Technobubble Talk: Hyrule Warriors devs talk Zelda

Hey, you've got Zelda in my Dynasty Warriors!

Or is it the other way around?

Two Japanese video game franchises sail into uncharted territory with the release of "Hyrule Warriors" for the Nintendo Wii U.

For gamers who've been stuck underneath a Goron for the last couple of years, Hyrule Warriors is a game in the vein of Dynasty Warriors one-versus-1,000 formula but with Zelda characters.

How did this video game marriage come about?

I interview longtime Legend of Zelda director and producer Eiji Aonuma of Nintendo as well as Koei Tecmo producer Yosuke Hayashi, who talk about Hyrule Warriors' creation, the absence of Tingle, the next Legend of Zelda game for Wii U, and the one game they would take with them if they got stuck on a desert island.

Question: Hyrule Warriors debuted in Japan at No. 2 on the sales charts and has been credited with selling Wii U systems over there. Given how portable games have dominated console games in Japan lately, what do you think about Hyrule Warriors' performance and what it means for the Wii U?

Eiji Aonuma: This game was developed with Zelda fans in mind and we really wanted them to enjoy it so we're happy with the sales results so far. Just looking at the reaction of fans on Miiverse (Nintendo's social media platform on Wii U), it's obvious they're happy with the experience so I'm really glad about that. In terms of the Wii U and its future, (the reception to Hyrule Warriors) is a good sign and we would like to continue to make games that would help it sell.

Q: The "Musou" or "Warriors" series has a history of branching out whether it be with Gundam, Fist of the North Star or One Piece. Who initiated the idea for Hyrule Warriors?

Yosuke Hayashi: Koei Tecmo originally proposed the idea to Nintendo. The reason we do collaborations is because we want more people to be introduced to our games. We actually have a bunch of Zelda fans in our staff and we felt it might be good to have a Zelda-themed game that had action-based gameplay and Nintendo agreed.

Q: How is Hyrule Warriors different from past Warriors' games?

Hayashi: This was this actually the first time we have done a collaboration between a game series and another franchise as opposed to an anime, so that proved to be a challenge. The Legend of Zelda series has its own style of gameplay so we honestly had some difficulty in the beginning in figuring out how we can translate that Zelda gameplay into a Dynasty Warriors-style game. We talked to Mr. Aonuma a lot about this and we believe that we have been successful in carrying over those aspects that best represent the Zelda franchise into the game.

Q: What are the chances of us seeing a Nintendo Warriors game with characters like Mario, Samus and Kirby?

Aonuma: We believe the Hyrule Warriors collaboration works out well because the Zelda intellectual property also happens to be a very good fit with Dynasty Warriors. As far as other Nintendo IPs, some may work out and others may not so that's something we're still not completely certain about. If Koei Tecmo wants to propose another game idea using other Nintendo franchises, we may consider it but I can't speak for other franchises because I'm usually involved with the Zelda games.

Q: How did you decide which characters to include in Hyrule Warriors?

Hayashi: The No. 1 thing we considered was which characters Zelda fans love and want to play as. We also had staff members play several Zelda games and see what characters really made an impression on them.

Q: Who's your favorite character to use in the game and why?

Hayashi: I was happy to play as Ganon. The idea of being able to use characters you're not normally able to play as in those Legend of Zelda games was something I find satisfying.

Aonuma: I had the most fun playing with the original character Koei Tecmo created called Lana. The scene where you're fighting alongside the child of the Deku tree really left a big impression on me.

Q: Any chance of seeing Tingle in this game?

Hayashi: Actually, Tingle was a character we kind of considered and sort of went back and forth on. We really wanted to include him but Mr. Aonuma suggested that it might be good to include some other character.

Aonuma: (Laughs) Do you like Tingle?

Me: I think he's hilarious!

Q: For Mr. Aonuma, is there anything you learned from playing Hyrule Warriors that you might apply to the upcoming Legend of Zelda game for Wii U?

Aonuma: One aspect of Hyrule Warriors that really left a big impression on me was how the big bosses can actually move across the map while you're fighting them. For example, you can have a boss start by heading toward your stronghold and you'll attack and then follow them. That's something you don't usually see in a Zelda game because bosses are usually in enclosed spaces so that kind of gameplay feels fresh to me. It also works really well in an expansive world, which is what we're planning to do for the next Zelda game. It's going to be a really open world so that's the kind of gameplay we'd really like to incorporate.

Q: Is there a possibility for online co-op to be added to Hyrule Warriors in the future?

Hayashi: From our side, we considered what kind of co-op play would really suit the Wii U. What's really unique to the Wii U is the controller so we decided to include two-player local co-op where one player uses the TV and the other uses the Wii U tablet. We just think that kind of co-op play where you have two people there in front of each other is really fun.

Q: If you got stuck in a deserted island and can only bring one video game to play, what would it be?

Hayashi: Hyrule Warriors.

Aonuma: The Legend of Zelda A Link Between Worlds.

Q: Will there be a Hyrule Warriors 2?

Hayashi: It's kind of hard to say because the game is quite new and hasn't even released in the United States yet (as of this interview). We do have all kinds of updates planned for the game so we think that players will be enjoying it over a long period of time.

Q: Are there any plans to remake other Zelda titles from the past to the Wii U like you did with the Wind Waker?

Aonuma: Obviously, as time goes by and hardware functionality changes and improves, we have an interest in how they might open up new possibilities for games. The No. 1 thing for us is listening to Zelda fans and responding to their ideas so we can make sure they have a great experience. We're quite aware, for example, that people have strong opinions about Majora's Mask so that's something we pay close attention to.

Q: Any updates about the new Legend of Zelda game you're working on?

Aonuma: No (long pause, then laughs). We don't have any particular updates but our staff members are working really hard on this game right now in the midst of Japan's very hot summer weather.

Q: Any parting thoughts before we end the interview?

Aonuma: I would like to echo a message from (Mario creator) Shigeru Miyamoto after he played Hyrule Warriors. He said Zelda games usually make your brain sweat. That might sound weird but it basically means they challenge your brain. In contrast, Hyrule warriors will make your hand sweat, so we hope players are able to enjoy Zelda in a different way.