![PEOPLE:
- Satoru Iwata, age 51. President of Nintendo.
- Shigeru Miyamoto, age 58. Producer of Ocarina of Time.
QUOTE:
Iwata: Still, to think it's been thirteen years already [since the release of Ocarina of Time]…
Miyamoto: I know. My kid was in the upper grades of elementary school… Oh, that's right; one thing I remember very well from that time was when my wife saw our child playing Ocarina of Time. She said, "When I'm just looking at it, I think it's pretty, but I'd never want to try it." I thought, "Something has to be done about this!" [laughs].
I mean, she'd never really cared about games at all before, and here she was, finally showing an interest, and yet… It felt as though a customer had come right up to the entrance, but then she'd turned around and gone back home. …
I thought, "No! I was so close!"](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreiewuxldv5pfrb2qpyb5c3nsoyouciybfboensogkfkspqskmt4ha4)
PEOPLE: - Satoru Iwata, age 51. President of Nintendo. - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 58. Producer of Ocarina of Time. QUOTE: Iwata: Still, to think it's been thirteen years already [since the release of Ocarina of Time]… Miyamoto: I know. My kid was in the upper grades of elementary school… Oh, that's right; one thing I remember very well from that time was when my wife saw our child playing Ocarina of Time. She said, "When I'm just looking at it, I think it's pretty, but I'd never want to try it." I thought, "Something has to be done about this!" [laughs]. I mean, she'd never really cared about games at all before, and here she was, finally showing an interest, and yet… It felt as though a customer had come right up to the entrance, but then she'd turned around and gone back home. … I thought, "No! I was so close!"
Miyamoto on the time he was so close, 2011.
Source: Iwata Asks
#Zelda
#OcarinaofTimeQuote
#IwataQuote, #MiyamotoQuote
www.hyruleinterviews.com/d4112e274538...
![PEOPLE:
- Shigeru Miyamoto, age 46. Producer of Ocarina of Time.
QUOTE:
Miyamoto: Right after Super Mario 64 was finished, I went to Germany by myself. I attended a presentation and visited some castles and also bought lots of books.
When we think of castles, we tend to imagine them standing alone on hilltops, but that's not actually the case. There are various types of castles, such as those built by the Jukyo [feudal lords] and those designed to keep enemies at bay.
… Inside the castle walls, there are various living spaces, and beyond the gates, the castle itself stands. Additionally, there is always at least one other building besides the castle itself, where someone of higher status resides. Therefore, in [Ocarina of Time], I wanted to create a castle where those people live.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreia75b2vxl42gdgxrw7h4la6st4k4bcqijc4nkcy666exak4j2x3ku)
![PEOPLE:
- Satoru Iwata, age 51. President of Nintendo.
- Shigeru Miyamoto, age 58. Producer of Ocarina of Time, creator of the Zelda series.
QUOTE:
Iwata: What do you think it is that makes Ocarina of Time a special game for so many people?
Miyamoto: Hmm… What indeed. I don't understand it all that well myself.
Iwata: Of all the Zelda games, you were very deeply involved with Ocarina of Time.
Miyamoto: I was. I think I was most deeply involved in that one.
Iwata: That just may be the answer, right there [laughs].
Miyamoto: No, no [laughs]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreiceslomtqp3nrpifa6pvgbcrpjloasm5a3vik5hhxgndlvs2j2qli)
![PEOPLE:
- Shigeru Miyamoto, age 45. Producer of Ocarina of Time.
QUOTE:
Miyamoto: The other day I asked, “Could we connect four controllers [in Ocarina of Time] and play the ocarina as an ensemble?”.
Maybe if I had asked earlier we could have made it happen.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreia67s3x57pm7lc5htfadzt24bhgta76itjg35xqpzlf2tfoghqre4)
![PEOPLE:
- Shigeru Miyamoto, age 45. Producer of Ocarina of Time.
QUOTE:
Miyamoto: We eventually decided to create the main game [of Ocarina of Time] on cartridge and expand it using the Disk Drive. In the end it turned out to be a good decision to go with cartridges. … Cartridges allow for large amounts of data to be quickly handled and processed at the same time. The N64 reads audio and animation data in real-time.
