Resident Evil 2 director shames ancient Zelda game, fans are out for blood

More than 20 years after Nintendo released The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker on GameCube, game developer Hideki Kamiya is once again making his dislike of the Zelda classic very clear.

Kamiya, who specializes in creating and designing games, directed PlayStation's Resident Evil 2 (1998) and eccentric action-adventure game The Wonderful 101 (2013), among an array of cult classics.

And as a regular social media user on X posted their nostalgic appreciation for The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (2002), Kamiya took it upon himself to point out the meandering nature of the game by saying:

To me, that's just a shitty game of swinging the baton pointlessly out on the open sea, changing the wind direction just to hunt for treasure chests,

game developer Hideki Kamiya on The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.

それは俺的に大海原で無駄にタクト振って風向き変えて宝箱さがすだけのクソ… https://t.co/qmYr2yvXfT

undefined 神谷英樹🍀 Hideki Kamiya🍀 (@HidekiKamiya_X) September 14, 2026

His problem is primarily with what happens between the game's major destinations, where Link spends substantial stretches sailing across the Great Sea rather than fighting enemies, exploring dungeons, or progressing the story.

もう記憶が薄いので正確なことは言えませんが、序盤のダンジョンのいくつかは楽しめましたよ…でもその後すぐに退屈な大海原とタクト振りの強要と使い回しの小島ばかりで楽しさが消え失せました… https://t.co/qh0zrJeBK9

undefined 神谷英樹🍀 Hideki Kamiya🍀 (@HidekiKamiya_X) September 15, 2026

Zelda fans bite back

The response from Zelda fans was full of vitriol, with fans lashing out at Kamiya.

One abusive post called him “a developer who hasn’t made a good game in decades,” but Kamiya didn’t hesitate to defend himself by replying that they’d “been living a miserable life for decades without a shred of decency.”

何十年もまともな人生を送ってない落ちぶれたクソ虫が俺に話しかけんなよ… https://t.co/8xAqJEYes9

undefined 神谷英樹🍀 Hideki Kamiya🍀 (@HidekiKamiya_X) September 15, 2026

In another example, as an attacker called out the “button-mashing nature” of Kamiya’s games, the developer playfully responded with: “Here comes the dimwit with mashed potatoes stuffed in place of a brain”

And these posts were gaining traction with over 10,000 views apiece.

脳みその代わりにマッシュポテトが詰まってるボンクラがやってきました… https://t.co/1RYNaDw5Yv

undefined 神谷英樹🍀 Hideki Kamiya🍀 (@HidekiKamiya_X) September 14, 2026

And perhaps you could say that Kamiya brought some of it on himself, as he posted a mischievous reply to a comment slating Kamiya’s The Wonderful 101 compared to the Zelda game, by using the “greater-than sign” (>) to say a trash can, a bug, and a piece of excrement is more favorable than the poster themselves.

Wind waker > wonderful 101 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>🗑️ >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>🪲 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>💩>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> You https://t.co/qratc5OLdJ

undefined 神谷英樹🍀 Hideki Kamiya🍀 (@HidekiKamiya_X) September 14, 2026

What was particularly interesting was that the original nostalgic author intervened on the zigzaggy timeline to defend Kimiya:

You guys need to chill, I don't feel attacked at all here nor does my childhood, the man was just stating an opinion lol,

defended the original X poster of nostalgic Zelda appreciation.

I wake up to this? 😅
You guys need to chill, I don't feel attacked at all here nor does my childhood, the man was just stating an opinion lol

undefined fingers in his ahhh (@in_his_ash) September 14, 2026

And the whole thing culminated with Kimiya posting that he’d hit the posting limit by replying to the trolls and had to buy X Premium.

昨日昆虫どもに返信しすぎて投稿制限がかかった…ので、仕方なくプレミアムというのに入った…アカウント名の横に余計なマークが付いたので、そのうち抜けるかも…

undefined 神谷英樹🍀 Hideki Kamiya🍀 (@HidekiKamiya_X) September 15, 2026

But if the allegations are true that Kimiya has been off-form in game development in recent years, at least the Zelda discourse has put some wind in his sails again.