PEOPLE: - Yoshiaki Koizumi, age 32. Majora’s Mask Co-Director. - Eiji Aonuma, age 37. Majora’s Mask Co-Director. - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 47. Majora’s Mask Producer. QUOTE: Koizumi: Introducing [Ocarina’s Sages] into a different Zelda world might feel out of place. Instead we decided [in Majora’s Mask] to present characters who weren't deeply explored in the previous games. We gave them different backgrounds and settings to capture the feelings of the people who voted for less popular characters [in Nintendo Dream’s popularity poll]. Q: Anju only got 6 points in our magazine’s rating contents, but she has one of the most involved sidequests doesn’t she?  Aonuma: That's the part where Mr. Koizumi put in the most effort [laughs]. Miyamoto: It was a full-power throw [laughs]. Koizumi: Well, um... I personally liked her a lot [laughs].

#Linktober 12: Obscure Character

Koizumi, Aonuma, & Miyamoto on the Ocarina characters they reused for Majora's Mask, 2000.

Source: The Hyrule Journals

#Zelda
#MajorasMaskQuote
#KoizumiQuote, #AonumaQuote, #MiyamotoQuote

www.hyruleinterviews.com/Koizumi-Aonu...

PEOPLE: - Yoshiaki Koizumi, age 39. Writer for A Link to the Past and Link’s Awakening. - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 55. Producer of A Link to the Past and Link’s Awakening. QUOTE: Koizumi: Back then, the people who wrote the manuals often became the people who came up with most of the backstory for the entire game. The first real game work that I did was on Link's Awakening. … I came in to write the manual, as I did on [A Link to the Past]. But they had nothing in place. So I ended up making an entire story to go along with the game. The dream, the island, that was all mine. And so that was my first experience doing the kind of work that we would now call "event design." But there were not too many people at the time with expertise in that area, so I really had free reign to do what I wanted, so long as I didn't make Miyamoto angry.

#Linktober 11: Dream/Nightmare

Koizumi on writing the story for Link's Awakening, 2007.

Source: Wired

#Zelda
#LinksAwakeningQuote
#KoizumiQuote, #MiyamotoQuote

www.notion.so/adccbdbf92a3...

PEOPLE: - Yoshiaki Koizumi, age 39. Link’s Awakening & A Link to the Past writer. Ocarina of Time 3D Gameplay Director. Majora’s Mask Co-Director. - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 55. Creator of Zelda & Mario. General Manager of Nintendo EAD. QUOTE: Koizumi: One of the things that makes Miyamoto’s feedback so hard to understand is that none of his sentences have subjects. So you have to rely on context to understand a statement. But more than that, Miyamoto may not know himself what he’s trying to say. Or he may be intentionally vague just to spur thought, just to give people a chance to come up with their own ideas and not limit them in the types of solutions they might be able to find. … My role is to cut down that abstraction by giving examples of different solutions to problems they’re discussing, then sending them over to Miyamoto to see [his reactions]. I’m getting pretty good at it. We’ve been doing it for ten years.

Koizumi on abstract feedback from Miyamoto, 2007.

Source: Wired

#Nintendo
#KoizumiQuote, #MiyamotoQuote

www.notion.so/adccbdbf92a3...

PEOPLE: - Yoshiaki Koizumi, age 32. Majora’s Mask Co-Director. - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 47. Majora’s Mask Producer. QUOTE: Koizumi: I had already been busy designing another game. But then, Miyamoto… Miyamoto: Recalled you. Koizumi: I heard the whispers: ‘Zelda… Zelda… Zelda…!’ And my game was canned! ... [Laughs] I’d originally been designing a board game, based around the theme of cops and robbers. I wanted to make it so that you technically had to catch the criminal within a week, but, in reality, you could finish the game in an hour. I figured I’d just throw what I already had into Majora’s Mask.

Koizumi on repurposing another design for Majora’s Mask, 2000.

Source: GlitterBerri's Game Translations

#Zelda
#MajorasMaskQuote
#KoizumiQuote, #MiyamotoQuote

www.notion.so/29f994ce55ec...

PEOPLE: - Eiji Aonuma, age 37. Majora’s Mask Co-Director. - Yoshiaki Koizumi, age 32. Majora’s Mask Co-Director. QUOTE: Aonuma: I was responsible for the fairy-tale sections [of Majora’s Mask], and Koizumi was responsible for creating realistic depictions of the lives of the townspeople. I tried to emulate the fantasy atmosphere we had in Ocarina of Time… Koizumi: And I created realistic lives for the characters. Aonuma: You could say that Koizumi slapped his worldview on the whole thing. [Laughs] Koizumi: I put in everything I’ve seen in my 30-something years on this earth.

