Despite fan enthusiasm for Zelda to get her own game, series producer Eiji Aonuma thinks gameplay takes precedent over character.
Throughout the entire pre-release period for The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom, fans hoped that the titular princess would actually be playable – even though Nintendo had never given any indication that she would be.
In the end she wasn’t, with Zelda once again playing only a background role in a game named after her, as Link does all the adventuring.
However, series producer Eiji Aonuma was asked if there was any chance of Zelda getting to be the hero of her own game, to which Aonuma gave a resounding… maybe.
It should be stressed that Zelda is playable in several games, such as the Super Smash Bros. series, both Hyrule Warriors spin-offs, and one of the awful CD-I games that Nintendo pretends don’t exist. However, fans are eager to see her take centre stage in a mainline Zelda game.
So, after nearly 40 years of being the damsel in distress, or assisting in a supporting role, what will it take for Zelda to be playable in the actual Legend Of Zelda series? Well, Aonuma thinks it will ultimately depend on the gameplay.
‘We feel like what takes most priority is this idea of gameplay,’ he tells Vanity Fair. ‘If it turns out that the particular gameplay we’re trying to bring to fruition would be best served by having Zelda take that role, then it’s possible that that could be a direction we could take.’
This mindset likely explains why Zelda wasn’t made playable in Tears Of The Kingdom. Granted, this incarnation of Zelda introduced in Breath Of The Wild isn’t exactly a fighter and more of a scholar.
This is also why she was passed over for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in favour of the Zelda from A Link Between Worlds.
Aonuma is quick to add that, at this point, there’s no telling what the next Legend Of Zelda game will be like and thus Zelda’s own future as a character is murky.
‘With that said, of course, because we are not sure what the next gameplay experience is going to be, we can’t say what Zelda’s next step is going to be,’ says Aounuma.
Aounuma may be uncertain about what form the series will take with the next game, but we can’t imagine Nintendo will want to move on from the current formula for the Zelda series, considering Tears Of The Kingdom is selling so extremely well.
The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom is available for Nintendo Switch.
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