Summary
There have not been a lot of full-on remakes in theZeldafranchise. There’s been a ton of remasters though includingThe Legend of Zelda: The Wind WakerandThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakeningis a special case then when it was remade in 2019.
It is significant that a remake likeThe Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakeningwould influence a new game likeThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. While it may not seem like the two share a lot initially, there are quite a few nods toThe Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakeningin the trailer forThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomso far. Let’s go through the biggest ideas.
6The Art Style
In A World Of Toys
The remake ofThe Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakeningwas such a treat thanks to the art style. It was like players were in a world of toys as characters had a plastic sheen to them. This was hot onthe heels of Amiibobeing a big thing for Nintendo, so the idea of toys was certainly on their mind.
WhileThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomis not a direct sequel to that game, it does borrow the remake’s unique art style. Hopefully, Nintendo will surprise fans by releasing an Amiibo of Zelda alongside the game’s release to further tie into the idea of playing with toys. Also, it would be great for Nintendo to green-light more franchises in this art style fromMariotoMetroid.
5A New Game From The Top-Down Perspective
It’s Been A While
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakeningwas in 2019, so that is technically the last time theZeldafranchise went top-down. That was a remake though so for some fans that doesn’t count. The last true release was almost a decade ago via 2015’sThe Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes.
In that game, players could assume the role of one of three Links who would work together to solve puzzles.Multiplayer was definitely the focus for thisZeldaspinoffwhich turned out well.The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomis more in line with the mainline franchise even though it is smaller in scale and stars Zelda instead of Link. Either way, getting a new top-down entry is going to make a lot of fans happy.
4Returning Enemies
From Crows To Moblins
Tons of classic enemies have appeared throughout the series sinceThe Legend of Zeldawas released in Japan in 1986.The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakeningput a fun spin on some of these enemies and some are even exclusive to the game. It seems likeThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomis borrowing a few of them based on the first trailer.
At one point Zelda can be shown luring Crows to their doom via a piece of meat. Various Moblins are running around the overworld. Underwater, players can see Piranhas and Sea Urchins waiting to harm Zelda. What theThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomtrailer doesn’t show are enemies fromtheMarioserieslike Goombas or Chain Chomps. Those examples were present inThe Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, so it would be fun to have more Mario cameos like those examples or Koopa Troopas.
3That “Tada” Moment
Even Boxes Can Be Wondrous
It would be weird to release a Zelda game without the triumphant jingle that happens whenever players open a chest or receive an item. Even a few of theZeldagames chime in with the music when finding dropped materials from enemies like Rupees.The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Swordwas a big offender of that which was mostly fixed in the remaster.
So, Zelda getting that “tada” moment in the trailer forThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomseveral times shouldn’t be that surprising. It’s still funny to see that chime happen when Zelda grabs an Echo for a normal table or box. These are the opposite types of items that should fill Zelda with glee. It will be fun to see how many Echoes will appear in the final game as the producer, Eiji Aonuma, even says in the trailer that he doesn’t know.
2Going Into 2D
Few Zelda Games Have Done It
TheZeldaserieshas had an interesting history with the 2D perspective. At first, it was a big part of it.Zelda II: The Adventure of Linkwas mostly in 2D with the overworld being the only top-down portion. InThe Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, some of the smaller dungeons had 2D segments.
By those examples, it is easy to see at one point Nintendo cared about 2D a lot in theZeldafranchise. Then it went away untilThe Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worldswhich sort of had 2D segments when Link turned into a painting. This is all to say that it is exciting to see a new game decades later with 2D segments viaThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. In the trailer, Zelda can be seen in 2D underwater and climbing around a spider-filled cavern.
1Link’s Design
How Much Will He Be In It?
There are a lot of things that tieThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomspiritually toThe Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. From the aforementioned art style to the 2D segments which could be seen as homages. Link’s design is the only thing that feels like a direct nod to the remake ofThe Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening.
Link changes his appearance throughout theZeldaseries. He usually wears green, but his duds are slightly altered every time. It keeps Link and theZeldafranchise feeling fresh. Seeing Link designed the same inThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of WisdomasThe Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakeningis a treat though. Is there a relevant reason why? Only time can tell.
