Summary
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomis making franchise history by being the first mainline entry in the series to feature Zelda herself in the role of protagonist. While the prospect of playing as the titular princess instead of Link is exciting on its own,The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomseems to be blending elements of the series' past, such as the top-down perspective and art style borrowed fromLink’s Awakeningon the Nintendo Switch, with new features such as Zelda’s Echo ability. In an effort to meld the old and the new,Echoes of Wisdomshould see the return of one underutilized character.
Fans of the N64 era of the franchise will likely rememberOcarina of Time’s big reveal that the mysterious Sheik, who helped guide Link on his journey, was Princess Zelda in disguise the whole time. This revelation made such a lasting impact on the franchise that Sheik became a playable character in subsequent spin-off titles, yet never saw a main series appearance again. Now that Zelda is in the spotlight asEchoes of Wisdom’s playable protagonist, there has never been a better time for her to don her disguise as Sheik once again.
With Zelda Playable in Echoes of Wisdom, Sheik Shouldn’t Be Far Behind
Despite Multiple Spin-Off Appearances, Sheik Has Only Ever Been in One Mainline Zelda Game
Zelda aids Link throughout his journey inOcarina of Timedisguised as amale member of the Sheikah Clan known as Sheik. As Sheik, Zelda shows up to teach Link the songs necessary to warp to the game’s temples, appearing and disappearing stealthily as though vanishing into thin air. These traits, along with Sheik’s iconic design, cemented the character as a core part of the series' identity, yet the Sheikah Warrior only ever appeared in spin-off and crossover titles following hisOcarina of Timerole.
All Games Sheik Has Appeared In
The popularity of Sheik inOcarina of Timeearned him several spin-off and crossover roles, including in theSuper Smash Bros. franchise andHyrule Warriors. In these games, Sheik uses ninjutsu-like abilities akin to those that a Sheikah Warrior would traditionally use, but he also leans into the image of a stealthy ninja, being a fast, light character. This design would inform how the character has been perceived byZeldafans in the time since his introduction.
How Sheik Could Factor into Echoes of Wisdom
While the core ofZelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s gameplay seems to revolve around the use of theTri Rod to create Echoesto solve various puzzles around the world, there is still room for a character like Sheik to make an appearance, even if only briefly. PastZeldatitles have made use of stealth segments, typically requiring Link to sneak past guards to enter Hyrule Castle.Echoes of Wisdomcould do something similar and require Zelda to get past enemies without being noticed, perhaps having her don her Sheik costume to enhance her stealth.
Zelda is already shown to wear a cloak throughout heradventure inEchoes of Wisdom, suggesting a need for covert exploration that disguising as Sheik could help enhance. Even ifEchoes of Wisdomdoesn’t fully embrace Zelda’s Sheik persona, Sheik could still make a cameo appearance via the outfit appearing in Zelda’s room just as a small nod to the princess' past. With how underrepresented Sheik has been in the mainlineZeldaseries, the princess' alter ego has the perfect opportunity to resurface inEchoes of Wisdomand Nintendo shouldn’t pass up the chance to capitalize on it.
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!
