Miyamoto confirms that Zelda Gaiden and the 64DD Ura Zelda are two separate games

In an interview with Japanese game magazine Famitsu Weekly, Shigeru Miyamoto confirmed once and for all that the cartridge-based Zelda Gaiden and the long talked-about 64DD Ura Zelda are two separate projects.

"We wanted to make a new game that's based on the Zelda system," said Miyamoto in reference to Zelda Gaiden. "Also, in the light of games that require the memory Expansion Pak, like Donkey Kong 64, we wanted to make a Zelda game that took advantage of the Memory Pak as well. That game is Zelda Gaiden. Therefore, this will not be a game where the locations of the dungeons are simply changed around."

While Miyamoto did note that, "The 64DD Ura Zelda is moving along on its own," he wasn't willing to divulge further details regarding the game. When Nintendo first announced the already released Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, they were planning to make the game the 64DD's flagship title, but hardware delays and a lack of third party support forced Nintendo to convert Ocarina of Time to a cartridge game and start work on a second add-on adventure for the 64DD.

Dubbed Ura Zelda (Japanese for 'Another Zelda'), the 64DD adventure is said to enable gamers to revisit areas and dungeons of Ocarina of Time and experience new adventures in familiar surroundings.

Gaiden, on the other hand, which is best translated as 'Side Story', only takes Ocarina of Time as a starting point and seems to offer plenty of new dungeons, in addition to an all-new quest.

Zelda Gaiden, which is scheduled for a March 2000 release in Japan (and possibly worldwide) will be playable at next week's Space World in Japan. There are currently no plans to unveil the 64DD-only Ura Zelda at the same time.


Courtesy of IGN.com