4. Making the Fishing Game

Morita-san, may I ask you about the fishing game?

Huh? Is it alright if I go first?

Miyanaga-san, I’ll ask about the stages later.

Okay.

Let’s see, where should I begin?

The Fishing Pond in Ocarina of Time is so complete that it’s practically a whole fishing video game. That is a part of the Zelda tradition that continues to this day. How did you come to make something on such an impressive scale?

The Water Temple is in Lake Hylia. Aonuma-san designed that dungeon. The boss that appears there is Morpha. Just when I was making that, there was a landform like a pool.

Morpha rises up out of the pool and fights Link.

Right. When I was making that boss, I casually...

“Casually”? (laughs) I doubt you had that kind of time!

But for some reason I did. (laughs)

(laughs)

I just happened to have a model of a fish, so...

You “just happened” to have it? (laughs)

Yes! (laughs) A model of a fish for putting in an empty bottle. I borrowed that and had it swim in the pool in the dungeon, and when I saw it swimming around, I thought, “Oh! I can go fishing!”

What did you do for a fishing pole?

I took the model for something and made it a cylinder, and then... (gestures as if casting a fishing pole)

You used the motion for Link swinging his sword.

Yep. But at that time, it was just for my own enjoyment. You know, for when I needed to take a breather.

How long did it take before the other project members discovered this?

Hmm, not long.

At first, I didn’t have any idea he was doing that.

Oh, that’s right. Aonuma-san came over and I thought, “Uh-oh!” and immediately closed the screen.

(laughs)

Well, you were supposed to be making a boss!

We had pushed back the project several times, so making a boss was pressing business. You should have been doing that! (laughs)

Nonetheless, for some reason, it just kept coming together and...

“For some reason”?! Yes, because you were pouring your energy into it! (laughs) Is it really that easy to make a fishing game?

Yes. I didn’t have to put much effort into it.

Really...?

No, it’s true. And it turned out just as I imagined.

Oh, so you had a complete idea of it before you made it?

Yes.

We didn’t have to rework it much.

I see. From the start, you had a clear image in your head of what you wanted to make.

Yes. If I had the materials and the right place, I knew we could throw it together in time.

So, Miyanaga-san, you had to make the landform.

Yes. One day, all of a sudden, the landscape design team received the request and were told, “We need a place to go fishing!” But we didn’t know where we should make it.

The fishing game actually doesn’t have anything to do with Link’s adventure.

No! (laughs) But if we could create such realistic fishing, everyone wanted to put it in, even if it increased our work.

Everyone was actually quite excited, saying, “We’ve got to put that in!”

We thought a fishing hole should be near water and decided to put it at Lake Hylia. But we hadn’t originally planned on that, so we slapped doors onto a bare stretch of cliff at the edge of the lake. (laughs)

Yes! We forced it in! (laughs)

It’s considered a minigame, but it actually isn’t all that small. We had to make a different room to read that data.

So you decided on a place for the Fishing Pond and had to make the contents. Did you make lots of requests, like for the Pond Owner we discussed earlier?

Instead of putting in requests, I had them put me in charge of the design! I was like, “Put piles here,” and “Put floating weeds here...”

We created a foundation and then Morita-san designed everything, even the placement of floating weeds.

When a programmer gets ambitious, he is truly forceful! (laughs)

The Fishing Pond uses sound from fighting enemies, doesn’t it?

That was to create tension.

Was that melody at your request?

Um...yes.

You even decided the sound?

I requested it and put it in myself, and it got left that way.

When you say “request,” you mean you took it without permission and put it in yourself! (laughs)

Yep...that’s about right. (laughs)

(laughs)

I’d get in trouble if I did that today! The sound staff would say, “You can’t just use that!”

The Fishing Pond truly was your holy ground! (laughs)

Morita-san could do whatever he wanted there. (laughs)

We were mere assistants. (laughs)

Sorry. I really appreciate it! (laughs)