PEOPLE: - Satoru Iwata. EarthBound Program Director, President of Nintendo from 2002-2015. - Shigesato Itoi. Producer, Director, & Writer for Mother 1, 2 & 3. Founder of Ape, Inc., which later became Creatures, Inc. Founder of Hobonichi. My Neighbor Totoro voice actor. Iron Chef judge.. QUOTE: Iwata: What makes the Mother [EarthBound] series so special? I think it has to do with the role that Shigesato Itoi played. Nobody making games today is quite like him, and Mother remains without parallel. … There was a time when Shigesato Itoi was totally obsessed with games, and in that sense he’s truly a gamer at heart. At the same time, he had a variety of experiences that the average game designer hadn’t, and I think these two aspects combined to form a unique individual. … The overall effect is a game unlike almost any other. I think this is the cumulative effect of all the aspects of the gaming experience—the fun parts, sad parts, outlandish parts, and goofy parts.

On parallels between Majora's Mask and Earthbound

Via GlitterBerri's Game Translations (2000) and Ask Iwata (Hobonichi, 2019)

#Zelda #Earthbound
#MajorasMaskQuote #EarthBoundQuote
#AonumaQuote #KoizumiQuote #IwataQuote #ItoiQuote

PEOPLE: - Yoshiaki Koizumi, age 43. Ocarina of Time 3D Gameplay Director. - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 58. Ocarina of Time Producer. QUOTE: "Koizumi: [Miyamoto] wanted to make [Ocarina of Time] a first-person game. In the beginning, he had the image that you are at first walking around in first-person, and when an enemy appeared, the screen would switch, Link would appear, and the battle would unfold from a side perspective. ... But—while it wasn't very nice of me toward Miyamoto-san—I didn't try a first-person scene even once! I was making the model for Link, so I couldn't stand to see my Link not appear."

PEOPLE: - Eiji Aonuma, age 43. Director of Twilight Princess. QUOTE: "Aonuma: We tried changing the camera perspective [in Twilight Princess] from … third person to … first-person perspective in battle. For this prototype, all we did was change this perspective to the first-person view we currently had. We haven’t tweaked things like the spacing between Link and enemies, so it’s really awkward, but having played this version in first person, we didn’t think this was the most effective way of presenting battles. Link normally has a variety of movements, but when he enters into battle with his enemies, which has come to be known as core scene in Zelda, if that variety is lost, it feels very strange."

Those times the Zelda series could have gone first-person

Via Iwata Asks (2011) and GDC (2007)

#Zelda
#OcarinaOfTimeQuote #TwilightPrincessQuote
#KoizumiQuote, #AonumaQuote, #MiyamotoQuote

Collage of three quotes. I couldn't fit the alt text, but the tumblr version of this post, linked in the post body, has the full text.

Linktober #22: Favorite Character
Aonuma on his favorite. Presented without comment xD

(Couldn't fit alt text, see the description in tumblr post:)
www.tumblr.com/hyruleinterv...

#Zelda
#AonumaQuote, #KoizumiQuote
#TwilightPrincessQuote, #TwilightPrincessHDQuote, #MajorasMaskQuote
#Linktober

PEOPLE: - Yoshiaki Koizumi, age 39. A Link to the Past Manual Author & Illustrator. QUOTE: "Koizumi: My first assignment [at Nintendo] was to do the art and layout and eventually the writing for the manual for The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past. What was funny was that at the time, it didn't seem like they'd really figured out what most of the game elements meant. So it was up to me to come up with story and things while I was working on the manual. So, for example, the design of the goddesses as well as the star sign associated with them."

Linktober #6: Sacred

Koizumi on manual art and writing for A Link to the Past, 2007.

Source: Wired

#Zelda
#ALinktothePastQuote
#KoizumiQuote
#Linktober

www.notion.so/adccbdbf92a3...

PEOPLE: - Yoshiaki Koizumi, age 39. 3D Gameplay Director of Ocarina of Time, Co-Director of Majora’s Mask. Director of Super Mario Galaxy. QUOTE: "Koizumi: Since this is a sphere, Mario [in Super Mario Galaxy] can run all he wants without falling, hitting a wall, or needing to adjust the camera. Even playing a little game of chase can go on forever so long as you avoid obstacles well. The concept is perfect for getting someone completely absorbed in the moment as they play. So there you have it. The best thing about spherical worlds is the unity of surface. The connectedness that lets you run forever. Also, the player won't get lost easily. They never need to adjust the camera, and they can get totally absorbed in play as they run endlessly on the planetoid. We had found a way to create a game field that was never-ending."

Koizumi on the connectedness of spherical worlds, 2007.

Source: Montreal International Game Summit (MIGS)

#SuperMarioGalaxyQuote
#KoizumiQuote

www.notion.so/4d9fbbd2cbe1...

