Echoes of Wisdom Was Almost Mario Maker Meets Legend of Zelda

If you’re an avid fan of spending hours crafting your own stages in titles like Super Mario Maker or Super Meat Boy, one of the original pitches for the upcoming Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom might’ve been the ideal game for you, as it would scratch that same itch.

During the latest Ask the Developer article on Nintendo’s official website, we had the chance to see a bit more into the development of this year’s Zelda title. It features Princess Zelda herself as the protagonist during her adventure to save Link by using the power of the Tri Rod, allowing her to copy objects and creatures she finds along the way as Echoes which help her during the journey.

Grezzo Studio’s Director Satoshi Terada mentions how he originally asked his team for ideas for the game, as it was the first time Grezzo was working on a brand-new Zelda title (they had only done remakes by then). And it turns out that the Echoes idea came from a different concept altogether.

“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 The Legend of Zelda gameplay,” cited Terada.

This would’ve made for a whole different game from what we’ve seen right now. If Tears of The Kingdom already gave players enough freedom to solve the same puzzle in dozens of ways, it’s almost impossible to know what people would come up with having the authority to make the dungeons. The idea was very well-received by the team, having approval from the series producer Eiji Aonuma himself.

Related: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Isn’t Cutting Corners When It Comes to Combat

However, he’s also responsible for, eventually, pushing the whole project in its final direction. “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,” he added. The concept was repurposed after a while, but the most curious thing is to know when it happened.

Some Very Late (But Precise) Changes

The final concept wasn’t introduced as early in development as you would’ve expected. When questioned, game director Tomomi Sano admitted that they were one year deep into making the game with the whole “edit dungeon” idea in mind when Aonuma suddenly came up with the “echoes” idea. But of course, that wasn’t done with ill intent.

“…There’s a reason it took a year to upend the tea table. After all, you can’t really see the potential for ideas to develop into solid gameplay until you can verify features and their feel, so I wanted them to try making it first,” affirmed Aonuma.

He went on to add how the “echoes” concept was only conceived thanks to him experiencing the “edit dungeon” iteration of the game beforehand, showing him the potential Echoes of Wisdom would have by using copies instead of Mario Maker-like mechanics. While more concerns appeared later (such as potential memory issues), the team was able to overcome them as the game took shape into what it is today.

Another curious thing to notice is how Aonuma mentioned “Link” being the playable character instead of Zelda, implying that the idea of her being the protagonist wasn’t in their initial plans either. But this ends up being one of the most interesting and welcoming changes in the game, and it’s also quite symbolic as Sano is the first woman to direct a mainline Zelda game. We still don’t have the faintest idea of where exactly the game falls into the timeline, but we’re sure that it’s there. Somewhere.

But even if Echoes of Wisdom wasn’t destined to be the series’ own Mario Maker title, the idea doesn’t seem half-bad at all. As it even had the approval of those deeply involved in the series, it wouldn’t be surprising to see such a title surfacing in the coming years. And I would definitely be down for trying it out if it ever comes out.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom releases on Sept. 26 for the Nintendo Switch.