Final Fantasy XIV’s Naoki Yoshida, also known as Yoshi-P, revealed that he was positively impressed by an incredibly underratedZeldagame that every fan should play.The legendary game director is best known for his work on the critically acclaimed MMORPG, but is also the producer behindFinal Fantasy 16. Even so, his main responsibilities revolve around the online game. Recently,Yoshi-P admittedFFXIVwas in declinewhen it came to the quality of the services provided by the MMORPG.
While theFinal Fantasyfranchise takes over the majority of his responsibilities,Yoshi-P has made mentions of other franchises that have had a part in his life. In a recent participation during 2025’s Anime Expo, the developer talked about howGundamhas influenced him and his relationship withNeon Genesis Evangelion. During the event,Yoshi-P talked aboutFFXIV’s communityand acknowledged that some barriers dividing gamers and anime fans need to be taken down, as there’s an evident overlap.
FFXIV’s Yoshi-P Believes Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom Is A Master Class In Game Development
The Game Reused Assets From Link’s Awakening, For Example
Now, in a recent interview with the Japanese outletFamitsu, which was reported byVice,Yoshi-P said he was impressed byZelda: Echoes of Wisdom, released in 2024, particularly when it came to game development. “I was particularly impressed with The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. […] from a producer’s perspective, there were many points that made me think ‘Wow, that’s amazing.’” He highlights how the game used resources from other games to reach a cost-effective product.
“The base resources in Echoes of Wisdom are almost the same as other Zelda games. But by focusing all of their efforts on the fun of the game, they also kept production costs to a minimum,” says Yoshi-P, aboutEchoes of Wisdom’s usage ofLink’s Awakening’s assets.FFXIV’s game director also tells aspiring game developers to playEchoes of Wisdomto gain a renewed perspective on the development process.
Why Every Zelda Fan Should Give Echoes Of Wisdom A Chance
The Game Has Great Scores
While Yoshi-P’s acknowledgment ofZelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s successes was cited from the perspective of a game developer, specifically, the standard it reached bled into the game’s overall quality. While it is not as popular as other titles in the series likeBreath of the WildorTears of the Kingdom,the game focused on Princess Zelda was well-received. It has an 85 Metascore and an 8.9 user score onMetacritic. InScreen Rant’s review ofZelda: Echoes of Wisdom, the title received a 9/10 score.
Screen Rantcited its dynamic gameplay options and the return to classic dungeons as some of its main qualities. While the game does suffer from some frame stuttering, the overall quality ofZelda: Echoes of Wisdomis superb, and that didn’t go unnoticed byFinal Fantasy XIV’s game director, Yoshi-P.
