How Would Warren Spector Design a Zelda Game?

If Warren Spector was given the reins of a game in the Legend of Zelda universe, it would be all about telling your story.

Imagine that you are in some kind of parallel universe where the man behind Deus Ex and the upcoming Epic Mickey was able to design a game set in Nintendo’s seminal fantasy universe, the Kingdom of Hyrule. Warren Spector was asked how he would design a Legend of Zelda game, his wheels immediately began spinning and smoke blew out of his ears as he tackled the design challenge.

“I would have to find some way to allow Link to be Link and have his personality but also allow the player to express himself, and if I couldn’t do that then I couldn’t do the project,” Spector told UK Nintendo magazine, Ngamer. “We’d be sitting here talking about the ways in which choice and consequence play out within a Zelda game and how play style matters in a Zelda game.”

The idea of player choice as they progress through a game is very important to Spector and that would continue to inform his design with a Zelda game. “Every game I’ve done, I see it very much as a progression on a specific path. Every game I’ve made, I’ve tried to find a different way or a better way for players to power their own experiences. I want players telling their story, not listening to mine,” Spector said.

The generally railroaded story-telling of the Zelda franchise might offer some challenges for this open-ended style of game, but Spector was confident that he’d be able to make it work. “Actually, as I’m sitting here talking about it, I’m starting to get some ideas about how to do it,” he said.

So is it true? Was Spector offered the next Zelda? Well, no. “Well, they probably wouldn’t [give me the reins], let’s start with that!”

Well, at least he can focus on that Duck Tales game now.

Source: CVG