There is a big difference in the scale between a game that relies on repeatedly reading and writing vs loading in real-time. Real-time has fewer restrictions on the … calculations and combinations of actions at any given time, so there is a lot of flexibility with enemies for example, whereas on CD and Disk Drive, you become quite limited.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreihb2wrl3zxxd4djtzsrokrzz3mrraqc4feknoula74h7c4zwwxgqy)
![PEOPLE:
- John Ricciardi. EGM Reviews Editor. 27 years later: English Voice Recording Supervisor for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment.
QUOTE:
Ricciardi: [They’ve] managed to take everything that was great about the 2D Zelda games—the exploration, the puzzles, the dungeons, the loads of hidden secrets, etc.—and translate it all into 3D flawlessly.
[Ocarina's] beautifully detailed world is so vast and immersive that you'll find yourself constantly losing track of the real world. The controls are excellent, too. The auto-jump feature helps add to the immersiveness, … and Z-Targeting makes combat a snap.
… It'll take an average gamer about 40 hours to beat, and trust me—there'll always be something to do, even after you've finished the game. … Oh, one last thing: this game has the coolest final battle/ending sequence of any game ever.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreidc7wex73ksh3lbl3t4wh3mht7l66f5fi3ix5b5ubua653oxsrvzy)
![PEOPLE:
- Naoki Mori. Ocarina of Time Cinema Scene Director.
- Takashi Nagasako. Voice of Ganondorf in Ocarina of Time.
QUOTE:
Mori: In [Ocarina of Time] there are bits of voice acting here and there, but the voice actor in charge of playing Ganondorf in the first cutscene you see really made him seem like a devil, somehow awful and evil.
Afterwards I took the actor aside and asked him not to play a demon, but cool and dangerous at the same time. A voice like cheap wine.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreigfzancxn34cyhtt7j4gzphsaoojxhznptark5izpu2lchyt2er6a)
![PEOPLE:
- Shigeru Miyamoto, age 45. Producer of Ocarina of Time.
QUOTE:
Miyamoto: Zelda is a game series that is fun to play because of the puzzle solving elements—at least for me.
I think that in this way, if you watch other people play the game or follow a strategy guide while playing you reduce the amount of “Zelda-like fun”. I think you would maximize the fun of the game by playing with a subjective feeling, almost as if you yourself were Link.
Therefore, I think players will find the most satisfaction when playing [Ocarina of Time] with this mindset and saying things like “The game is fun because I'm playing it!”. I’d honestly be over the moon if players experienced our game in this way.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreiaioxhhj2cio3tamrv44rolr5a75ngr5ve74jxsocvnyetnyvdequ)
![PEOPLE:
- Shigeru Miyamoto, age 46. Producer of Ocarina of Time.
QUOTE:
Miyamoto: [We had] been working in the flat world of the Famicom, so we tend to think about the flat layout of the area first, but real villages are different. When I watch TV programs or actually visit villages, I often see that many of them are located on slopes. There are fields, houses, and mountains in the background.
So, in [Ocarina of Time], we decided to create a village with ups and downs. The image I had in mind was terraced fields, a waterwheel, and a winding path leading down to a well at the bottom, but what actually ended up being built resembled the form of a staircase [laughs]. But I thought, “This is good too,” and the designer made it on their own, which led to an interesting misunderstanding.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreiem5ddynevtbgylbhr66qozjbhrmhrqrcry6ufkf2p5e5zhwky2pm)
![PEOPLE:
- Shigeru Miyamoto, age 45. Producer of Ocarina of Time.
- Hayao Miyazaki, age 57. Director of Princess Mononoke.
QUOTE:
Miyamoto: During development [of Ocarina of Time] some staff argued about making it a unicorn or a moose, but we ended up going with a horse.
The game was certainly influenced by Mr. Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke. Both were roughly in development around the same time and when [I saw the film] I was surprised at the similarities. Scenes of Link firing the bow and arrow while riding Epona or the Giant Goron walking behind the mountain stirred thoughts like “Oh that’s Ashitaka!” or “That looks like the Nightwalker.”
We really struggled with the similarities. However, in the end we decided that building up Hyrule as a country was enough to differentiate it.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreiat4m2d6zq7442ubzhzjxafamn6rk3g33omk4mov5yef7i2o4e2mq)
![PEOPLE:
- Yoshiki Haruhana, age 41. Ocarina Character Designer.
