They couldn’t call Super Dungeon Maker “Super Zelda Maker” for obvious reasons, but subtitling it Fink’s Awakening might still be a bit on the nose.
Sometimes an idea is so obvious, you wonder why it hasn’t been done already. Case in point: Super Dungeon Maker, from indie developer Firechick. It’s basically Super Mario Maker, but instead of making 2D platform levels out of Mario’s greatest hits, you make top-down, The Legend of Zelda-inspired dungeons.
Nobody is entirely sure why Nintendo hasn’t released a Zelda Maker yet, in spite of one basically existing for the 2D prototype of Breath of the Wild. So when Nintendo holds back, indie developers step in. (Getting as close to the knuckle as they can while not infringing copyright, usually.)
Super Dungeon Maker and its free prologue, Fink’s Awakening – yes, it really is subtitled that; Fink is the name of the chicken character who traverses your creations – does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s Super Zelda Maker in all but name. And that’s really all you need to know, right?
Oh, you would like to know more? Right. Fine. Here’s the launch trailer:
And here’s a snippet from the press release:
“Inspired by the artistic freedom offered by level editor titles such as Super Mario Maker, players will battle it out and explore limitless dungeons as Fink, a plucky yet heroic chick who’s tasked with navigating a near-infinite variety of treacherous dungeons designed by the vast (and growing!) creator community.”
Get creative, build dungeons, share with the community. It’s simple. Honestly, we’re being a bit glib, but Super Dungeon Maker does feel like it fills a neat little hole that Nintendo has left open, for reasons only Nintendo can explain.
Super Dungeon Maker is out now in Early Access via Steam but is expected to launch on Nintendo Switch “later this year”. That should put the cat Link among the pigeons chickens, were Nintendo to have any designs on an official Super Zelda Maker in the works.
Follow Thumbsticks on socials (Facebook! Twitter!) for more video game news. Be sure to check out our Discovery tag for more indie stuff you might not have heard of, and you could always buy the team a coffee, if you think we’re doing a good job.
