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In the beginning of the game, we see Link receive his trademark green tunic. It is explained that Link is the Hero of Time. Just how many Links are there?
Mr. Aonuma: In our opinions, every Zelda game features a different Link. A new hero named Link always rises to fight evil.
The wind plays a large role in this game. Where did the idea come from, and how is it used?
Mr. Aonuma: This time we decided to set the stage out on an ocean. We began talking about how you would travel on an ocean. Obviously, the best option was a sailboat. So that's how we ended up with a game where the wind is blowing constantly through the land to let the player sail around.
Mr. Miyamoto: Actually, for a long time we've wanted to be able to use wind in games. We've had windy stages in the Super Mario games before, but really it wasn't until we were able to use the technology of the Nintendo GameCube and some of the visual styles possible with it that we were able to really show wind blowing in a videogame. So, that was one of the things we decided to challenge ourselves with, which made it a driving force behind The Wind Waker.
Where does The Wind Waker fit into the overall timeline of the Legend of Zelda?
Mr. Aonuma: In terms of the storyline, we've decided that this takes place 100 years after the events in The Ocarina of Time. We think that as you play through the game, you'll notice that in the beginning the storyline explains some of the events in The Ocarina of Time. You'll also find hints of things from The Ocarina of Time that exist in The Wind Waker.
There's also a more complicated explanation. If you think back to the end of The Ocarina of Time, there were two endings to that game in different time periods. First Link defeated Ganon as an adult, and then he actually went back to being a child. You could say that The Wind Waker takes place 100 years after the ending in which Link was an adult.
What did Nintendo GameCube technology allow you to achieve which would have been impossible before?
Mr. Miyamoto: One of the things we were able to do with all the space on the new disc media was to give a lot of life to the characters through animations. All of the characters you'll see in the game do a lot of different things. There are many different animations. We were really able to bring things more to life than back when we were limited to the silicon ROM cartridges. So, as you play the game you'll see a lot of different characters doing a variety of things—each with their own AI [artificial intelligence] performing independently of one another. We think that that has really enlivened the gameplay experience.
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