Of course, when we’re talking about stacking things, we’re talking about having the characters stand on each other’s shoulders. Because of the way that camera works, and because we wanted to incorporate an element of height within the gameplay, we thought, “What’s one way we can take advantage of the fact that you can see that depth?” And so the idea came about of stacking things. I really wanted to adopt and use the camera we had in A Link Between Worlds because it worked so well with the 3D feature of the 3DS. Aonuma of course had Four Swords, and I had Spirit Tracks which had two players – so I just went with the one right in the middle. Why three and not four players? Is it just the magic number? Or is it just thematic for Zelda’s triforce? So, I didn’t come up with the idea or suggest the idea for Tri-Force Heroes because I wanted to do a sequel to Four Swords. Eiji Aonuma, with four swords of course he incorporated multiplayer gameplay elements, but if you go back, his first title, Marvelous, also had multiplayer.Īs for myself, I was the lead game designer on The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, and within that game we had the phantom Link element where you switched back and forth between controlling the phantom and Link and I was always interested in that type of gameplay, but not with a person switching between two, but with two people. We have the overall producer of the Zelda series, Mr. There are points where you could definitely say that, but there are other points where, no, it’s not at all. It seems like Four Swords is the main inspiration for Triforce Heroes. I can’t say which one it’s in at this point. We haven’t really settled on or said that.ĭoes it take place in the same universe or world as A Link Between Worlds?Īgain, with the history of Zelda we have these three parallel worlds. But it’s not – as far as a timeframe – before or after. I can’t really designate which one of those branches we’re looking at, but as far as the design itself, it really is Link Between Worlds. The Zelda timeline is quite complicated if you look at the history of Zelda I think you can see there are three branches. Where does Triforce Heroes take place in the Zelda timeline? We spoke with Shikata about where Tri-Force heroes takes place in the Zelda timeline (though he didn't have much to offer), how Four Swords factored into the game's development, and about his history with the Zelda series focusing on Ocarina of time. He has been involved with the Zelda series since Ocarina of Time, and hasn't strayed far from Nintendo's venerated franchise during his time with the company. Shikata most recently directed the critically acclaimed The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds.

During E3 last month, we had a chance to speak with the director of The Legend of Zelda: Tri-Force Heroes, Hiromasa Shikata.

Ocarina of time four swords