The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake is framed as a legend retold. It opens on a tapestry depicting Hyrule’s people and places, as a narrator reflects on Link’s journey like it’s a valuable story worth passing down. For Zelda producers Eiji Aonuma and Hidemaro Fujibayashi, a desire to pass the original game down to a younger group of Zelda developers is one of the main reasons this remake exists:
“There are much younger developers who are working on this game, and I do think this is a really valuable experience for them to familiarize themselves first with the original Ocarina of Time and then have their own reinterpretation of it,” Aonuma said. “And to have those conversations throughout the course of development that may aid them in future projects as well.”
This is just one way the pair is reflecting on this franchise they’ve spent decades working on. I spoke to Aonuma and Fujibayashi for nearly an hour ahead of the release of Ocarina of Time, and we discussed the elements that make a Zelda game, how real-world inspirations and expertise play into game development at Nintendo, and their strongest memories and reflections as the Zelda franchise celebrates its 40th anniversary.