QUOTE:
Haruhana: I would get tough requests [for character designs in Ocarina]—like a request to draw someone who would buy ghosts. But I've never seen anyone like that! [laughs]
I'd think, ‘What kind of person would buy a ghost?’ and then sit around, grinning to myself, and thinking, ‘What can I do about this?’
It's easy to focus on how the characters look, but I feel like they don't really become distinctive until you see how they act when their dialogue and demo videos come together.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreiduqbxgbynq5v2b2xa53e5gupgafeecpunpwr2xdrnohjvglwkpeq)
![PEOPLE:
- Eiji Aonuma, age 35. Ocarina of Time Dungeon Director.
QUOTE:
Aonuma: The 3D world [in Ocarina of Time] has a camera, so it’s important that the player be able to see what routes to follow and not overlook something important. By changing the camera viewpoint just a little you might not be able to see something you ought.
For this reason we put in Navi, your little follower. She’ll help you notice something that you’d previously be able to see using a fixed-point camera.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreiarjr7azmxievm4jmt3wa6d4jckmt5md4pabck63omvtz2gyspaca)
![PEOPLE:
- Shigeru Miyamoto, age 50. Producer of The Legend of Zelda (1986) and Ocarina of Time.
QUOTE:
Miyamoto: [When making Ocarina of Time] we thought of how we should translate the fun of the first Zelda game into a 3D environment, so that it made you feel free in this world you’re exploring.
Sometimes you remember a place nostalgically after some years. [laughs] When you grow up and go back to a place you thought was huge as a kid, like a street, you realize there is barely any space for a car to fit in. So, after remembering the time when you were growing up, you realize there was a time when you saw things like that. Thinking it was a good idea to have that inside the game, we had some very narrow places and we included the game mechanic of going back to those spots [as adult Link].](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreieujyg7zhoql7rwltqiovid6e4wb3jzfl36padc5v7yipn2sgskeq)
![PEOPLE:
- Koji Kondo, age 49. Ocarina of Time Composer.
- Mahito Yokota, age 37. Ocarina of Time 3D Orchestration Director.
QUOTE:
Kondo: As I was playing the Nintendo 3DS version [of Ocarina of Time], there were several [tracks] that struck me as well-done. Although, it's a little embarrassing to say so myself! [laughs] One plays when you go to Zelda's castle and hide in the garden so the guards can't find you. I forgot the title, though.
Yokota: That's ’The Courtyard Game at Hyrule Castle.’
Kondo: It sounds like a game of hide-and-seek. It represents that feeling of final relief you get when you're able to hide from the guards by carefully making stealthy steps. I thought, ‘I did a pretty good job!’ [laughs]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreihz6tg4litec2uzxpnygb4yoliuzcbotzl67lap7jwnbjrgwd4wue)
![PEOPLE:
- Shigeru Miyamoto, age 55. Producer of Ocarina of Time.
QUOTE:
Miyamoto: When we were developing Ocarina of Time, I even proposed using a first-person perspective. …
I thought that the FPS system would be the best way of enabling players to take in the vast terrain of the Hyrule Field. Besides, by not having the player’s character on the screen, we can spend more time and machine power on creating enemies and the environments.
… The idea of having a child Link in the game was born, and then it became necessary for the hero to be seen on the screen. That, and also the fact that it’s a total waste not to have Link visible on screen when he is so cool looking! [laughs]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreidfpayezviycxus6zunuk2yamfhlx5um3qp4shcunlzxnssohg56q)
![PEOPLE:
- Eiji Aonuma, age 48. Dungeon Director for Ocarina of Time.
- Naoki Mori. Cinema Scene Director for Ocarina of Time.
QUOTE:
Aonuma; Some people are still playing it, so I can't be too specific, but in the last scene [of Ocarina of Time], [Mori] just couldn't settle on an expression for [Zelda’s] face.
Mori: Yes, that's right.
Aonuma: Did you eventually find something that satisfied you?
Mori: That was for the Nintendo 64 system, so there were hardware limitations to what we could express. I asked about adding one more expression for eyes, but they said it was impossible. I proceeded with what was available, but it just didn't look right to me. I ended up frustrated to the very end.
Aonuma: Ever since, Mori-san has wanted Zelda to have more vivid facial expressions.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreibajrlb6iqerf7buwg7atddvlifwxvmwlzhlcjb7p6sgfwuyn2buq)
![PEOPLE:
- Satoru Iwata, age 51. President of Nintendo.
