Random: Zelda: The Wind Waker Was Originally Going To Feature A Theremin

If you’re familiar with The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (and if not, then you should be), then you’ll know that Link is able to control the direction of the wind, among other things, with the game’s magical baton known as the ‘Wind Waker’.

Originally, however, the Wind Waker was intended to be much more complex in design. Indeed, it was initially based on the theremin, an electronic musical instrument that can be played without any physical contact. As explained by Did You Know Gaming, the team behind the game became familiar with the theremin after a documentary examining the life of inventor Leon Theremin premiered in Japan around the time of development.

The idea was that you would place the GameCube pad down upon a flat surface and use the palms of your hands to manipulate the left analogue stick and the c-stick, thus replicating the movements required to play a theremin. Ultimately, however, Nintendo veteran Shigeru Miyamoto took one look at the idea and shot it down about mid-way through development. Eiji Aonuma had the following to say, translated from an interview in the Japanese publication Nintendo Dream:

“He’d play what we made and point out what was weird. We had the Wind Waker item ready to some extent, when Miyamoto came to me shaking his head saying “no, no, no”. He talked about how it was “entirely unacceptable”; we were using both sticks at first, adjusting with both hands like how you would play a theremin. But eventually, we changed it to the baton, and everything else fell into place from there.”

We have to admit, using both analogue sticks to control the frequency and amplitude of the music definitely sounds a bit needlessly complex, so we’re thankful for the instrument we got in the end!

In the same video, it’s also revealed that Miyamoto wasn’t too keen on the visual style for The Wind Waker either. You can read more about that here.

Would you want to see a theremin used in a future Zelda game at all? Share you thoughts in the comments below!