The Legend of Zelda series is one that has garnered many fans across its myriad of games in the franchise. Some are fans of the older 2D versions of the games, while some prefer the 3D combat-heavy ones. There are even fans of the spin off games such as Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland, Link’s Crossbow Training, or the critically acclaimed Hyrule Warriors series. All of these games have met a decent amount of success, with the Hyrule Warriors series becoming a fan favorite so much that it has received multiple releases and even a sequel of sorts. The funny part is that at some point before the initial Hyrule Warriors release, Nintendo of America seemed to have some doubts on its potential success.
Many fans remember the web show Nintendo Minute and their hosts, Kit and Krysta. For over ten years they hosted the show and introduced many different Nintendo games into our lives. Since their departure, Kit and Krysta have started their own web show called the Kit and Krysta Podcast, where they talk about many things in the video game industry, even more than they could during their tenure at Nintendo. In their most recent podcast, Kit and Krysta were asked if Nintendo ever released a game that other people in the company thought would be a bad decision initially.
“The one game that immediately came to mind for me with this question is the original Hyrule Warriors,” Kit replied. “It was definitely eye opening at the time. You’re combining Zelda with Dynasty Warriors? But within NOA there was a lot of worry that this game’s not gonna be good, or this is going to drop the status of Zelda. Maybe we (NOA) should just tell Japan we’re not gonna put it out and just keep it in Japan.”
Kit went against the grain with different feelings, however. “I had the opposite impression. As a Dynasty Warriors fan I was like, ‘this is awesome! I love these games, there is a surprisingly big audience for these games, so maybe get over it! And they did,” said Kit. “It sold great and got sequels and everything.”
It’s a funny contrast how Nintendo of America was so against an idea that seemed like a no-brainer for Kit and other Zelda fans at the time. Hyrule Warriors boasts amazing gameplay, enticing stories, and some of the most fun you will have in a Zelda game. Being able to fight off hordes of enemies with Link while using a fire rod or the Master Sword is a unique joy that cannot be explained. Many Zelda fans have been begging Nintendo to create a game where we can play as Zelda herself, but to longstanding fans that have played the series in all forms, we’ve already been playing as the beautiful Princess of Hyrule herself since day one when the first Hyrule Warriors was released on the Wii U. The game did so well that it was re-released two times afterward on the 3DS and then the Switch, with many quality of life changes, such as being able to control multiple characters in a fight, and the addition of new playable characters like Marin, Ravio, or Linkle.
Few people will understand the mysterious decisions made at Nintendo except, perhaps, those who have worked there themselves like Kit and Krysta. It’s humorous when you hear stories about games that saw critical success almost not making it out of the gate. Like how Kit said, the idea of the union of Dynasty Warriors and Zelda is a no brainer for many of us fans, but according to the higher ups, such things of this nature might not always be in the forefront of their mind. It goes to show you that the behind-the-scenes workings of the video game industry has a lot more going on then we may know. Whatever powers may be that graced us with Hyrule Warriors, I for one am forever grateful. They are some of my favorite games in general, let alone in the whole Zelda series. Here’s hoping we get a third Hyrule Warriors sometime in the near future. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!
