‘Link To The Past 2’ In Development For Two Years, Says Zelda Producer

A Link to the Past 2, the spiritual successor to 1991’s The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, is set to hit the Nintendo 3DS this holiday season.

News of the follow-up sent Zelda fans into a giddy spin earlier this month, and it now turns out Nintendo has been beavering away on the game since the distant days of 2011 — around the time the 3DS itself was released.

Long-time series producer Eiji Aonuma popped up on last week’s Japanese Wii U Direct to discuss both the Miiverse and the forthcoming Zelda.

While addressing Nintendo fans, Aonuma reportedly hinted that the concept of restructuring a 2D Zelda into 3D is something the company has been working on for the best part of two years. And really, which better 2D Zelda is there to restructure? Aonuma added:

“The day we’ll be seeing the successor is still further ahead, but for those of you who wish to contribute or show your support, please comment on the Wii U The Legend of Zelda series community [on Miiverse].”

Admittedly, “Games take a long time to make” is hardly news. But it’s still interesting to learn Nintendo was already dabbling with Link to the Past 2 in the early 3DS days, when we were still playing the Ocarina of Time remake and actually using the 3DS’s janky AR cards.

Anyway, here’s another look at the trailer that aired during last week’s Nintendo Direct. Also, a neat reminder that this game really is based on A Link to the Past.