Super Mario Maker is looking better and better all the time, most recently thanks to the news that it will ship with a gasp-inducing 100 levels, as many as a full-fledged Mario platformer. And, of course, there’s the whole designing-your-own-levels thing. And playing other people’s levels. And being Nintendo’s Minecraft. But apparently some people wanted to know if we’d ever get a Zelda Maker. And they asked the producer of Super Mario Maker. And he was all like, umm no. Ain’t gonna happen.
Of Course There Won’t Be A Zelda Maker
Super Mario Maker makes a lot of sense. It’s based on the 2D Mario games, in four different styles—Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros 3, Super Mario World, and New Super Mario Bros. Those games are perfectly designed for a, well, level designer. They’re 2D, relatively linear, and have a select, if large, number of elements. They aren’t puzzle driven. And did I mention they’re 2D?
Zelda is dramatically more complex than Mario. Always has been, always will be. Most Zelda games are 3D nowadays anyway, putting them obviously beyond the bounds of an easily accessible, consumer-friendly level designing game. Even the 2D Zelda games are isometric 2D, top-down views, and Link has a far broader range of actions than Mario does. It just wouldn’t work.
Besides, The Legend of Zelda desn’t make sense thematically for a level designer. Except for spin-offs like Hyrule Warriors, which wasn’t even made by Nintendo, Zelda games have a certain… aura of seriousness about them. Mario games don’t have that. Link is in Mario Kart 8, but there isn’t a Zelda Kart and never will be. Heck, you’ll be able to play as Link in Super Mario Maker, if you have a Link Amiibo. But that’s the closest you’r eever going to get to Zelda Maker.
Honestly, I don’t want to call out the publication by name, but I can’t believe somebody asked Super Mario Maker producer Takashi Tezuka whether Zelda Maker would ever happen. Maybe their boss made them? Regardless here’s what Tezuka said: “Zelda Maker might be a challenge to make, I think. Personally, making Super Mario Maker that was a challenge in itself, and we hope that it's a success, so thank you for saying that, but I think that [Zelda Maker] might be a difficult task.”
Yea, that’s how Nintendo tells you your question is dumb. Super Mario Maker is going to be awesome, but that’ll be the end. It’s not going to extend to other series. It just won’t happen. But hey, Super Mario Maker will be cool!
