When Nintendo released Super Mario Maker, many pondered what the company could do next with the formula. Turns out, it was Super Mario Maker 2 and not 'Zelda Maker', which was high on people's wish lists.
If you were one of those disappointed individuals, then you might be interested to learn that indie studio Firechick is releasing Super Dungeon Maker on Switch, which is described as "Zelda meets Super Mario Maker" in its associated press materials. It won the “Best Family Game” Award at Gamescom 2021, which bodes well for its overall quality.
The game sees you creating your own dungeons which can be shared with the wider community. You can add as many levels, enemies items and bosses as you wish, and when you're done creating, you can dig into the dungeons crafted by other players (just like Super Mario Maker, in fact).
Here's some PR:
While Super Dungeon Maker doesn’t sport a “traditional” single-player campaign, its story goes like this: long ago, when the bird goddess created the land, she left behind mysterious eggs containing magical artifacts that her disciples would use to enrich their lives for generations. To honor and protect these artifacts, the ancient birds built great temples and dungeons. Over time, the knowledge of the artifacts was lost; however, new generations carried on the tradition of building new dungeons and exploring old ones. In the game, you’ll take on the role of Fink, a small yet brave chicken whose courage instills in them the honorable task of clearing dungeons and creating new ones — should the occasion call for it.
+ DM Extraordinaire: In the dungeon, your creative prowess is limitless; place as many enemies, floors, secret paths, perilous traps, special items, and hidden objects as your heart desires. Just remember: the reward makes it worthwhile, but the challenge is what keeps them coming back.
+ A Dungeon of Pure Imagination: With so many ways to customize dungeons, there’s no telling where you’ll get swept off to! Careful dungeon design means not only well-placed traps and enemies, but enchanting environments, too! Choose between dungeon biomes like forest, desert, and castle — or even complex combinations of them all!
+ Accessible Adventuring: Unlike other level editors and sandbox games with significant learning curves, Super Dungeon Maker is optimized for both controller and mouse + keyboard play, making it easy for anyone of any skill level to jump in and start creating. Its simplistic UI and easy-to-learn instructions make Super Dungeon Maker an easy choice for fledgling creators and pro designers alike.
+ Dungeons Anonymous: Once you’ve unleashed your deadly dungeons upon the world, it’s advised to collect feedback from your victims…erm…players…in order to perfect them and keep them of the highest quality. Earn a reputation and keep adventurers coming back to your divine creations!
Super Dungeon Maker arrives on Steam Early Access on February 15th and is coming to Switch later this year.
Comments (33)
I am kinda expecting Zelda Maker to be announced tomorrow. It will really be a missed opportunity, particularly with the 35th anniversary, if they don't.
Sounds great on paper. I sure hope it's great, because this is right up my alley.
Looks fantastic, but I am not creative. If there's a solid single-player (probably not) I am in.
Gotta get in before Zelda Maker comes out.
I don't know, I LOVE Zelda.
I was playing Skyward Sword this morning thinking just how much better it is on Switch.
...and what I love about Zelda is the exploration - it is the puzzles. It is doing something new and seeing something new. I STRUGGLE to go back to Zelda's I've played even though I LOVE Zelda more than any other series.
I fear a Zelda-maker misses the point of Zelda. It ends up losing the fun of puzzling b/c all the puzzles are the same and it loses the fun of exploration b/c it all looks like what you've done before.
That is what made 4 Swords (on mobile) a just ok game, and TriForce Heroes had the same been there, done that feel (in part b/c it was built on replay).
I just don't think Zelda is a good fit for the 'maker' series.
@cyrus_zuo You underestimate the creativity of Nintendo fans. I guarantee you there would be at least one, but probably hundreds, of Zelda dungeons made that would use the mechanics in different and probably challenging ways.
@Kiz3000 I don't see how a Zelda dungeon maker would be fun in itself like Mario Maker is. Mario is all about the immediate actions being fun, the jumping, running, all that stuff. Zelda is more linked with the whole extrinsic experience (outside dungeons) adding extra value to the dungeon content. A Zelda maker would have very limited appeal.
@cyrus_zuo
100% agree with you
Yes, but why does the player character have to look strangely unappealing? I encounter this feeling with at least 70% of all indie titles I see.
So one did happen after all...there was a game a long time ago coming out that was basically this, but they kept changing things and ended up not being a "maker" at all. Can't remember the name of it...anyways I'll keep an eye on this. I hope Nintendo keeps doing their own Maker games though, and not just Mario.
@Ulysses And AAA characters look special and appealing? They rarely look distinct. Great character design is very very difficult and it is not an exact science.
@Ulysses You would think with a maker game there'd be some player customization and not be stuck as a wonky chicken, but who knows.
@Troll_Decimator It isn't an implicit comparison to AAA, but you are right. Great character design is indeed very difficult, even with more creative freedom as an indie title.
Played the demo on Steam, it’s pretty good. It will probably shine on Switch!
Reminds me of Zelda Classic
I'm digging the art style, actually. I'll keep my eye on it and wait for the reviews.
If I remember correctly, the first Zelda was originally supposed to be about making dungeons and sharing them with your friends. So this is cool.
@Troll_Decimator some people can handle their entertainment in larger than bite sized portions.
@PoliticallyIncorrect If you have the chance you´re invited to try out our free Prologue, right now it is availabe on Steam and you can have a look on our work. We can´t wait to release on Nindento Switch©️ 💙
@Henmii Don´t worry you can play all dungeons which the Community created. In our Prologue are already 800 of them.
@moodycat Maybe you want to trty out our free Prologue on Steam and have a look on what we are doing and how we are working? Would be awesome to get a feedback💙
@Dizavid Some people also have no idea about game design and what works and what doesn't.
This is what the Dungeon Builder in the Link's Awakening remake should've been. I'll keep my eyes on it!
Same thing different day. Add in Nintendo games to the description and mislead your followers...then in a few months give it a 3 out of 10.
Hopefully this is a lot better than the pseudo-dungeon maker they included in Zelda Links Awakening. It didn't work well, and felt like a chore when trying to complete the game.
Looks fun but I hate the graphics.
I like pixel art but this looks weird. The sprites has so many pixels and there is so many colours on the screen that it looks like an Indie game rather than a retro style title.
at this point it would look better with hi-res sprites.
@roka_Flo
can I do that without a Nintendo-online subscription? Otherwise its a no-go for me. Either way, I was more looking for a campaign made by yourselves, the developers. You know: Dungeons, a overworld, a story.
@Henmii There is no single player campaigne yet. We have to check the point with the online subscribtion ( we are at the beginning regarding SDM on Nintendo Switch©️) but we will share more information asap. We have some dungeons which are made by us, so player can have a look what awaits them before playing the dungeons of the community.
@DaniPooo It is indeed an indie game , just 2 Devs
@LikwidYoshi Well this is why we came up with Super Dungeon Maker.
@SteveDaSteve Thank you so much 💕
@roka_Flo
thanks for the answers!
@roka_Flo I know it's an indie game But I personally don't enjoy the look of it. Gameplay looks fun though
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