Apparently the game was directed by Hidemaro Fujibayashi, the same guy who directed the Oracles and The Minish Cap. Funny, because I was just thinking how Lanayru Desert as a whole was chock-full of Oracle/Minish-esque ideas: Concentrated time travel puzzles (which also felt kind of seasonal at times), mine carts, pirate ships sailing through deserts, an item inspired by the gust jar... I don't know exactly how much directors contribute, but anyway. I thought it was cool. Those things were some of my favorite aspects of the game.