497: “We Wanted Ocarina’s Opposite - That’s Why Majora’s Mask Got So Dark” - Takaya Imamura Interview - The Retro Hour EP497

The Retro Hour (Retro Gaming Podcast)

The Retro Hour

Technology, Leisure, Video Games

4.9 • 558 Ratings

🗓️ 12 September 2025

⏱️ 86 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week we welcome Nintendo legend Takaya Imamura, the visionary artist behind F-Zero, Star Fox, and Majora’s Mask. We hear some incredible stories from his three decades at Nintendo: from being interviewed by Shigeru Miyamoto, to creating Captain Falcon on a whim, to the wild one-year crunch that gave birth to Majora’s Mask. He reveals how a shrine in Kyoto inspired Fox McCloud, why Tingle was born out of pure exhaustion, and the surprising comic book roots of his latest project Omega Six. This chat was recorded live at Retromessa in Norway.

Contents:

00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories
44:22 - Takaya Imamura Interview

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Show notes

Dreamcast Wireless Controller: https://tinyurl.com/yzr5kwdx
Fallout 1 3D: https://tinyurl.com/476fu3b4
Vectrex Mini Updates: https://tinyurl.com/3hs2sphw
Limited Run FMV Games: https://tinyurl.com/yc23t2fu
Clive Sinclair Comedy: https://tinyurl.com/56s3hyhr
Wolfhound Trailer: https://youtu.be/bBVXgchDEXk

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Coming up on this week's show, a world first in a new Dreamcast controller.
0:04.7	More details about the upcoming Vectrax Mini revealed.
0:07.6	And we chat to Nintendo Legend to Kaya Imamura.
0:27.3	And the Retro Hour podcast is brought to you each and every Friday with our friends, our sponsor Bitmap Books.
0:30.8	Now, of course, today, getting some inside stories from the world of Nintendo.
0:36.2	Have you seen Bitmap Books, N64, a visual compendium?
0:40.0	Now, this tells a story of the console that changed the gaming world,
0:45.9	the moment that Nintendo moved to fully embrace 3D, resulting in some of the best games ever made. All the big ones were in here, Super Mario 64, Golden 9-O-7, Legend of Zelda,
0:51.0	Ocarina of Time, Banjo-Kazazui, covering more than 150 games and weighing in
0:55.3	that more than 430 pages. If you love the N64, check it out on the rest of their retro
1:00.7	gaming collection at bitmapbooks.com. And with our friends at PCBway. Now I'm sure you're
1:07.3	familiar with PCB way. Big supporters of the retro community,
1:14.4	they offer fully featured custom PCB prototyping,
1:16.8	low-cost, fast turnaround quality boards,
1:19.7	and if you're looking for someone to do services like 3D printing and injection molding, they've got you covered.
1:22.1	You can get an instant quote right now on their website at PCBway.com.
1:27.7	Hello, and welcome to the Retro Hour podcast episode number 497, your weekly dose of
1:33.3	retro gaming and technology news with me, Dan Wood, me Robbie Abbott and me Joe Fox.
1:38.8	And a very warm welcome to this week's show, the podcast that comes out every single Friday
1:42.2	and takes you on a magical
1:44.3	journey into the wonderful world of retro gaming and technology, brings you up to speed on
1:48.3	all the big stories that have been happening in retro gaming and tech from over the last
	...

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