Summary
Among the many exciting reveals and announcements featured in the recent Nintendo Direct wasThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, a brand-new, top-downZeldagame that looks to be taking an interesting approach to both gameplay and story. Notably,Echoes of Wisdomwill star Zelda as a playable character—something that fans of the series have been asking for for decades at this point.
Zelda’s role as a proper protagonist isn’t the only reason players are excited forZelda: Echoes of Wisdom, though. Though it takes some clear cues from the art design of the 2019Link’s Awakeningremake,Echoes of Wisdomis far from a retread of old ideas. Instead, it aims to experiment with theZeldaformula, ostensibly taking a more freeform, emergent approach to puzzle-solving, combat, and open-world discovery. The game seems very supportive of player creativity, while still retaining the sense of exploration, whimsy, and charm that characterizes most top-downZeldagames.
Zelda’s ability to reinvent itselfis perhaps its greatest achievement as a franchise, and a major part of why it has remained relevant for so long.Echoes of Wisdomseems to be continuing this tradition.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Could Be the Best of Modern and Classic Zelda
What Echoes of Wisdom Takes from Old-School Zelda
GivenEchoes of Wisdom’s strikingly familiar art style, one could be forgiven for thinking that it’s another remake in the vein ofLink’s Awakening. Beyond its neo-retro presentation, there’s also good reason to believe thatEchoes of Wisdom’sHyrule is the same as the one inA Link to the PastandA Link Between Worlds, the classicZeldaduology for the SNES and 3DS, respectively.
Considering that Nintendo waited more than two decades to release a sequel toA Link to the Past, it’s possible thatEchoes of Wisdomis yet another entry in thisZeldatimeline, picking up where 2013’sA Link Between Worldsleft off. Even if this map similarity is only skin-deep, it’s indicative of the old-school spirit thatEchoes of Wisdomis imbued with, as the game’s sandbox world seems to have a lot more in common withclassic top-downZeldagamesthan the sweeping enormity of something likeBreath of the Wild.
Echoes of Wisdom Is Incorporating Modern Zelda Elements Too
For as much as it seems to have in common with classicZeldaon the presentation and structural fronts,Echoes of Wisdomis shaping up to be on the cutting-edge mechanically. Its most exciting new mechanic is the Tri Rod system, which feels like anevolution ofTears of the Kingdom’s Ultrahand abilityin some ways. With the Tri Rod, Zelda can copy various in-game objects and replicate them wherever she pleases, opening the door to an incredible degree of puzzle-solving freedom. The Tri Rod can even copy enemy NPCs, completely reframingZeldacombat, folding enemy encounters into a broader puzzle-solving framework and rewarding players for cleverness more than reaction time or button skill.
Needless to say, this is a radical departure from the traditionalZeldaformula. Philosophically, it may be likened toBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom, both of which take a similarly open-ended approach to puzzle design; very few, if any, of the puzzles in those games have a single correct solution. These types of puzzles may very well be a staple of modernZelda, as they stand in stark contrast to the single-solution, binary puzzles of the series' past. So, in this way,Echoes of Wisdomis in line with modernZeldagames, while still hearkening back to an older era of the franchise. Most importantly,Echoes of Wisdomis making huge strides of its own, which will hopefully allow it to have one foot in the present and one in the past, but with its eye trained on the future.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
WHERE TO PLAY
Save Hyrule—this time with the wisdom of Princess Zelda!The people of Hyrule are being stolen away by strange rifts—and with a certain swordsman among the missing, it’s up to Princess Zelda to save her kingdom in the latest adventure in The Legend of Zelda™ series!Team up with the ethereal creature Tri and use the Tri Rod to create “echoes,” which are imitations of things you find in the environment—then recreate those echoes whenever you like to solve puzzles and defeat enemies. Use echoes like water blocks to reach new heights, make bridges out of old beds, throw rocks at foes, or find your own combination of echoes to do things your way. You can even make echoes of monsters to fight at your side in combat!
