Takaya Imamura worked for Nintendo from 1989 to 2021. He worked on many games for Star Fox, but also on The Legend of Zelda. There is part of the Zelda series that he still cannot play today.
Which part is it? Imamura was the Object Designer for The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. The title was released in 1991 for the SNES and is still considered one of the best Zelda titles designed in an overhead perspective.
- The title was regularly re-released on later Nintendo consoles, including the Wii, Wii U, New Nintendo 3DS, and even for Nintendo Switch via Switch Online.
- There is even a sequel, A Link Between Worlds, which was released in 2013 for the Nintendo 3DS.
- Unlike previous overhead Zelda titles, Link could first move in 8 directions instead of 4.
In A Link to the Past, Link must do what he always does: save Hyrule by entering dungeons and defeating bosses. By entering portals, the hero can travel back and forth between two parallel worlds.
Imamura actually wanted to approach the game like a normal gamer and looked forward to enjoying A Link to the Past after its release. However, his anticipation was thoroughly spoiled.
In the latest installment, it is not Link, but the titular princess who must save Hyrule:
Nintendo developer was not thrilled when he had to work on A Link to the Past
Why can’t he play the title? In a recent interview with Edge Magazine, the developer revealed that he was “not very pleased” when he was compelled to collaborate on A Link to the Past. The predecessor had sold so well that the then-president Hiroshi Yamauchi ordered Imamura to work on A Link to the Past.
But he was dissatisfied with it:
To tell the truth, when I was asked to join the Zelda team, I wasn’t very happy about it. The reason was that I wanted to enjoy the game once it’s finished, as a player. I can still remember that feeling.
Takaya Imamura, former artist at Nintendo
He was a big fan of The Legend of Zelda himself and really wanted to play the title. However, he had to deal with the exhausting process of quality assurance, which ultimately took away his enjoyment of playing:
I also remember that debugging, the quality assurance, was really difficult because you had to do the same thing over and over again. I still don’t want to play this game – the tests were that hard. Even now, when I jump into the game for just a minute, the feeling comes back. It’s like PTSD or something.
When playing, the feeling that Imamura had during quality assurance would return immediately. He describes playing A Link to the Past as like PTSD. This is a post-traumatic stress disorder triggered by a traumatic experience, causing negative memories and feelings for those affected.
Even 34 years after the release, Imamura feels immense stress whenever he immerses himself in A Link to the Past for just a minute. If he had not been involved in the development process, he could have experienced the title like any other player.
A similar feeling might also be anchored in Link himself. He has a sad fate that is told across various parts of the series. The hero has not even found peace in death: Link, the hero of your childhood, officially had a truly dark ending
