Summary
After countless rumors, leaks, and persistent fan requests,The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomhas finally been announced, featuring none other than the titular princess herself as the main playable character. After Link is whisked away and goes missing inZelda: Echoes of Wisdom, it is then up to Zelda to save her kingdom from the forces behind the strange rifts appearing throughout the land.
AlmosteveryLegend of Zeldagame manifests a different version of Hyrule, and it’s all due to the series' complex timeline. As Link is continuously reincarnated, he is generally placed in a separate version of Hyrule than before, and it’s likelyThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomwill be no different. That being said, someZeldagames have been known to take place in the same Hyrule, likeZelda: Ocarina of TimeandZelda: Twilight Princess, for example, and the confirmation of three enemies inZelda: Echoes of Wisdommay have already confirmed which version of Hyrule it will take place in.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Could Be Set in Zelda: Ocarina of Time’s Hyrule
Three Confirmed Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Enemies Suggest It Could Share Zelda: Ocarina of Time’s Setting
In its announcement trailer alone,The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomhas already been confirmed to feature a wide variety of iconic enemies from across the series. This is not uncommon for a newLegend of Zeldagame, as the franchise is known for justifiably recycling material on account of its premise. At the same time, not all enemies appear ineveryLegend of Zeldainstallment, with some restricted more than others to particular timelines.
While it’s entirely possibleThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomcould be set in any other version of Hyrule, three of its confirmed enemies seem to suggest a connection toZelda: Ocarina of Time’s Hyrule— specifically, the Lizalfos, ReDead, and Walltula. These three enemies have appeared in several differentLegend of Zeldainstallments, but have only ever appeared simultaneously inZelda: Ocarina of Time. As such,Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomcould be set inZelda: Ocarina of Time’s Hyrule.
Ultimately, this would come down toZelda: Echoes of Wisdomtaking place in the same timeline asZelda: Ocarina of Time, which is probable considering the split in the timeline caused by Zelda’s actions at its conclusion. It could be thatZelda: Echoes of Wisdomtakes place duringThe Legend of Zelda’s Child Timeline, which includesZelda: Majora’s MaskandZelda: Twilight Princess —both of which happen to feature Walltula, and ReDead and Lizalfos, respectively.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Could Also Be Set in Another Game’s Hyrule or Its Own
If the simultaneous appearance of these three enemies ends up being nothing more than a mere coincidence, it would mean thatThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomis set in its own version of Hyrule. On the other hand,Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s art stylecould also confirm its placement in the Downfall Timeline, which sees Link defeated at the end ofZelda: Ocarina of Timeand eventually leads toZelda: Link’s Awakening.
AsZelda: Echoes of Wisdomseems to have copied the art style of theZelda: Link’s Awakeningremake, the two could be connected in that sense. At the same, this could all be trivial information and result in no significant revelations.
It’s impossible to know currently whereThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomwill fall inThe Legend of Zelda’s timeline, but the appearance of the Lizalfos, ReDead, and Walltula seems to suggest it will take place during the Child Timeline, possibly after the events ofZelda: Twilight Princess. In any case, fans who have been requesting Zelda as a main playable character should be pleased enough to enjoy that much inZelda: Echoes of Wisdomwhen it launches in September 2024.
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!
