Some Zelda fans dream of having a very special game inspired by another license, but that idea was killed by Nintendo. This could harm many players.
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has clearly made an impact in this 2023, which is rich with major releases. It was one of the most anticipated titles and we can say that it did not disappoint. For us, one of its greatest strengths is the creative aspect, which requires players to be very inventive in their constructions. This left some fans wondering if a game focused solely on creation would see the light of day. Don’t get your hopes up too high.
A Zelda manufacturer? That will not happen
By this we mean a title in the franchise that would take the same form as Mario Maker. We could express our creativity by designing levels and offering them to the community. This is already the case in Tears of the Kingdom, without the multiplayer aspect. We’re exaggerating a little, but to overcome certain challenges you really have to be inventive and at this level there are hardly any limits. Hence the success of this new work. Unfortunately, don’t expect to see a Zelda Maker.
In fact, in an interview for Polygon, Eiji Aonuma, the producer of the latest game in the series, addressed this question. In fact, he clearly doesn’t want to impose a Zelda experience where you absolutely have to be creative. For good reason, it’s not necessarily for everyone. There are players who don’t want to deal with it. Nintendo therefore prefers to leave this as an option made available to us. If his words risk disappointing people, we can understand that he doesn’t want to leave anyone out.
When we’re making a game like Tears of the Kingdom, it’s important not to make creativity a liability. Instead, we incorporate elements into the game that encourage people to be creative, and we give them the opportunity to be creative without ever forcing them to.
There are people who love the ability to create things from scratch, but that’s not the case for everyone. I think everyone has to find their own way of playing a game.
A license that will not return to its origins
Recently, Eiji Aonuma has conducted a series of interviews, and this is not the first time he has “destroyed dreams.” In response to fans wanting to see a Zelda like back in the day, he explained that it was certainly nostalgia. His explanation doesn’t end here, you can find it below. However, one thing is certain: we are not ready to see a more linear game of the license again. Sometimes you need to know how to turn the page and look to the future.
It’s interesting when I hear people say [ils veulent plus de Zelda linéaire] because I ask myself: ” Why would you want to go back to a type of game where you are stronger or more limited in the way you can play? “. But I understand this desire for nostalgia. So I can also understand it when I look at it from that angle.”.
