Nintendo explains puppet-show art style of Switch 2 Ocarina of Time remake
Art director Aya Shida says the team rebuilt Hyrule as a dense world and pitched the concept to producer Eiji Aonuma with sketches and a 3D Great Deku Tree.
Nintendo developers explained in a new interview why the Switch 2 remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time uses a puppet-like art style, according to Polygon. Art director Aya Shida said the team set out to rebuild Hyrule as a rich, dense world while keeping its colorful, quirky characters natural within it.
Shida said the art direction was guided by keywords including a puppet-show feel and the analog feel of practical-effects films. To present the concept to producer Eiji Aonuma, the team drew sketches of Link, Zelda and other characters and built a 3D model of the Great Deku Tree.
Aonuma said the current team's nostalgia for the original led to the analog, puppet-show-like feel. When the original was in development for the Nintendo 64, he said, the team thought they were making something cutting-edge and were not trying to create anything nostalgic.
The original The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time debuted on the Nintendo 64 nearly 28 years before the interview. The remake arrives on Nintendo Switch 2 later this week.
Quick answers
When does the Ocarina of Time remake come out on Nintendo Switch 2?
It arrives on Nintendo Switch 2 later this week, according to Polygon.
Who directed the art of the Switch 2 Ocarina of Time remake?
Aya Shida is the art director, and Eiji Aonuma is the producer.