In an extremely interesting, though not so surprising revelation from the latest Iwata Asks it seems The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was initially intended to sport a purely button-based control scheme. Apparently series producer Eiji Aonuma had no intention of building the title around the Wii’s MotionPlus, but was later inspired by the fencing event in Wii Sports Resort. It’s a curious bit of information. My inner cynic is curious as to why MotionPlus wasn’t in the plans from the start.
Similarly, it seems the title’s flying beetle was first a simple boomerang, surprised? It then evolved into what lead designer Ryuji Kobayashi describes as a flying hand used to grab items. Yeah, the beetle is significantly more impressive. Good call on that one.
I’m still trying to wrap my brain around this. When PlayStation’s Move controller launched, it was injected into every single system exclusive. Rumors swirled of cut content in favor of motion controls. Yet the next great entry to one of Nintendo’s flagship franchises and the last vestige of “hardcore” gaming on the Wii wasn’t planned with motion control in mind? Curious, very curious. Regardless, the jump to MotionPlus seems like an all-around solid decision and I can’t wait to get my hands on the game.
