3D Link to the Past 'interests' Aonuma
by Chris Greenhough 
{ Nov 12th 2007 at 11:15AM }
OK, show of hands, please: who fancies a 3D remake of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past? If your arm just shot up, know this: you're far from alone. Series director Eiji Aonuma wants it, as well. Or at least, he's "very interested" in adding an extra dimension to what is
Aonuma, who most recently acted as director on the DS's splendiferous Phantom Hourglass, revealed his wish in the latest issue of the Official Nintendo Magazine (the UK edition), stating that "The first Zelda game that I played and felt potential in was Link to the Past. I'm actually very interested in what it would be like if we remade that title as a 3D game."
Now, we confess that's a loooong way from us actually getting a 3D Link to the Past, but the mere fact that Aonuma has even considered this makes our legs go all wobbly. If you've never played the game, and therefore can't comprehend that reaction, then we suggest you stop reading, head over to the Virtual Console now, and commence downloading. For $8, it's a quite obscene bargain.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
sly @ Nov 12th 2007 11:24AM
not sure how I feel about a remake, but it would mean a 3D pink bunny link.
hvnlysoldr @ Nov 12th 2007 11:39AM
The Koolihan Easter Egg can be replaced with Miis in a Zelda game.
HawthorneKitty @ Nov 12th 2007 11:52AM
As much as I loved Lttp, I would rather have Aonuma focus his sources into the next Zelda for the Wii...
Edge @ Nov 12th 2007 11:55AM
Way back when, someone made a custom Unreal Tournament map that was a replica of a Link to the Past's Hyrule. But it never got completely fleshed out, as the projects tend to.
Nate @ Nov 12th 2007 12:10PM
I'm pretty sure I'd melt into a puddle of Zelda fan goo if they released a 3d remake of Link to the Past. The first Zelda I played, and possibly my favorite one. A good difficulty level for sure.
J @ Nov 12th 2007 12:27PM
and w/ Wii controls... Oh my God.
samfish @ Nov 12th 2007 12:34PM
Please no. Maybe if it was a budget Wii Ware project, but they need to be getting AWAY from the formula that was established in aLttP where you collect 3 items, fight a major boss, collect 8 more items, fight the final boss.
Going back to revisit that is seriously the last thing the series needs at this point, given how many people are complaining that it's starting to feel stale.
I'd love to see it, but not as the next main Zelda. They should be putting all their efforts into a true Wii version of Zelda that innovates on the level of Super Mario Galaxy.
Hell, Aonuma shouldn't even be in charge of the next one. The guy can make a good game, but I don't get the impression that he's very good at thinking outside the box. Miyamoto really, really needs to be in the director's chair for the next main Zelda game.
Michael Baker @ Nov 12th 2007 1:25PM
@7 At least LTTP could be played in a somewhat non-linear fashion. That is to say, you didn't have to beat dungeons in order to trigger events in the game that would allow you to progress. You still needed certain items to gain access tom and progress through dungeons but you could procrastinate on boss fights and gather cool items that would enhance exploring and make the boss fights more interesting.
I'd love to see a 3D LTTP or even a 3D remake of Link's Awakening on DS.
russtophiles @ Nov 12th 2007 1:21PM
I don't understand why people pine for REMAKES of a series that has had over a dozen iterations over the past 20 years and has remained largely the same. Is wanting a great developer to focus on something original that terrifying? Mind you Nintendo's priorities on their non-casual gaming front definitely aren't new IP, but this 'everything must be remade' mentality of the older set of gamers is infuriating. And to think that Nintendo feels the same, though unsurprising given their track records, is pretty depressing. Maybe the industry should just stop making new games altogether and just have a Zelda, Final Fantasy, or Metal Gear remake come out every year instead. *end rant*
DomoBraden @ Nov 12th 2007 1:29PM
Hmmm, it's odd the Aonuma is unware that they already did this...it's called "Ocarina of Time". That game was originally meant to be a 3D remake of LttP, but they ended up changing the story and some of the gameplay elements.
Anyway, I suppose it would be cool, but I'd honestly really prefer a 3D remake of Link's Awakening...that would be the sex.
troy @ Nov 12th 2007 1:36PM
A 3D Links Awakening/LttP would be so HARDCORE! I think it would be badass as a wiiware title honestly: make it happen!
Jonathan Harford @ Nov 12th 2007 1:40PM
I'm amazed nobody here has mentioned the 2D version of Ocarina of Time that was being worked on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5p2n_OlC9E
Eddie @ Nov 12th 2007 2:08PM
Link to the past, 3D on the DS would be THE BOMB!!!
Unlike others (HawthorneKitty), I would rather have them do the remake before starting on a new Wii Zelda. Phantom Hourglass is a kickass game, and if they used that formula to re-make Link to the Past... it would be the best Zelda game for ever... no beating it.
DomoBraden @ Nov 12th 2007 2:45PM
@Jonathan Harford-
Ah, OoT2D. The one you linked to isn't the original one, though it is one that shows quite a bit of promise. It's funny that Dampe, (the guy who was/is making the one you linked to), faked his own death. I remember there was even an article on Joystiq about it.
