With 2015 supposedly being the year we finally get to see what Eiji Aonuma has been working on this whole time, it’s not surprising to see him giving interviews relating to the upcoming Zelda Wii U game. We still don’t have a working title for the game, but that hasn’t stopped Aonuma from revealing that he plans on pushing the Wii U to its limits hardware-wise in order to create a large, open world space. According to him, Zelda Wii U will have “as large a world as can be realized” with the current hardware.
A huge, seamlessly unfolding world is something that can’t be achieved if the hardware isn’t advanced enough. Ever since we made the very first generation of Legend of Zelda games though, we’ve had as large a world as can be realised with the hardware, so you could say it was inevitable that we’ve now done the same with the new Wii U title.
When I first showed off the new Zelda game on the Wii U, it seemed everyone was very excited and started proclaiming that a Zelda game had at last become open world! Zelda games have always allowed you to roam and explore a huge world.
What’s changed now is that the hardware has progressed to the point that you can now explore this vast world seamlessly; the underpinning of the game hasn’t changed.
Aonuma also mentioned his smartphone with maps on it and how that relates to how players will use the map on the Wii U GamePad. He states that a map is not something you keep tucked away until you need it, since you always need it when you’re in an unfamiliar place.
Recently, I’ve taken to relying on the map on my smart phone when I’m out walking in a place I’m not familiar with. A map isn’t something you keep tucked away in your bag, it’s by holding it in your hand and being able to constantly check it as you move forward step by step that gives you that sense of adventure.
While that gives us some hints as to what Aonuma has planned for the GamePad during the game, it’s nice to see the designer has been influenced by technology and that Nintendo really seems to be moving the series forward into a more open-world adventure that would actually require a map to get around, instead of being lead from location to location through corridors.
What do you think? Are you eager to see more of Zelda Wii U this year?
