Nintendo

We almost had a The Legend of Zelda video secret plan where thespian could create their own dungeons . The Legend of Zelda : Echoes of Wisdom , which set in motion afterwards this workweek , get players incur “ echoes ” of item and enemies , which they can explore , campaign , and solve puzzles with . A newAsk the Developer interviewfrom Nintendo unwrap that this gameplay idea came from the original conception forEchoes of Wisdom : an “ edit keep ” concept where “ players could create their own The Legend of Zelda gameplay , ” fit in to Grezzo game director Satoshi Terada .

in the end , the team go in a different management after acknowledge the potential of the echoes mechanic created for the “ edit dungeon ” concept . While I ’m still quite worked up to playEchoes of Wisdom , part of me is disappoint that we are n’t getting a The Legend of Zelda dungeon maker game . It ’s OK thatEchoes of Wisdomwent in a different direction , but this is an idea Nintendo should certainly revert to in the future .

Key art for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.

Nintendo

The Zelda dungeon-maker game we didn’t get

It ’s not uncommon for biz developers to try out with dissimilar gameplay concepts or thought early on on in development to observe what works . Terada explicate that in one of these early concepts , “ Link could copy and glue various target , such as doors and candlestick , to create original dungeon . ” Later in the Ask the Developer audience , Nintendo director Tomomi Sano said that this “ conception involved copying various things during your dangerous undertaking out on the secret plan area , then bring them back to make a dungeon in a dedicated place . ”

While something likeSuper Mario Maker 2is a stratum Divine first and first , it seems like this “ edit donjon ” concept forEchoes of Wisdomwas mixing keep creation with the geographic expedition expected from a 2D Zelda secret plan . When The Legend of Zelda series Producer Eiji Aonuma last snuff it manus - on with Grezzo ’s study , he liked the dungeon - founding musical theme but was more intrigued by being able to “ place item that can be copied and glue in the biz field , and make gameplay where they can be used to fight enemies . ”

In a distinctive Nintendo style , Aonuma extrapolated what he turn over the good portion of a game concept after a year of development to produce something different that feels wholly unique . That commitment to original plot design and not always going for the obvious is part of what makes Nintendo great . Sadly , it can also result in disappointment when we get wind what was left onthe cutting room floor .

Why we need a Zelda dungeon-maker game

Right now , the closest affair we ’ve gotten to it officially are the Chamber Dungeons inThe Legend of Zelda : nexus ’s Awakening’sremake , but that ’s limit in a lot of ways . On the indie front , there are game likeSuper Dungeon MakerorQuest Master , but those lack the spirit level of polish a first- or 2nd - party Nintendo game would likely have . Just look atSuper Mario Maker 2to empathize how slap-up a Zelda donjon - maker plot could be .

Super Mario Maker 2is one of my favorite game on Nintendo Switch because of how visceral make levels , sharing them , and playing those made by others are . I often recoil off the layer - creation systems in game likeLittleBigPlanet , Dreams , andMeet Your Maker , but there ’s something inherently intuitive and approachable toSuper Mario Maker 2’slevel Almighty that keeps me coming back . I ’d love for a Zelda Maker secret plan to have that same sense of approachability as I place together room or entire dungeons for other instrumentalist to navigate . If it were like Mario maker and rent players tack between the visual styles of 2D Zelda games from unlike geological era , that would be a cherry on top .

The idea of a The Legend of Zelda donjon - Lord game has so much untapped potential , and I see a lot of demand for it based onthe response to this revealin the Nintendo audience . I ’m beaming Nintendo and Grezzo could create a new type of Zelda game withEchoes of sapience , but I also hope they revisit that “ edit dungeon ” concept one daytime as I think they leave behind another every bit fantastic idea .

The Legend of Zelda : echo of Wisdomlaunches for Nintendo Switch on September 26 .