Anyway, the ORIGINAL one was made by a guy that goes by TRM, and it's supposedly complete, though he hasn't released it to anyone. There's like 25 different groups trying to make a completed 2D remake of OoT right now actually.
Buntaro @ Nov 12th 2007 3:15PM
A remake would seem rather pointless to me. The gameplay is fine the way it is, there's hardly any room for improvement as the game makes the best out of the 2d Zelda formula. I'd rather not have 5 extra cutscenes to skip and 5 extra 'modern' fetch quests to slave through.
It's the same with Maverick Hunter X, Mega Man Megaworld, Super Mario Allstars etc. The games look 'better' by today's standards, but that's it. (and before someone brings this up: I'm aware of the item swaps in MHX, removal of one Kaminari Goro in MMM:MM2, removal of the pause trick in MMM:m1 etc etc etc )
Billy_McBong @ Nov 12th 2007 5:35PM
that would be amazing if they made that
but it would be pretty similar to OoT
Archibold @ Nov 12th 2007 6:14PM
It is a good game, yes. But unquestionably the best Zelda game? I think not. And anything you can say will not change that, because I have already questioned it being the best Zelda game.
Tom @ Nov 12th 2007 10:45PM
I'd like to see an evolution of the Wind Waker art style, using Twilight Princess' cinematic storytelling (voice-overs, please!) and spread across an open world like the one in the original Zelda game. Minish Cap I thought also brought some fresh ideas to the table.
Something else happened recently I think is interesting: Twilight Princess got a Teen rating. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this is the first Zelda game to recieve a Teen rating, and Nintendo didn't seem to have a problem with that. Perhaps they can explore some darker themes in the next game, despite the cartoony look (works for a lot of the more serious anime shows). Maybe in this next game Dark World is a purgatory realm that Link can only reach by leaping off a cliff, thus transforming him into some kind of ruined, demonic version of himself (see Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver). Other methods of (implied suicide) might be required to reach different regions of Dark World. Link could infiltrate a secret cult in order to bow down before a sacrificial altar in The Shrine of Ganon, or he could die from drinking rancid Chu Chu Jelly.
Fable is a game that comes to mind, particulary one segment that has the game's hero imprisoned for years, stripped of all his worldly possessions (and this is several hours into the game, mind you, after you've grown to rely on your weapons, armor, and magical abilities, wondering if you'll have to start from square one). Zelda games do have a sort of natural barrier that separates one half of the game from the other, and that's usually the moment Link acquires the Master Sword, an event that tends to increase his abilities, rather than reduce them. What we need is a good plot twist that puts Link in a tough spot during the last third of the game. Being trapped in the Twilight realm accomplished that feeling of claustrophobia for the player early on, but when you gain the ability to transform at will and fast-travel to any location, the suspense goes away and is replaced by familar, boring fetch-quests (Wind Waker's Triforce pieces, anyone?)
At any rate, the last thing a Zelda game needs is to borrow from or flat-out remake past versions of itself. Rather, they should see what innovations other developers have made and make those ideas fit into the Zelda universe.
Kree @ Nov 14th 2007 5:38AM
@Tom
The idea of suicide as gameplay is idiotic. Soul Reaver was about surviving after what should have been death - his recreation of himself after his life lost all meaning. He's not some self-defacing goth who loves dying. Throwing death into something doesn't automatically make for darker themes.
As for the idea of a 3D remake, it seems like a waste of time. A Link to the Past works as the 2D game it was designed to be. If Aonuma wants to "remake" it so much, he should either make a new game in the same 2D style or make a 3D game inspired by what he loved about LttP. Either way, it should be a similar in spirit, not a remake of the same plot.
Tom @ Nov 15th 2007 3:35AM
@Kree:"The idea of suicide as gameplay is idiotic."
Obviously you've never played Halo online; it can sometimes be a pretty effective strategy when your back's to the wall and you've got 1 grenade left.
Good point about Soul Reaver though: Raziel didn't willingly jump into that pit, he was thrown in. Maybe something similar can happen to Link... maybe he could be overpowered, or become corrupt by some evil force (I.E. the Triforce cutscene in Twilight Princess), or... dare I say it... MURDERED!... by someone he thought was a friend... perhaps poisoned... with rancid Chu Chu Jelly.
My problem with the storytelling in Zelda games is that it's too generic and straight-forward: you are hero, you banish evil, you save princess, etc etc. Twilight Princess actually had an interesting story for once, and I think it was due in large part to darker themes (collecting the "tears that cut through the darkness", Dark Link-Triforce cutscene, and the whole history between Midna and Zant). They need to go further in that direction with the next Zelda game: Link needs to have human weaknesses such that he must depend somewhat on friends and allies, and furthermore must make difficult decisions based on those relationships -- decisions that don't immediately seem right or wrong, but are necessary given the situation. Essentially I think that Link should be an anti-hero in the next big Zelda game.
Zelda Veteran @ Jan 9th 2008 11:24AM
Are you kidding me? This game would be incredible in 3D! Imagine the beginning: Finding your way to the castle in the thick of a Hyrule storm. Meeting with the golden plated guards at the castle gate, and finding your uncle at the bottom of the stairs. And the fight with Blind??? Magnificent!