Echoes of Wisdom started as a Zelda dungeon editor game

It might not have a level editor of its own, but The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom started with an idea that was a lot like Mario Maker. On Monday, Nintendo published part one of its “Ask the Developer” series with long-time Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma and game directors Tomomi Sano and Satoshi Terada. In addition to giving a run-down on the history of the game’s creation, the interview revealed that Echoes of Wisdom started as a game where players could create their own Zelda dungeons, just like the Mario Maker series.

In The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, players assume the role of Princess Zelda and wield a magical tool that allows her to copy and paste certain objects and creatures onto the field. The game is developed by Nintendo and Grezzo, the studio that created the 2019 remake of Link’s Awakening. Before the game even existed, employees at Grezzo pitched Aonuma ideas for the next Zelda game. Together, the Nintendo and Grezzo teams settled on a concept that focused on “copy-and-paste” gameplay and combined top-down and side views. From there, Aonuma challenged the developers to find ways to add more freedom to the game.

“Having worked on games in the Legend of Zelda series over the years, we started to feel that fans may not continue playing this franchise unless they can think independently and try various things freely on their own, rather than following a set path,” Aonuma said.

The team ended up coming up with a game that allowed players to make their own dungeons. While Aonuma thought it was fun, he ended up pushing the game away from that original concept. You can read the full quote from the interview below:

Terada: We were exploring a few different ways to play the game in parallel. In one approach, Link could copy and paste various objects, such as doors and candlesticks, to create original dungeons. During this exploration phase, this idea was called an “edit dungeon” because players could create their own Legend of Zelda gameplay.

Aonuma: They showed it to me and told me to give it a try. As I played, I started thinking that while it’s fun to create your own dungeon and let other people play it, it’s also not so bad to place items that can be copied and pasted in the game field, and create gameplay where they can be used to fight enemies. That was the beginning of gameplay using “echoes.” The gameplay was shifted from creating dungeons up until then to using copied-and-pasted items as tools to further your own adventure.

In the end, the team ended up finding a middle point where players can manipulate the environment by using “echoes” to place items, but wouldn’t be responsible for making entire dungeons.

The overall approach is in line with the trend of Zelda games that lean into more open, and creative gameplay, while still giving players a little bit of direction and encouragement to express that creativity. In a previous interview with Polygon, Aonuma said that not everyone wants the ability to create from scratch, and that Mario Maker wasn’t the best fit for The Legend of Zelda series. He said that back when Tears of the Kingdom was out, so if you’re interested in just how much creativity will be in the next game, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is coming out on Nintendo Switch on Sept. 26.