The Secret Of Selfies In The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD Revealed

Ever wonder how something as pop culture-y as selfies made it into the latest Zelda game? C’mon, you know what I’m talking about – much like Grand Theft Auto V, Nintendo latest Zelda remake has included the ability to take pictures of oneself in various locales, ranging from the charming to the precarious to the downright hilarious.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD did already have a camera as part of its gameplay — lovingly dubbed the Picto Box by its creators — but apparently getting Link to physically spin it around and snap a photo of himself wasn’t the easiest of features to implement.

In a recent talk with IGN, series producer Eiji Aonuma shed some light on the mysterious yet intriguing subject.

 I think it’s just the fact that lots of people take selfies. Even I do it myself sometimes. It’s become such a normal thing. It just seemed like it would be weird to not have that in the game, now that it’s such a normal part of our culture, and we have this game with a camera in it.

When pressed on how exactly selfies found their way into the game, and whose idea it initially was, Aonuma had this to say.

 I went to the director and said, ‘Hey, put in this ability to take selfies.’ The first thing he said, actually, was, ‘I can’t do it. It’s too hard.’ We went back and forth about three times, and each time he said, ‘No, I can’t do it, it’s too hard.’ The third time I went and asked him about it, he said, ‘Okay, it’s in the game.’ It was just in there. He did it. But I think… That’s a big part of the fun that’s become a part of the game now. It’s just something that we had to have in the game.

Hey, director! Yeah, I’m talking to you! Put selfies in this goddamn Zelda game right now! What, you’re working on revamping the final encounter with Ganon? Do I look amused? If I don’t see SELFIES in this game by the end of next week…

Just imagining the many ways this could have gone down is endlessly hilarious, but as producer and longtime Zelda overseer, I guess Aonuma has earned the right to demand just about whatever he sees fit for the latest series entry.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD has already flooded the internet with some amazing self-directed photography, so be sure to take a look at what’s out there. Thanks, Aonuma.