Some Zelda fans dream of having a very special game that would be inspired by another license, but this idea was destroyed by Nintendo. This could hurt a lot of players.
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has clearly made an impression in this year 2023 rich in big releases. It was one of the most anticipated titles, and we can say that it did not disappoint. Among its big strengths, we find in particular the creative aspect which requires players to be ingenious in their constructions. As a result, some fans wondered if a game purely focused on creation would see the light of day. Don’t get your hopes too high.
A Zelda Maker? It’s not about to happen
What we mean by that is a title in the franchise that would take the same form as Mario Maker. We could give free rein to our creativity by shaping levels and offering them to the community. In itself, this is already the case in Tears of the Kingdom, without the multiplayer aspect. We exaggerate a little, but to overcome certain challenges, you really have to be inventive and at this level, there are almost no limits. Hence the success of this new opus. Unfortunately, you shouldn’t expect to see a Zelda Maker coming.
Indeed, in an interview for Polygon, Eiji Aonuma, the producer of the latest game in the series to date, returned to this question. In fact, he obviously doesn’t want to impose a Zelda experience where you absolutely have to be creative. For good reason, it doesn’t necessarily appeal to everyone. There are players who don’t want to bother with that. Therefore, Nintendo prefers to leave this as an option made available to us. If his words risk disappointing people, we can understand the fact that he does not want to sideline anyone.
When we create a game like Tears of the Kingdom, it’s important to not make creativity an obligation. Instead, we put elements into the game that encourage people to be creative, and we give them the opportunity to be creative, without ever forcing them.
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 been doing a series of interviews, and this is not the first time that he has “shattered dreams”. In response to fans who wanted to see a Zelda like those of the time, he explained that it was surely nostalgia speaking. His explanation doesn’t stop there, and you can find it below. But one thing is certain, we are not ready to see a more linear game of the license again. Sometimes you have to know how to turn the page and look towards the future.
It’s interesting when I hear people say [ils veulent plus de Zelda linéaire] because I wonder: “ why do you want to go back to a type of game where you are more limited or more restricted in how you can play? “. But I understand this desire we have for nostalgia. So I can also understand it by looking at it from this angle. “.