- Joined
- Jan 3, 2016
- Location
- Missouri, USA
With the 30th Anniversary right around the corner on February 21st, I've been thinking a lot about the LoZ lately. I'm sure many of you have played Super Mario Maker and have wondered if Nintendo will create a LoZ Maker. I know there's a great fan created 'Zelda Maker' game, but I truly hope that the big N will make an official entry in the series. SMM is awesome, and I know that with careful planning and a creative team, Nintendo can do this.
Super Mario Maker producer, Takashi Tezuka, stated that creating a Zelda themed Maker game will most likely not be developed any time soon, but I believe that if fans show strong support of such a game, Nintendo will be much more likely to create it.
So, in that hope, I've created a friendly petition to request that Nintendo create a Legend of Zelda
themed video game in the 'Maker' series. I hope you will join me in this request, and help spread the word! By signing this petition, you are showing your support for the creation, and/or purchase, of such a game.
_______________________________________________________
Please join in and brainstorm with us.
Below, I am typing up some of the best ideas from the community about what such a game might look like. It would be awesome to see mock-up images of what you think the game might look like too! I'll update the info below to include the best ideas from the community as we go along.
SUPER MARIO MAKER vs ZELDA DUNGEON MAKER:
Since the only game currently available in the 'Maker' series is SMM, it's understandable that we all immediately start to think about ZDM in that same context and come up with a multitude of reasons that this might not work. However, I think it's very important to realize that ZDM would not be created using the exact same framework that SMM uses. Just as Super Mario Bros and The Legend of Zelda are both unique series, SMM and ZDM would be rather different as well. So, as we brainstorm ZDM, try not to get too caught up with the limitations based off what SMM is.
MAKER vs DUNGEON MAKER:
The single biggest possible complication with a 'Zelda Maker' is the massive scope of developing an entire Overworld, complete with a whole series of unique dungeons. The amount of time and effort that would be required to create a high quality design of that magnitude is most likely well beyond what the majority of gamers would want to invest. Thus, I think the most realistic option is creating a game where, just like in Super Mario Maker, we design a single Level/Dungeon that is totally independent of all other Levels/Dungeons. This actually becomes a fun limitation when you realize that the creator is then not only able to design the Dungeon itself, but also dictate the available equipment that the player both starts with and is able to find in each Dungeon. The player cannot take equipment from one Dungeon to the next, so this allows for even greater creative opportunities - no sword challenge, anyone?
YOU CONTROL THE LENGTH OF THE DUNGEON YOU DESIGN AND PLAY:
Some people have voiced concerns that a single dungeon would both take too long to design and take too long to play through for most people's attention spans. Many SMM levels only take a few minutes to blaze through, and a dungeon/level in ZDM could take much longer. So, taking that into consideration, I think an important feature that could really help make this game work would be the ability to select the number of rooms that your dungeon will be both as the dungeon designer AND as a player who will be playing through the dungeons. So perhaps you literally just want to create a single room dungeon. Perhaps as a player, you just want to play for 5 mins instead of 20 mins so you pick a two room dungeon to play through. This would allow both creators and players to select the amount of time they invest and thus greatly increase their enjoyment of the experience of playing the game. Those who want to create or play through a small dungeon can do so, and those who wish to create or play through a large dungeon can do that too. Everyone wins. You'd never get thrown into a longer quest than what you asked for.
Another fun idea is having some sort of "Challenge Mode" where you play through a randomly generated dungeon that is made up of various singular rooms that different people have designed. So you'd never know what kind of challenge the next room would present you as it was created by a different architect. Or perhaps you could add rooms that others have designed to your own dungeon to allow you to create a dungeon much faster than you'd be able to create by yourself.
WHAT GAMES TO INCLUDE:
Although having 3D Zelda games would be incredible in a 'Maker' game, I think realistically we have to stick with 2D for now. With the multitude of 2D and pseudo 2D games, there are many choices though. I'm sure there will be challenges to using some of them, but many of the titles have great cross-over potential.
Here are some of the possible options:
- The Legend of Zelda (NES)
- Link's Awakening/DX (GB/GBC)
- Oracle of Ages/Seasons (GBC)
- A Link to the Past (SNES)
- Four Swords Adventures (GC)
- The Minish Cap (GBA)
- A Link Between Worlds (3DS)
- BRAND NEW GRAPHICS using current gen capabilities?
CROSSOVER GAMEPLAY ELEMENTS:
As some have asked, I think it's a must that elements from the various Zelda games can be combined into the dungeon you create. So if you want some LoZ and LoZ:A Link to the Past and some LoZ: Oracle of Ages you can do it. This would allow for all kinds of new experiences that were never possible in the original singular games. The opportunities are endless.
MULTI-PLAYER MODE:
Yes, playing as Link is fun, but what if you could also play as the various enemies in the dungeon and go head to head with Link? How about three Darknuts vs Link? This is almost an entirely different experience in and of itself, but I think could be something really fun if well thought out and programmed.
SECRETS/EXTRA/DLC:
Once the basic game engine is in place, it's exciting to think about all the extra additions that could be implemented. Here are a few random things I've thought up.
- In honor of the 30th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda (Feb 2016), create 8-bit Amiibo of Link, Zelda, the Old Man, etc. These then allow you to play as Zelda, the Old Man, (the
Fairy?) etc in game.
- Scan select Amiibo to play as that character. (Mario in a Zelda game anyone?)
- Vote for what the newest updates will include. The most popular choices
get implemented. This is a great opportunity for community involvement
and to strengthen the relationship between Nintendo and their fans.
Personally, I think the opportunities are endless, and the game could easily become a beloved classic.
Thanks for your support, and for reading! Please help spread the word, and hopefully we'll be playing "The Legend of Zelda: Dungeon Maker" sometime soon
All the best,
Platinumfungi
Last edited: