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 different Zelda dungeons. The first title in the franchise to feature Princess Zelda as its main protagonist, Echoes of Wisdom is a major departure from standard Zelda gameplay, bringing several new mechanics with it.

A recent interview from Nintendo, three of the lead developers of Echoes of Wisdom – producer Eiji Aonuma, Nintendo director Tomomi Sano, and Grezzo director Satoshi Terada – revealed that an 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 of Echoes of Wisdom, it does hint at the possibility for something like a Zelda version of the popular Mario Maker games, allowing players to create and share their own original dungeons. Notably, while the Mario Maker games have been met with widespread success, Nintendo hasn’t yet attempted to replicate that approach with any of its other franchises.

For a single-player game, however, the approach that was eventually decided for Echoes of Wisdom may 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 a new direction for the Zelda series, 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 the Mario Maker games.

While the early-in-development version of Echoes 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 the Zelda series could have gone - or where it could go next. Players creating and sharing their own original Zelda dungeons is an exciting prospect, as dungeons are a core part of the gameplay experience in every mainline Zelda game. For The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom itself, however, the "echoes" mechanic in the release version of the game has instead been adapted into something more suitable for a single-player adventure.

Source: Nintendo