through the WW finding out Tetra was actually Zelda was a great part in the story and has me far more excited. Ok not everyone will agree but that's just how I see it. Another arguement you get is what style does Link look best in and I've always prefered the cel-shaded but expect the new one on the Wii to be realistic.
    I do feel ST won't feature Ganon though and it is cel-shaded so at least we're likely to both be happy with that!

  • smelly #32 3 years ago

    I do LOVE how he can say a few words - probably taken out of context to the original question.. and all of a sudden the internet is awash with reports that new zelda is going to be more of the same!

    Sheesh.

    How is one sentence reply to a question we dont know actually news?

    The question mightve been :

    Q: Is link going to have a different outfit - maybe some tight black spandex?
    A: "I don't think it's going to be that radically different"

    Q: Will sword swinging be totally unplayable with wii motion plus?
    A: "I don't think it's going to be that radically different"


    See.. Without the question it's MEANINGLESS.. But yet again, the internet takes 1 translated sentence out of context and runs with it as if it's the truth.

    Oh and for the record - anyone who says TP didnt have any original ideas in it, obviously never played it.

  • LukeFX #33 3 years ago

    What I dont understand is why they just dont remake the original Zelda64. I recently had the sudden urge to play Zelda64 so got the emulator and rom and proceeded to bash the hell out of it! What a game!!! Also it shocked me that the ROM was only 32mb! Why the hell are all the latest RPGs 4gig+ yet do not offer the same standard of story and gameplay! The game industry really needs to stop releasing wank games and take a step back and actually look at past successful releases and take note!

  • drunkymonkey #34 3 years ago

    I thought Miyamoto said that the new Zelda game would be radically different, upon Twilight Princess's release?

  • Skurmedel #35 3 years ago

    I don't know if Miyamoto's worked on New Super Mario Bros, but if he did, he still has his genius and this game will be worth the money.

  • smelly #36 3 years ago

    @drunkymonkey : He did. And that was a proper quote. This is a vocal snippet where we dont even know the original question or context.

    Also known as - crap "journalism"

  • Sharks #37 3 years ago

    Damn it, a bit of innovation goes a long way, Nintendo!

  • smelly #38 3 years ago

    >Damn it, a bit of innovation goes a long way, Nintendo!

    You're right.. I'm sure halo 4 wont be exactly the same as the 3 before it...

    BUT - as i just said... Oh fuckit .. This is more proof gamers on forums are stupid... Take a sentence someones says, not even in context.. read shit loads into it... FFS.... And they say games make you dumb...

  • Quak #39 3 years ago

    Has anyone at Eurogamer ever heard of a camera? Instead of textually describing what you guys see at these events, why not take photos?

  • Lin #40 3 years ago

    more proper games based on good old IPs is one thing, but wouldn't a new starfox or f-zero game have brought more to the table?

  • Sharks #41 3 years ago

    You're right.. I'm sure halo 4 wont be exactly the same as the 3 before it...

    BUT - as i just said... Oh fuckit .. This is more proof gamers on forums are stupid... Take a sentence someones says, not even in context.. read shit loads into it... FFS.... And they say games make you dumb...

    What the hell? Halo is utterly insipid to me. Anytime something's said that isn't in favour of Nintendo it's total slander to you mate. Out of context or not, the likelihood is the game probably won't be anything we haven't seen before. I don't have any major gripes with that, but I would have appreciated something a little refreshing since I've played so many samey games these past few years. It's a damn shame since the Wii is fairly loaded with innovation otherwise. ( although it really pales in comparison to the Gamecube and most of Nintendo's other past endeavors)

    You know, not everyone here who doesn't give every move Nintendo makes the stamp of approval is a biased, lop-sided Sony/MS fanboy. The PS3 barely exists to me and I hardly use the 360 much these days ( although the Wii is gathering dust as well) Stop generalizing FFS.

    Christ stop taking everything with a grain of salt, for once
    Edited by 2 at 06/07/09 @ 16:23