- Shigeru Miyamoto, age 58. Producer of Ocarina of Time.
QUOTE:
Iwata: How did you view the project [Ocarina of Time] when that long development spanning two and a half years began? Everyone was just plunging ahead into unknown territory, right?
Miyamoto: That's right. Back then, no one knew which direction the overall game industry was heading.
Iwata: That's true now, too. [laughs]
Miyamoto: I suppose so. [laughs] But back then, for example, if you had a big three-billion-yen project, no one knew if it would end up costing five billion, or two billion.
…The only person who knew was the person who budgets the scheduled projects. But that person can't guarantee anything when it comes to how fun the game is.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreib37bm5ss5sp23fhdbfzmj5jr6mksttzlqaoc37kix5kw63dvfgqy)
![PEOPLE:
- Shigeru Miyamoto, age 58. Producer of Ocarina of Time.
QUOTE:
Miyamoto: I thought [cucco-gliding] would be weird if the graphics were more realistic, but when we made it, I was happy to see that it fit perfectly. I realized that that kind of thing is more fun in 3D space, so all of a sudden I said, ‘Let's make the landforms more three-dimensional.’
… Then about that time [in Ocarina’s development], whichever village I saw, I thought it was rather bleak and boring. I started referencing villages in mountainous districts in China such as you might see in a documentary television show. I was saying, ‘See? There are all kinds of villages!’ and ‘Can't we make a more distinctive village?’ And just then, it connected perfectly to the chickens.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreiehiqkviopg252zekce4fjh2efqh2ylvddmy2xps4evlkydcbxmnu)
![PEOPLE:
- Eiji Aonuma, age 54. Dungeon director for Ocarina of Time.
QUOTE:
Interviewer: So how did Mr. Aonuma come to join the production of Ocarina of Time?
Aonuma: Well, that’s actually a really interesting story. I joined the project some time after it had started. I was invited to join because there was nobody who could ‘design the dungeons.’ I was like, ‘what do you mean there isn’t anybody who can design…?’
Everybody: [laughs]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreia6txaw6ypv5lrgdg7la5guvdprihngrlzoyna3shndjrkooj2suy)
![PEOPLE:
- Shigeru Miyamoto, age 46. Producer of Ocarina of Time.
QUOTE:
Miyamoto: I like international music such as Inca or Latin. I really wanted to put in an ocarina [in Ocarina of Time], it seemed really Zelda-esque. Playing an instrument is a much more enjoyable way to accomplish things than just casting a spell.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreiekiepvwdqcxfhphi6xtdhdjdlf2dmbaaqvrg6tf3wqysifvl6qqi)
![PEOPLE:
- Koji Kondo, age 39. Composer for The Legend of Zelda (1986).
- Shigeru Miyamoto, age 48. Producer and Co-Director of The Legend of Zelda (1986).
QUOTE:
Q: Did Miyamoto have any requests for The Legend of Zelda (1986)?
Kondo: I remember he had me make a lot of different sounds for when you use the flute [when you warp]. He was very particular about that one sound. “It shouldn’t just be ‘pretty’. I want it to evoke something more mysterious”, he told me.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreiacj765sdbkq5d5emf5anqkkzpobzswxtkn35szomnrm4irrhsize)
![PEOPLE:
- Naoki Mori. Ocarina of Time Cinema Scene Director.
QUOTE:
Mori: [Ocarina of Time’s] ending reminds me of Star Wars. It also sort of references Dark Crystal. More than figuring out where the scene cuts should be, we were worrying about how to project that atmosphere.
I definitely watch anime a lot. So much so that I’m called Captain Anime. [laughs] Anime I consider interesting I show people with reckless abandon. ‘This is great!’ I say. Recently I’ve been enjoying ‘Perfect Blue’, which is a psycho thriller. It’s not because we used it as a reference for the games, but the transitions of scenes were interesting.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreiembkubvsm742eww2vhmf75m7el7k7pjef5nvq64kwqkhpnkb4wp4)
![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."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreidxwwx6uwivjcnmhgoynfhwoyazqkpjo4dx7pjcaa5imwzvmj7sq4)
![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."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreibkjpn4hfddhztpr66lwwieopmukkkxiserbh2vymvf3dmkgf3qha)