Aonuma Talks Top Down Legend of Zelda as a Future Option

In a feature special, Legend of Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma and sound lead Ryo Nagamatsu discussed the impact of A Link Between Worlds.

Aonuma noted how "innovating is precisely what we need to do to meet the expectations of our fans," when talking about the pressures of developing a title that would please fans. Moving forward, the Zelda producer feels that the team have "found a new direction in regards to the potential use of the good old top-down view" and it's something that'll be considered "when thinking about the next Zelda game."

He's also come to question the linear approach of recent Zelda adventures as he "thought players didn't like getting lost, wondering what to do", but has come to question the format, where in the original Legend of Zelda "you made unexpected encounters and where what used to be impossible would suddenly become possible." This was the main driving force for introducing the more flexible rental system in A Link Between Worlds.

Ryo Nagamatsu also chimed in, discussing how he took charge of the sound direction A Link Between Worlds, re-arranging Kondo's original compositions by using orchestra-quality sounds that were suitable for the 3DS speakers. He also performed the flute in the Milk Bar acoustic selection.

Do you think Nintendo can start a new trend with top-down Zelda going forward?