A portion of a Eurogamer interview with Eiji Aonuma.

EG: Do you think people's feelings about the GameCube version changed over time? Do you think people feel differently toward it now, compared to when it was released?

Aonuma: It was certainly a new graphical presentation - the Zelda world with its toon-shading, and also the younger, smaller Link. We heard the opinions of those Zelda fans that were somewhat critical at that time. They were saying that they didn't want it, quite frankly.

But now with the HD power, the shading, we're hoping to really bring a new graphical presentation to this product that, yes, when it was released some were negative about. We hope to bring those people back.

EG: Moving on to A Link Between Worlds - there haven't been very many direct sequels in the Zelda series. What made you want to revisit A Link to the Past?

Aonuma: The thought was that we wanted to make a top-view Zelda with the concept that every once in a while Link would enter the wall, and only at that time would it become a 3D experience.

We figured that if we used this Link to the Past world, this architecture and structure in place, we could create it even more quickly. There's also a lot more to explore in that environment, so we felt that world would be a great starting point. So if we say it's a sequel to A Link to the Past, it's easier for players to understand where we're coming from and our starting point for this story. It also felt like that story was really well suited for a sequel.

EG: Zelda is a series with very strong traditions. You'll find many elements that are familiar from one game to the next. Do you ever wish the series had more flexibility?

Aonuma: That's exactly what I was talking about in the Nintendo Direct shown earlier this year, about visiting the Zelda tradition and remoulding the formula. We're looking at ways to do that and we hope people look forward to experiencing those.

EG: During that Nintendo Direct you hinted that we may no longer play Zelda alone on Wii U. Do you think local or online multiplayer would be better for the series?

Aonuma: In saying it's not a single-player or lone experience, I didn't necessarily mean multiplayer. There has actually been multiplayer in Zelda games, in Four Swords for example. But for example in Wind Waker, with the Tingle Bottle - it's not a traditional multiplayer experience but you certainly have the feeling that other people are exploring the same world and sharing information.

So that's one way that I meant that it's not a single-player experience. We'll continue to explore different ways of opening up this world beyond a single-player experience, but that's not necessarily to say that there will be typical multiplayer.

EG: As part of opening up Zelda games for a new generation, are you looking at any other games for inspiration? Dark Souls, perhaps, or Skyrim?

Aonuma: Skyrim! [For some reason mention of Bethesda's fantasy epic tickles him, and he laughs.] Obviously I play other games, and I'm curious what Zelda fans like about the Skyrim experience. Maybe there are some Zelda fans who are looking for something similar out of a Zelda game.

But I don't look at the technology that made these games possible. I don't look at what's happening in the game, but how it made me feel, what in the game moved me, and how I can bring out those same emotions in players who play my games. My intent isn't to copy them, but those are the things that stay with you as a player.

It's not what you see but how the game makes you feel that makes you feel closer to the experience. It's more about the feeling and expression of emotions in the game, and I do take that into consideration when working on my own projects.

It's like the difference between someone who takes a picture and looks at that picture when drawing a painting, and someone who sees something, keeps it in their head and then tries to recreate that.