Legend of Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma recently gave an interview with Game Informer to celebrate the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom which is another fine adventure to immerse yourself in. One of the questions posed to Aonuma was the opinion that Ocarina of Time created the blueprint for 3D Zelda adventures until The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild arrives in 2017 for Wii U and Nintendo Switch. Aonuma agreed with that particular point, saying that the acclaimed Ocarina of Time “kind of created the format for a number of titles in the franchise that came after it. But in a way it limited us a bit.” Then they “came to Breath of the Wild and the new kind of open-ended gameplay and freedom it provides. Yes, I think it’s fair to say that he created a new kind of format for the series to continue from.”
On that note, I think a lot of people share the view that Ocarina of Time was sort of the starting point for an era of Zelda games, laying the groundwork for several titles that came after it. Do you see Breath of the Wild being a new blueprint or foundation for the next few Zelda games for years to come?
EA: With the Ocarina of Time, I think it’s fair to say that it kind of created the format for a number of titles in the franchise that came after it. But in a way, it limited us a bit. While our goal is always to give players freedom of a certain kind, there were certain things that the format didn’t really allow for in giving people freedom. Of course, the series continued to evolve after Ocarina of Time, but I think it’s also fair to say now that we’ve reached Breath of the Wild and the new kind of more open-ended gameplay and freedom it affords. Yes, I think it’s fair to say that it created a new kind of format for the series to continue from.