Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom's Interview With Series' First Female Director

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom represents a landmark achievement, marking the franchise's first game helmed by a female director. This article delves into the insights shared by director Tomomi Sano and explores the game's unique developmental journey.

Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom – Developer Insights Unveiled

Meet Tomomi Sano, the Zelda Series' First Female Director

Renowned for its intricate narratives and labyrinthine dungeons, the Legend of Zelda series welcomes a new era with Echoes of Wisdom. Nintendo's recent "Ask the Developer" interview highlighted two pivotal aspects: Princess Zelda's debut as the playable protagonist and the series' first female director, Tomomi Sano.

Sano, in her interview, shared her journey, revealing her previous role as a support director. Her contributions to Grezzo's remakes – including Ocarina of Time 3D, Majora's Mask 3D, Link's Awakening, and Twilight Princess HD – along with her experience on the Mario & Luigi series, laid a solid foundation for her directorial debut.

"My role was to manage and coordinate production, suggest refinements, and verify that Grezzo's gameplay aligned with the Zelda series' established standards," Sano explained.

Series producer Eiji Aonuma noted Sano's consistent involvement in Grezzo's Zelda remake projects, highlighting her expertise and integral role.

Image from Nintendo's Ask the Developer Vol. 13 Sano's extensive two-decade career began in 1998 as a Stage Texture editor for Tekken 3. Her Nintendo journey includes contributions to Kururin Squash! and Mario Party 6, followed by various Zelda and Mario & Luigi titles, and even several Mario sports games.

Echoes of Wisdom's Genesis: A Zelda Dungeon Maker

The inspiration for Echoes of Wisdom stemmed from the success of the 2019 Link's Awakening remake. Aonuma tasked Grezzo with leveraging their top-down Zelda expertise to shape the franchise's future. While initially envisioned as another remake, Grezzo proposed a bold alternative: a Zelda dungeon maker.

Aonuma's simple query, "What kind of game would you create next?", yielded diverse proposals. The winning concept, while similar to the final product, underwent significant evolution. Early prototypes explored "copy-and-paste" mechanics and a combined top-down/side-view perspective.

Grezzo's Satoshi Terada described the experimental phase: "One approach involved Link copying and pasting objects to design dungeons. We called it 'edit dungeon' due to its player-created gameplay."

Grezzo dedicated over a year to the dungeon creation mechanic before Aonuma intervened, prompting a significant shift in direction. While appreciating the initial concepts, Aonuma saw greater potential in using copied items as tools within pre-designed adventures, rather than solely for dungeon creation.

Sano illustrated this shift: "For example, the Thwomp enemy from Link's Awakening, which falls and crushes objects in the side-view, could be copied and pasted into the top-down view, allowing players to utilize it for different actions."

Initially, the team grappled with imposing restrictions on item usage to prevent exploitation. However, they ultimately removed these limitations, embracing a philosophy of "mischief" and unconventional gameplay.

Aonuma emphasized the intention to create "out there" features, citing the unpredictable interactions of spike rollers as a key element. Sano further explained the team's "mischief" guidelines, which included the freedom to paste items anywhere, solve puzzles using unconventional methods, and utilize echoes in ingenious, almost "cheating" ways.

This emphasis on freedom and creativity aligns with the Zelda series' core values. Aonuma compared this "mischief" to the Myahm Agana Shrine in Breath of the Wild, where players could bypass obstacles using motion controls. The game embraces unconventional solutions, emphasizing that "If this kind of solution isn’t allowed, then it’s not fun."

Launching on September 26th for Nintendo Switch, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom presents an alternate timeline where Zelda embarks on a rescue mission amidst rifts tearing through Hyrule. For further details, explore our accompanying article.