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

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom ushers in a new era for the franchise, marking the debut of its first female director, Tomomi Sano. This article delves into Sano's journey and the game's unique development process.

Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom: An Inside Look at Nintendo's Ask the Developer Interview

Tomomi Sano: Pioneering a New Chapter in Zelda History

Renowned for its intricate narratives and labyrinthine dungeons, the Legend of Zelda series reaches a pivotal moment with Echoes of Wisdom. Nintendo's recent Ask the Developer interview highlighted two groundbreaking aspects: Princess Zelda's starring role and Sano's position as the series' first female director.

Sano, in her interview, shared her path to directing, highlighting her prior contributions to Grezzo's remakes (Ocarina of Time 3D, Majora's Mask 3D, Link's Awakening, and Twilight Princess HD) and the Mario & Luigi series. She described her previous role as coordinating production, suggesting improvements, and ensuring gameplay aligned with Zelda's established style. Producer Eiji Aonuma noted her consistent involvement in Grezzo's Zelda remake projects.

With a career spanning over two decades, starting with Tekken 3 in 1998, Sano's experience extends across various Nintendo titles, including Kururin Squash!, Mario Party 6, and several Mario sports games.

Echoes of Wisdom's Genesis: From Dungeon Maker to Innovative Adventure

Echoes of Wisdom's origins trace back to the 2019 Link's Awakening remake. Aonuma tasked Grezzo with leveraging their top-down Zelda expertise to shape the franchise's future. Initially envisioned as another remake, Grezzo proposed a bold alternative: a Zelda dungeon maker.

Responding to Aonuma's prompt ("What kind of game would you like to make next?"), Grezzo presented multiple concepts. The winning idea, while similar to the final product, underwent significant evolution. Early prototypes included a "copy-and-paste" mechanic and a blend of top-down and side-view perspectives.

Satoshi Terada of Grezzo explained the "edit dungeon" concept, where players could create dungeons by copying and pasting objects.

Grezzo spent over a year developing this dungeon creation mechanic before Aonuma intervened, significantly altering the game's direction. While appreciating the initial ideas, Aonuma saw greater potential in using copied items as tools within pre-designed dungeons rather than for creation.

Sano illustrated this shift using the Thwomp enemy from Link's Awakening, demonstrating how its functionality could be adapted between top-down and side-view perspectives.

Initially, the team grappled with restricting Echo usage to prevent exploitation, but ultimately removed these limitations, embracing a playful, unconventional approach. Aonuma emphasized the importance of "mischief," encouraging creative and unexpected gameplay solutions. This philosophy guided the inclusion of elements like unpredictable spike rollers.

A document outlining the principles of "mischief" guided development, emphasizing freedom and ingenuity. Three key rules emerged: the ability to paste items freely, solving puzzles with unconventional methods, and embracing solutions that felt almost like "cheating."

Aonuma compared this approach to the Myahm Agana Shrine in Breath of the Wild, highlighting the enjoyment derived from unconventional solutions.

Launching September 26th on 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.