From the Designers

Hisashi Koinuma

"Hyrule Warriors" Coordinating Producer

Koei Tecmo Games

I've made a lot of games with different IP (intellectual property), but this time I got the chance to make a game using "The Legend of Zelda," a series I grew up playing. I didn't want to squander this opportunity, so rather than sticking to the original, we punched it up, and made this big action game with Link and a bunch of new characters to the Zelda series.

The title is "Hyrule Warriors."

Usually I work with Omega Force Team to create the Dynasty Warriors series, but since the Zelda series is created to be sold worldwide, we decided to combine Team Ninja and Omega Force Team to create this game. We put a lot of thought into creating this team, and started development.

I was anxious, since this is the first time we've worked with this IP. I was nervous about everything we did and was constantly gauging reactions. But what was really fortunate is that we had Aonuma-san, the Zelda series guru working with us as a Supervisor, so I was able to relax a bit.

Of course, I want players to enjoy the game, but I also want the developers to enjoy making the game. That's why I wanted us to collaborate on this title. So when I saw everyone enjoying the development, I was finally able to relax.

We finished the game without trouble.

I'd like to use this space to express my gratitude.

I'd like to extend my thanks to everyone who worked so hard together to create this game.

Thank you very much.

I look forward to a chance to do this with you all again.

I'd love to be able to tell my younger self, "When you get older, you'll be making that game you're playing."

I hope you enjoy the world of "Hyrule Warriors."

Yosuke Hayashi

"Hyrule Warriors" Development Producer

Koei Tecmo Games

So, what was your first "Zelda experience"?

My first "Zelda experience" was playing the original "Legend of Zelda" on the Famicom disk system. I can still remember which walls needed to be blown up with bombs. The "Jump Thrust" saved my skin in "Zelda II: The Adventure of Link." The Cuccos were vicious in "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past." All of the members of the "Hyrule Warriors" dev team have their own "Zelda experiences," which we packed into "Hyrule Warriors."

And it's not just the devs. We had the chance to hear from other game developers at Koei Tecmo while we were making this game. Usually we get hear things like, "this was interesting," but the feedback for "Hyrule Warriors" was different. Things like "Zelda should be like this," or "You absolutely have to put this in 'Hyrule Warriors'." Lots of devs with their own "Zelda experiences" had strong feelings to share. We didn't just work the "Hyrule Warriors" devs' "love for Zelda" into this game, we put in everyone's.

Here's a design story. We went through many iterations to get to the Link design you see. We wanted him to be recognizable as Link from the start, and we wanted him to be distinguishable in the world as well. So we came up with the "blue scarf." It's proof that he's a commander in the Hyrule army, and when he's running all around the battlefield it stands out even more. There was "Toon Link," so now there's also "scarf Link." This Link really fits "Hyrule Warriors." It's my favorite.

"Hyrule Warriors." That title in and of itself almost sounds like a joke, but I'm proud to say that it's complete and ready for you to enjoy. Thanks to the help from Aonuma-san and everyone at Nintendo, we've made a really great game. I hope you'll explore every part of it.

As for my final message... I guess this is it.

It's a secret to everybody!

Eiji Aonuma

"Hyrule Warriors" Supervisor

Nintendo Co., Ltd.

I've been making Zelda games (exclusively) for 18 years now. In that time, each time I've heard the request, "please let me make a Zelda game" and I think its interesting enough to allow it, I get as far as looking at the planning documents before having to say, "I don't think this is going to work out." I think this is because the requests always come from someone who really enjoys Zelda and wants to make a Zelda game that looks like Zelda. And I look at that and think, "I can make this," and I lose interest. So I'm looking for someone to present a "Zelda that I couldn't make" to me.

To be honest, that was the same thing I thought about "Hyrule Warriors" at the beginning. It looked like they were just going to pull Zelda in a Warriors direction. I thought, "If they're not going to make a Zelda that I can't make, then what's the point?" But I spoke with Hayashi-san, and he had the same feeling. He was really dedicated, and soon we found ourselves working on production. Suddenly I was getting questions like "Is it okay to do this?" and "This isn't allowed in a Zelda game, is it?" from Hayashi-san's team, where you could tell they were nervous and thinking very carefully about the world of Zelda. But that doesn't lend itself to making a quality game, so I always answered, "Just do what you like."

When I say it that way, it may sound halfhearted, but in truth you could hear the love for the Zelda series from everyone working on "Hyrule Warriors," and I knew I wasn't making a mistake allowing them to create this game. I could see through them from the beginning, and I wasn't worried. Only people who really loved the Zelda series could create development materials like those. I think anyone you show them to could see that as well, and I think once you see these beautiful visuals, you will also really enjoy "Hyrule Warriors."