PEOPLE: - Yoshiaki Koizumi, age 32. Co-Director of Majora’s Mask. QUOTE: "Koizumi: Although we worked hard to create the notebook portion of [Majora’s Mask], we still think of it as a side feature. We think the main part of the game is the standard storyline that players will engage with. But if players only focus on the dungeons, they are not going to understand the true appeal of the three-day system. … I think it would be pretty overwhelming to jump right into doing the Bomber’s Notebook events, so we suggest that players clear the main dungeons first as an introductory course. … If the players take on the Bomber’s Notebook events after they have gotten used to the rules of the world, I think they are more likely to appreciate the story."

Koizumi on how they expected players to engage with the Bomber's Notebook, 2000.

Source: The Hyrule Journals

#Zelda
#MajorasMaskQuote
#KoizumiQuote

www.notion.so/b9f85e0b047f...

PEOPLE: - Yoshiaki Koizumi, age 43. Ocarina of Time 3D Gameplay Director. QUOTE: "Koizumi: [Miyamoto] wanted to make it [Ocarina of Time] a first-person game. In the beginning, he had the image that you are at first walking around in first-person, and when an enemy appeared, the screen would switch, Link would appear, and the battle would unfold from a side perspective. ... But—while it wasn't very nice of me toward Miyamoto-san—I didn't try a first-person scene even once! I was making the model for Link, so I couldn't stand to see my Link not appear."

Koizumi on first-person Ocarina of Time, 2011.

Source: Iwata Asks

#Zelda
#OcarinaofTimeQuote
#KoizumiQuote

www.notion.so/060f5ab25921...

PEOPLE: - Yoshiaki Koizumi, age 32. Co-Director of Majora’s Mask. QUOTE: "Koizumi: Rather than horror, [Majora’s Mask is] more about strangeness. The world's setting itself is bizarre. The peculiarities and eerie occurrences in each region give an impression of getting close to unapproachable alien beings. On the other hand, in the towns where ordinary people live, we've depicted the shadows at the level of daily life. Although the elements that might seem strange to children and adults are different, we have made sure to weave both aspects into the game."

Koizumi on Majora's Mask's "bizarre" setting, 2000.

Via The Hyrule Journals.

#Zelda
#Majora'sMaskQuote
#KoizumiQuote

www.notion.so/b9f85e0b047f...

PEOPLE: - Yoshiaki Koizumi, age 32. Majora’s Mask Co-Director. QUOTE: "Koizumi: Initially [setting Majora’s Mask in Hyrule] is what we talked about doing. But when we actually started working on it, it turned out that swapping things around was actually easier. The designers have really developed their skills, and their work is much faster. … Even if it is the same grassy field, we wanted to do something different with it… Something like using a more vibrant color palette or making strangely shaped trees. The towns, which were inspired by medieval Europe in Ocarina of Time have more of a Southeast Asian style this time. It wasn't just about the visual design; the goal was to create something that was really different from the previous work."

Koizumi on why Majora's Mask isn't set in Hyrule, 2000.
Via The Hyrule Journals.

#Zelda
#MajorasMaskQuote
#KoizumiQuote

www.notion.so/b9f85e0b047f...

People in quote: -Yoshiaki Koizumi, age 43. Ocarina of Time 3D Gameplay Director. -Satoru Iwata, age 52. President of Nintendo. -Eiji Aonuma, age 48. Ocarina of Time Dungeon Director. Quote: "Koizumi: The [Kokiri] village [in Ocarina of Time] has lots of trees and lots of people live there, but it was difficult to display them all at once. I came up with the idea of having each person living there followed around by a fairy. That way, even if we just showed the fairies… Iwata: I see. If you see the fairy, you know its owner is there, too. Aonuma: It also led to the scenario surrounding Link not having a fairy at first."

Linktober Day 24: Kokiri
Koizumi & Aonuma on the reason for the Kokiri's fairies.

Via Iwata Asks, 2011.

#Zelda
#OcarinaOfTimeQuote
#KoizumiQuote, #AonumaQuote
#Linktober

hyruleinterviews.notion.site/Iwata-Asks-O...

People in quote: - Eiji Aonuma, age 37. Co-Director of Majora's Mask. - Yoshiaki Koizumi, age 32. Co-Director of Majora's Mask. Quote: "Aonuma: I was responsible for the fairy-tale sections [of Majora’s Mask], and Koizumi was responsible for creating realistic depictions of the lives of the townspeople. I tried to emulate the fantasy atmosphere we had in Ocarina of Time… Koizumi: And I created realistic lives for the characters. Aonuma: You could say that Koizumi slapped his worldview on the whole thing. [Laughs] Koizumi: I put in everything I’ve seen in my 30-something years on this earth."

Linktober Day 22: NPCs
Aonuma & Yoshiaki on co-directing Majora's Mask.

Via GlitterBerri's Game Translations, 2000.

#Zelda
#MajorasMaskQuote
#AonumaQuote, #KoizumiQuote
#Linktober

hyruleinterviews.notion.site/Zelda-Is-Alw...