For years, Zelda fans have been asking for their own version of Super Mario Maker, which would let them create their own dungeons and share them online for others to play. However, Nintendo has yet to take greenlight such a project (well, to our knowledge at least), instead choosing to focus its attention elsewhere.
We have some good news, though, for those disappointed by this fact (via our friends at Nintendo Life), as now it appears that the publisher Apogee Entertainment and developer SkyDevilPalm have teamed up to create a viable alternative for fans, which does everything we want from a Zelda-like dungeon maker (albeit without the Zelda license attached).
Quest Master is a dungeon-crawler/builder featuring a Minish Cap-esque art style that is coming to both PC (via Steam) and Nintendo Switch. It lets you create your own themed dungeons with simple drag-and-drop controls, and then inhabit your creations with monsters and puzzles, and share the results online. You can even play with up to three friends in local co-op to explore other user-made dungeons and create your own.
Here's a description of the game taken from publisher Apogee:
"Craft a legendary journey from scratch with an intuitive level creator to make simple dungeons and overworld-connected quests in this faithful pixel art love letter to top-down action JRPG classics of yesteryear. Drag-and-drop dozens of themed design tiles onto a blank canvas to create lava-filled caverns, mountainous overworlds, grassy forests, desert dunes, and more. Provide instructions for the quest ahead or design an epic narrative full of placeable NPCs and customizable signs with a plethora of dialogue options.
When the masterpiece is complete, fearlessly charge into the world, ready to face belligerent bats, surly snakes, and nefarious skeletons. Keep enemies at a safe distance with a bow or bring them in for combat close with a precisely aimed hookshot. Master weapons and powerful magic, navigate user-created labyrinths, unlock doors and solve puzzles while defending against the dangers that lurk within. Guide progression with bodies of water and boulders that can only be traversed with a hammer or flippers.
The journey is as easy or as difficult as the creator wishes. Invent patience-testing experiences or entire quests with multiple biomes, bosses, and side missions. Place enemy spawn points in strategic locations to create challenging dungeons (that can lock upon entry!) before concocting the perfect puzzle with the ideal amount of flaming traps, levers, timed switches, and invisible chests.
Venture through bespoke labyrinths solo, or dungeon-crawl cooperatively with up to 3-player multiplayer sessions. Share created quests with others and try out worlds made by fellow designers online. Recreate classic levels from famous top-down action games of old, and craft adventures reminiscent of the 16-bit classics."
The game will be launching in Early Access in Q3 2023, with a release on Nintendo Switch scheduled for when the game hits 1.0 (which may take a while). We'll try and keep you updated when you can finally get your hands on it for either platform.