Take a rare look inside Nintendo and the original Legend of Zelda with a recent video published by the Yomiuri News Channel YouTube page. It unearths some old footage of staff working on The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Brothers at Nintendo headquarters during the production, and features interviews with Shigeru Miyamoto and the late Masayuki Uemura.
The video was published to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the Famicom’s release in Japan and features an overview of Nintendo history leading up to that point as well as interviews with fans. However, by far the most interesting portion is when they showcase old interview footage of Shigeru Miyamoto on The Legend of Zelda and Masayuki Uemura, a lead designer on the Famicom and NES.
In the short clip of Miyamoto, he states how the size of the world in The Legend of Zelda was important to him. Interestingly, he mentions towns and being able to ride a bicycle, both features that would not be seen in the original title. He was likely just giving hypothetical examples as the gameplay shown looked close to the finished product.
“Some might view the map as too big, but you can go to new towns and walk or bike around the map yourself. I want investigating the world to be fun, and it would not be fun if the world is small.”
– Shigeru Miyamoto
Following Miyamoto, the video shows sound designers at work then cuts to an exclusive interview with Masayuki Uemura. Uemura was a software designer at Nintendo until 2004 who was famous for being one of the lead directors on the Famicom and NES. During the interview, he discussed how the Famicom changed the scope of gaming.
“When the the Famicom first released, not only was just showing something on the TV old… I think the knowledge and emotions of the creators and players became very important.”
-Masayuki Uemura
Unfortunately, Uemura passed away in 2021, so it is really nice to see new footage crop up. Please check out this tribute by The New Yorker if you want to learn more about Masayuki Uemura and his career at Nintendo and beyond.
Taking a peak into the creation of classic Nintendo titles is truly special, and even more so with the statement by the late Masayuki Uemura. Be sure to check out the full clip below to see the staff at work designing The Legend of Zelda as well as Super Mario Brothers.
