Canceled Nintendo game would have mashed Zelda with Final Fantasy Tactics

techradar.com:

Metroid Prime developer Retro Studios wanted to make a Zelda game in the style of Final Fantasy Tactics, but the idea was shot down by Nintendo before development could begin in earnest.

Developed in 2004, Heroes of Hyrule was described by Retro Studios in an internal pitch document as “a story-driven game of exploration, puzzle-solving, and strategic combat in the Zelda universe.” Designed for the Nintendo DS, it was intended to “appeal to fans of games such as previous Zelda titles and Final Fantasy Tactics”.

Gameplay and story details about the canceled game were recently revealed by YouTube channel Did You Know Gaming?, which acquired the game’s full 22-page pitch document from former Retro employees. 

Heroes of Hyrule would have mixed the turn-based combat of Final Fantasy Tactics with the traditional adventure gameplay of the Zelda series. Players would have fought groups of enemies in discrete tactical combat encounters, in between solving puzzles across an open world.

Much of the Heroes of Hyrule would have taken place 100 years ago, and followed Link as he teamed up with three original characters – Dunar the Goron, Seriph the Rito, and Krel the Zora – to stop Ganon. Aping the strategic RPG gameplay of Final Fantasy Tactics, the four heroes would have boasted distinct weapons, combat abilities and playstyles. While there would be no XP or leveling system, you’d amass armor, weapons, and heart pieces to improve your character’s stats.

Puzzle-solving would have been given a large focus, too. Progressing through the quest, you’d gradually acquire new items with which to solve puzzles and reveal new, previously locked areas, much in the same way Samus acquires new items to unlock areas in Metroid.

In between adventuring