It’s hard to believe, but The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time just marked its 26th anniversary. And yet, even now, new nuggets of information about this legendary game continue to surface. Interestingly, some long-forgotten interviews with Nintendo from when the game was released are coming to light, unveiling tidbits previously unknown.
Take, for instance, an interview with Shigeru Miyamoto from 1999. Conducted for a Japanese strategy guide and recently translated by Shmuplations, this chat touches on Navi, the game’s helpful fairy. Miyamoto candidly admitted, “I think the way we give hints is too blunt. If I’m being honest, the Navi advice system is Ocarina of Time’s weakest point. Designing tips that genuinely cater to a player’s unique situation is a massive task—almost like creating a whole new game! We were worried about overcommitting if we tried to perfect it.”
Miyamoto didn’t stop there. “If you’ve noticed,” he added, “Navi’s dialogue can get repetitive. We deliberately left her functionality a bit ‘basic.’ Paradoxically, trying to smarten it up would have highlighted its imperfections. Frankly, I wanted to scrap the whole system, but that would have been less player-friendly. Think of Navi as a reminder for players returning after a break. I know, it’s a flimsy justification. (laughs).”
Such insights not only reveal the challenges developers faced but also give fans a deeper understanding of the game they’ve loved for over two decades.
