Late last month, to commemorate the first anniversary The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom‘s release, Zelda Dungeon’s staff shared our personal memories of the game that left a lasting impact on us.
Reflections on the anniversary of the newestZelda game are not limited to just those played through it, however. Recently, Japanese game magazine Nintendo Dream released brief statements by Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma and Tears of the Kingdom director Hidemaro Fujibayashi, with the developers sharing examples of the impact they’ve experienced in the twelve months since the release of Tears of the Kingdom. These messages to Nintendo Dream (translated by Nintendo Everything) allow us to see through the eyes of the most important figures in Tears‘ development.
Eiji Aonuma took the opportunity to share his gratitude for not just the dedication of those who have played the game for many hours, but for those who haven’t played but are still impacted:
The other day, I heard about an incident when a kid excitedly said “I played Tears of the Kingdom for over 1,000 hours”, and the mother smiled in response, saying, “I didn’t know about that!”
Of course, I was shocked that one could play a single game that much, but I was also surprised that the mother accepted that.
There are a lot of people around me who happily tell me about how they played this game for many hours, and I am really glad to have made a game that people enjoyed like that.
See AlsoBreaking Down The Underrated Unique In Path Of Exile 3.24Necropolis League - Shops - 🐺 ECHO MIRROR SHOP 🐺 - Forum - Path of ExileNo Heroes, Part 1: New to the neighborhoodSoulmask – PlayerAuctions BlogZelda is a longstanding series, and I would like to utilize the experience from this title to create more games that everyone can enjoy in the future, so please look forward to it. To all those who have played The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, thank you very much.
To many mothers, their child spending this much time on a game might make them worry about their academics or ponder about what other productive things that that time could be spent on. Aonuma seems to share my positive surprise in the seemingly accepting response of the mother, which may be a sign of both the changing opinion on games as a tool for learning and growth, and the immense amount of learning and growth that can take place in a game like Tears of the Kingdom.
Hidemaro Fujibayashi seems to expand on this notion of the endless possibilities of what the player’s mind can accomplish while playingTears of the Kingdom:
It has nearly been a year since the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. During this time, I have observed how everyone around the world has been playing it and enjoying it in many different ways, which has brought joy to the staff as a whole.
In particular, the Ultrahand, one of the new features added that allows you to attach and detach objects together at will, has continued to lead to unique vehicles and creations that we had never imagined; this has made me feel that we succeeded in implementing one of the core concepts we had been aiming for, which was to make a game that embodies “Can you do it? Yes you can”, and so I am also pleased with that.
To have our game be played so much is an irreplaceable source of motivation to us development staff. Thank you very much.
Lastly, what I want to say now that a year has passed is that just like the predecessor, Breath of the Wild, this game’s story is structured so that the truth is gradually unraveled as you play, leading to surprising moments that make you go, “So that’s how it was”. It has been designed so that even after clearing it once, replaying the game while already knowing the truth allows you to realize things you did not notice on your first playthrough, and the same scenes or dialogue could seem completely different, so please enjoy finding new discoveries and experiences on a second playthrough.
Please continue to support The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
His emphasize on the Ultrahand ability, and how it gifts the player with an opportunity to create (and recreate) their own way to interact with the world they’re in, could even be interpreted as his acknowledgement on how the new “open world” standard isn’t just what you can explore, but what you can accomplish within it. He also connects this experience to the game’s story, and how the slow and sometimes out-of-order unraveling of details of the past and present lend to an ability to continue playing the game with fresh eyes and ideas.
The stories we hear aboutTears of the Kingdom is a well that may never be completely tapped, and the reflections of Aonuma and Fujibayashi indicate that the impact this game will have on us is still yet to be fully uncovered.
What do you think about these reflections from Eiji Aonuma and Hidemaro Fujibayashi on the one-year anniversary ofTears of the Kingdom? Is there something else you would rather have had them address? How has this game impacted you one year later? Let’s aim for 1,000 hours of discussion in the comments!
Source: Nintendo Dream (via Nintendo Everything,My Nintendo News)
Josh Wittmershaus
Josh Wittmershaus is a writer at Zelda Dungeon. Originally from Erie, Pennsylvania, he now resides in Northern California. Aside from Zelda, Josh enjoys playing music, seeing live music, music history, and all other things music. He also enjoys skating, hockey, and the occasional political or philosophical thought exercise.
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