Initially, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom was envisioned as a game that would allow players to create their own dungeons. This feature was developed by Grezzo, the studio behind the Link’s Awakening remake after being invited by Nintendo to pitch their ideas for a new Zelda game.
Grezzo’s team proposed a dungeon-building mechanic, where players could copy and paste objects like doors and candlesticks to design custom dungeons. The concept, referred to as “edit dungeon,” was meant to give players more creative freedom within the familiar Zelda framework.
This early idea resonated with fans who have long wanted a “Zelda Maker,” but the project was never intended to mimic the creation and sharing model of Super Mario Maker. Instead, the dungeon creation feature was to be integrated into a traditional Zelda adventure, where players would gather objects from their journey and use them to create dungeons in a designated area of the game.
As the concept developed, it became clear that the focus was more on integrating creativity within the main game rather than making dungeon creation the sole focus.
However, after a year of development, series producer Eiji Aonuma decided to shift the game’s direction. He acknowledged that while the dungeon-building mechanics were fun, he saw the potential for a new gameplay concept that would better serve the game’s overall vision.
Aonuma suggested pivoting away from dungeon creation and focusing on what would become the core mechanic: echoes. These echoes were objects and creatures that players could summon during gameplay to fight enemies or solve puzzles, adding a new layer of interactivity.
Aonuma’s decision to steer the game in this new direction took time to solidify. He explained that while the development team was working on dungeon creation, he was already thinking of other possibilities.
Like Shigeru Miyamoto’s famous approach to game development, Aonuma wanted to see how the dungeon creation feature played out before making a significant change. Ultimately, the echoes concept seemed more innovative and offered a fresh way for players to interact with the Zelda world, beyond simply building dungeons.
The team at Nintendo, including Grezzo, embraced this change. Tomomi Sano, the game’s director, reflected that while creating dungeons was enjoyable, the echoes mechanic, which allowed players to copy and use objects in different parts of the game, was even more exciting.
This shift marked a major evolution in the game’s design, and the echoes mechanic became the defining feature of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, offering players a novel gameplay experience.
