The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, releasing on September 26, is a new approach for the series, but one of the game’s mechanics from early in its development could have made for very differentZeldadungeons. The first title in the franchise to feature Princess Zelda as its main protagonist,Echoes of Wisdomis a major departure from standardZeldagameplay, bringing several new mechanics with it.
A recent interview fromNintendo, three of the lead developers ofEchoes of Wisdom– producer Eiji Aonuma, Nintendo director Tomomi Sano, and Grezzo director Satoshi Terada – revealed thatan early version of the game centered around the ability for players to create their own dungeons. As explained by Terada: “In one approach, Link could copy and paste various objects…to create original dungeons.”
According to Aonuma, this approach was later adapted to the game’s current “echoes” mechanic, making use of a similar item-copying mechanic, making it the central mechanic of the entire game, and not used for creating entirely original dungeons.
An Early Version Of An Echoes Of Wisdom Mechanic Could Influence A Future Zelda Game
Echoes Of Wisdom’s Development Could Mean A Future “Zelda Maker” Is Possible
While this prototype dungeon-building mechanic was shifted into the current “echoes” system present in the release version ofEchoes of Wisdom,it does hint at the possibility for something like aZeldaversion of the popularMario Makergames, allowing players to create and share their own original dungeons. Notably, while theMario Makergames have been met with widespread success, Nintendo hasn’t yet attempted to replicate that approach with any of its other franchises.
Forget A Horse, One Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom Ability Will Let You Fly
Horses are nice, but there are much cooler traversal methods in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. One may even let players fly across the map.
For a single-player game, however,the approach that was eventually decided forEchoes of Wisdommay be more fitting, as more professionally designed dungeons will likely make for a better journey through the game, while still allowing players to flex their creativity with the “echoes” mechanic. As much as player-created dungeons would be anew direction for theZeldaseries, and one that would be welcomed by many players, it’s probably best saved for a multiplayer title that’s close to the experience of theMarioMakergames.
While the early-in-development version ofEchoes of Wisdom’s copy-and-paste “echoes” mechanic won’t be in the released version of the game, such a feature really could revolutionize where theZeldaseries could have gone - or where it could go next. Players creating and sharing their own originalZeldadungeons is an exciting prospect, as dungeons are a core part of the gameplay experience in every mainlineZeldagame. ForThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomitself, however, the “echoes” mechanic in the release version of the game has instead been adapted into something more suitable for a single-player adventure.
