Eiji Aonuma Explains Why Zelda’s Gameplay Takes Priority Over Story

The producer thinks it would be “kind of difficult” to reverse.

Legend of Zelda’s longtime producer Eiji Aonuma has recently been doing the press rounds to promote the new entry Echoes of Wisdom, but he’s also been discussing the design philosophy of the Zelda series in general.

Speaking to Washington Post reporter Gene Park recently, Aonuma shared one rather interesting fact, mentioning how his teams always prioritise the gameplay with stories then used as a vessel. Here’s exactly what he had to say:

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Round Up: The Reviews Are In For Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake

The Scores of Salvation.

If you’re looking to capture the magic of those halcyon days of sitting in front of the CRT with a classic RPG, then Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, which launches tomorrow — 14th November 2024 — on Switch and other systems, might be just the tonic you need.

Reviews for the HD-2D remake of the NES’s Dragon Warrior III have dropped today, and they’re very positive across the board. It manages to recreate the feel of the original game while adding some beautiful visuals, music, and a handful of quality-of-life features to the experience.

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Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Nearly Featured Playable Space Pirates

2004 sequel introduced multiplayer.

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes is celebrating its 20th anniversary this week after an initial Gamecube launch on 15th November 2004. In a new interview with developers Jack Mathews and Zoid Kirsch from Kiwi Talkz, it’s been revealed that the game’s multiplayer mode nearly featured playable Space Pirates.

The Space Pirates are an iconic, recurring enemy type within the Metroid franchise, and their similar stature to Samus would no doubt lend itself well to the first-person gameplay in the Prime trilogy, but alas, it wasn’t to be. Like many things in the tricky world of game development, playable Space Pirates simply fell by the wayside and weren’t implemented into the final game.

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Review: Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake (Switch) – Square Doesn’t Drop The Ball, Just Some Frames

The wait is finally over.

A few years ago, Square Enix announced it would be doing a remake of Dragon Quest III in its popular HD-2D engine, but this was then followed by a lengthy period of radio silence where its development status seemed uncertain. While they were at it, the developers decided to go ahead and remake the first and second Dragon Quests, too. Now that Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is finally here, we’re happy to report that the wait has been well worth it. Though it isn’t without drawbacks, this is easily the most feature-rich and enjoyable version of Dragon Quest III available.

Released in Japan in 1988, Dragon Quest III hails from a much simpler era, so the narrative is considerably less detailed than one you may find in a title from subsequent decades. You begin as a nameless warrior, the child of a once-legendary hero, now called upon to take up your father’s mantle and save the world from the threat of an evil dark lord. There’s not much character development to speak of, nor narrative depth—your character is essentially a blank slate and your party members are basically animated cardboard cutouts with some stats and gear attached. Though there are ultimately some clever tie-ins to other releases in the series and some new cutscenes to flesh out your father’s role, the plot amounts to little more than ‘there’s a bad dude out there; go get him!’

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Random: Don’t Let Pets Wii On Your Switch, Warns Nintendo

Urine trouble now.

Even though the Switch is nearing the end of its lifespan, Nintendo is still offering up some valuable nuggets of advice for both new and current owners. After all, we want these devices to last as long as possible, right?

In a social media post, the company’s customer service branch has warned users to be mindful of where they leave their Switch consoles and accessories when in the presence of any pets. It states that pet saliva and urine can cause systems to malfunction due to excess water exposure. Duh.

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Wario Land-Inspired Platformer ‘Antonblast’ Scores A Physical Switch Release In 2025

“You’re gonna want in on this!”.

Following the delay of the Wario Land-style platformer Antonblast in October, Fangamer has now announced it will be releasing a physical Switch edition at some point in 2025.

The final product is subject to licensor approval and may differ from the mockup you can see on display below. You can sign up to Fangamer now to get notified about when this game is made available.

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Opinion: No, Zelda: The Minish Cap’s Worst Sidequest Isn’t The Kinstones

Go figure.

I’ve banged the Minish Cap drum so many times by this point that my adoration for Link’s littlest adventure is old news. With today marking 20 years since this GBA gem landed in Europe, it felt too easy to sit down at my desk and gush over the tight six-dungeon structure, the brilliant puzzle design or the somehow still under-discussed soundtrack. I’ve been rambling on about these for the past two decades and a big birthday like this deserves something special.

It’s obvious what we should do, really. Let’s talk about the parts of the game that suuuuuck.

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Talking Point: With ‘Switch 2’ Coming, Will Switch Get A Price Cut?

Nintendon’teventhinkaboutit.

With the Switch successor’s long-awaited reveal planned for sometime before the clock strikes midnight on 31st March 2025, the current Switch is getting another holiday season to itself.

As part of Nintendo’s six-month financial results presentation, company president Shuntaro Furukawa revealed that the upcoming console will be backwards compatible with Switch software, so anyone who’s picked up a Switch in the last seven-and-a-half years — or anybody who goes for a bundle this holiday season — can rest easy in the knowledge that they’ll still have access to their library (and their backlogs) on the new system.

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