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

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 the game's development, highlighting Sano's journey and the innovative gameplay mechanics.

Tomomi Sano: A Zelda Pioneer

Echoes of Wisdom is doubly historic: it features Princess Zelda as the playable protagonist and boasts the series' first female director. Sano, in a Nintendo interview, shared her path to this pivotal role. Before helming Echoes of Wisdom, she played a key supporting role in various Grezzo remake projects, including Ocarina of Time 3D, Majora's Mask 3D, Link's Awakening, and Twilight Princess HD, as well as contributing to the Mario & Luigi series. Her responsibilities included production management, suggesting improvements, and ensuring gameplay consistency with Zelda standards. Series producer Eiji Aonuma highlighted her consistent involvement in Grezzo's Zelda remakes.

Sano's extensive career spans over two decades, beginning in 1998 as a Stage Texture editor for Tekken 3. Her Nintendo credits include Kururin Squash! and Mario Party 6, and she's also contributed to various Zelda and Mario & Luigi titles, including several Mario sports games.

From Dungeon Maker to Epic Adventure

The genesis of Echoes of Wisdom lies in the success of the 2019 Link's Awakening remake. Grezzo, co-developers on Link's Awakening, were challenged to create a blueprint for future Zelda games. While initially considering another remake, they proposed a bold new concept: a Zelda dungeon maker.

Aonuma's simple question, "What kind of game would you like to make next?", yielded multiple proposals. The winning concept, while similar to the final game, underwent significant changes. Early prototypes explored "copy-and-paste" mechanics and a dual top-down/side-view perspective.

Grezzo spent over a year developing the dungeon creation mechanic. However, Aonuma's intervention, a "tea table upending" (Nintendo's term for a radical course correction), shifted the focus. While appreciating the initial ideas, he saw greater potential in using copied items as tools within a pre-designed adventure rather than for complete dungeon creation.

Sano explained how this mechanic works, using the example of the Thwomp enemy from Link's Awakening. Initially concerned about potential exploits, the team ultimately embraced the freedom, removing limitations and encouraging "mischievous" gameplay. A document was even created to define this "mischief," emphasizing creative and unconventional solutions. Key principles included unrestricted item placement, solving puzzles with unexpected objects, and ingenious uses of copied items.

Aonuma drew parallels to the Myahm Agana Shrine in Breath of the Wild, where unconventional solutions were encouraged. The focus was on the joy of discovery and clever problem-solving.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom launches September 26th on Nintendo Switch, presenting an alternate Hyrule where Zelda embarks on a rescue mission amidst dimensional rifts.