Echoes of Wisdom was first prototyped as a Zelda dungeon maker

Nintendo has released an interview with The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom staff Eiji Aonuma, Tomomi Sano, Satoshi Terada that gives some behind-the-scenes background to the development of the game. Among the tidbits of information is the fact that the game once took a very different form.

Specifically, Echoes of Wisdom began with a “Game with dungeon creation in mind,” according to Aonuma. However, from there, it quickly changed to an “edit dungeon” format. In this concept, Link could change the perspective or move objects to “edit” the dungeon and solve puzzles. A lot of this still made it into the final version in the form of the eponymous echoes that Zelda can create. 

However, from the sound of things, Grezzo was aiming for something closer to the “Zelda Maker” concept, but it was dropped for the “edit dungeon” format, which was then scaled back to the game it is now. In particular, this quote from Sano really sums up the evolution:

“Of course, creating dungeons was fun, but being able to copy various objects and use them in different places was even more fun.”

Tomomi Sano

I could get behind a Zelda dungeon maker. In fact, it would probably be good for me; expanding the way I think about the series’ design in the same way that Mario Maker did. I think it’s possible that Nintendo will do it one day, even if the current attempt at this mutated into Echoes of Wisdom. There is certainly enough demand for the concept.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is out on September 26, 2024 for Switch. You can read the full interview over here on Nintendo’s site.