Mind-Blowing Revelation: Zelda Developers Spill the Beans on Elden Ring

When asked about the potential influence of Elden Ring on The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, director Hidemaro Fujibayashi revealed that he was too engrossed in working on the game to have played Elden Ring. While it may initially seem unlikely to compare the two games, there are evident connections to be made. Both games share an open-world structure and feature similar gameplay mechanics. Additionally, Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki has acknowledged Breath of the Wild as one of his sources of inspiration, alongside titles such as Skyrim, The Witcher 3, and Shadow of the Colossus. With these factors in mind, it wouldn't be far-fetched to consider the possibility that the development team behind Tears of the Kingdom incorporated some ideas from Elden Ring.

This query emerged during a recent interview with Eiji Aonuma, the producer of Tears of the Kingdom, and Hidemaro Fujibayashi, the director. Nonetheless, Fujibayashi refutes drawing inspiration from Elden Ring, stating that he didn't even have the opportunity to play the game while working on Tears of the Kingdom. Furthermore, he asserts that even if he had played the game, he wouldn't have incorporated any ideas from it. Instead, he emphasizes Nintendo's approach of generating fresh concepts when developing games, rather than seeking influence from other studios.

In response to a follow-up question, Fujibayashi acknowledged that while Zelda games may not always be the first to innovate, he never intentionally takes ideas from other games. He prides himself on seeking originality and avoids drawing heavily from previous The Legend of Zelda games. Fujibayashi emphasized that any similarities between Ocarina of Time and Tears of the Kingdom are purely coincidental.

Fujibayashi illustrated his point by referring to a 3D system featured in The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds released in 2013. The system created the impression that Link was leaping towards the player, which surprised Nintendo's former President, Satoru Iwata. Upon hearing this, Fujibayashi expressed great satisfaction, as he believes that discovering ideas that no one else has thought of is at the essence of game development.

Tears of the Kingdom, The Legend of Zelda, is now available for Nintendo Switch, although it is not without outside influences. Fujibayashi emphasized drawing inspiration from personal life experiences, rather than other works, particularly highlighting the impact of being a father on his creative process. This influence led to the inclusion of an underlying message in the game, reflected in the screenplay he penned.

Source: RTL News