E311 Media | More Zelda: Skyward Sword Details, Trailer, Art

Skyward Sword producer and Zelda father Shigeru Miyamoto discussed the new Wii game in a developer roundtable yesterday.

One of the new mechanics outlined during the session found Link using his sword as a "dowsing rod" to look for hidden objects. In the example he needed to find pieces of a key to a temple.

Collecting will be a prominent feature this time round, with Link needing to enter a special area called the "Siren World". To do this, when you arrive at a certain location you sink your sword into the ground to transport yourself to this world. Siren's described as an alternative world where, according to Aonuma, you'll spend a lot of time restoring spirits and the like. Collecting is timed to a flower blossom that slowly wilts away, and every time you find a required droplet, it renews.

The Zelda producer also confirmed that Skyward Sword "paints the creation" of the Master Sword, and that the blue character shown is a spirit inside Link's sword.

Aonuma explained how he and the team wanted a stronger emphasis on back-tracking, with new puzzles opened in areas previously explored - for a less linear approach to the traditional Legend of Zelda framework. He emphasized how being familiar with environments (presumably dungeons included) is a key part of the new game.

Miyamoto agreed, commenting that Skyward Sword is as game that "you can play for a very long period of time". The map/overworld system is said to have had a shake-up, with improvements leading to a more "interesting" world spanning multiple layers and sub environments.

The Zelda and Nintendo teams are hard at work to make the forthcoming game "the kind of game we can close the Wii chapter on.

I told Aonuma that if this wasn’t the best Zelda ever, we might have to stop making Zelda games" - Shigeru Miyamoto

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is due out later this year.