Final Fantasy 14 Director Shares Which Recent Game Made a Big Impression on Him

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So, I was digging into some game stuff the other day, and guess who popped up? The mastermind behind Final Fantasy 14, Naoki Yoshida—often called Yoshi-P. He was yakking about Zelda’s “Echoes of Wisdom” and had nothing but good vibes to share. This all went down after his stint at Anime Expo. Honestly, you’d think he’d be wiped from all his years in gaming, but nope, the guy’s still got it.

Now, Zelda fans have a mixed bag of favorites on the Switch. While “Echoes of Wisdom” got some applause from both the gaming community and reviewers, it’s kinda like that cool indie band that doesn’t get top billing. Fans usually drool over “Breath of the Wild” and “Tears of the Kingdom”—those games shook things up! Seriously, who saw that open-world craziness coming? But innovation comes with a price—like, literally. Those games took eons (in game dev years) and a mountain of cash to make.

Anyway—oh wait, yeah—back to Yoshi-P. He dropped some hints during a chat with Famitsu, casually mentioning how “Echoes of Wisdom” caught his eye. He was all jazzed up about its clever use of existing game stuff. It’s like, why reinvent the wheel when you can jazz up a skateboard, right? He thought it was a mix of both seasoned pros and bright-eyed rookies that made it shine.

So, here’s the twist—Yoshi-P thinks future game developers or those just dipping toes into the gaming waters should take a good look at “Echoes of Wisdom.” Why? It keeps the budget chill by recycling assets without banking on skyrocketing sales. Bold move, but maybe it’s genius in disguise.

Let’s be real, “Echoes of Wisdom” didn’t send every Nintendo fan running to the store, but it was a solid gameplay treat. And, fun fact, it answered some old fan prayers by letting Zelda steal the spotlight. From both a game creation angle and your casual gamer’s weekend binge, it did pretty well—2.58 million copies by September 2024. Not too shabby!

So, there it is—a bit scattered, maybe, but hopefully a splash of insight into Yoshi-P’s world and why “Echoes of Wisdom” deserves a nod.

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