Summary
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomis set to carry on the tradition ofLink’s Awakeningon the Nintendo Switch by following a similar cute art style. While thesimilarities betweenZelda: Echoes of WisdomandLink’s Awakeningmay extend beyond the shared art style, one aspect ofLink’s Awakeningshould be avoided byEchoes of Wisdom. Although the Nintendo Switch was capable of it,Link’s Awakeningwas very limited in its movement options for players, a hindrance thatEchoes of Wisdomcan sidestep as it aims to establish the future of the franchise’s 2D entries.
As more is revealed aboutZelda: Echoes of Wisdom, it’s become clear that the game is drawing from a variety of sources from the series' past for inspiration. Not only does it seem to be evolving the top-down 2D formula seen in games likeLink’s Awakening, but the presence of abilities like Bind and Echo suggests that the game is also pulling from 3D titles likeBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomas well. WithZelda: Echoes of Wisdomset to blend the old with the new, it’s even more important that the game seems to have shed some lingering design issues of the past likeLink’s Awakeninglocked eight-directional movement.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Seems to Feature Full 360-Degree Movement
Link’s Awakening Stumbled with its Movement Controls
Staying true to theoriginal Game Boy release, theLink’s Awakeningremake on Switch uses eight-directional movement rather than an option for full 360-degree movement with the Joy-Con’s thumbstick. While this design choice maintains the feel of the original release, it is somewhat jarring to see how limited Link’s movement is compared to the beautiful visuals the game boasts. As a side effect of this design choice, Link’s walking animations can look clunky as he snaps from direction to direction without any frames in between.
Having eight-directional movement isn’t that big of a hang-up on its own, as many other Switch titles have succeeded with this design just fine. However,Link’s Awakeningdoesn’t give players the option to use the Joy-Con’s D-Padfor movement, forcing the use of the thumbstick to control Link. The range of motion provided by the thumbstick makes it feel like Link should have more directional mobility than he does, and the ability to control his movement with the D-Pad could have at least given the game a more retro feel control-wise.
Echoes of Wisdom Course Correcting Movement Options is Important for the Series' Future
With the way combat inEchoes of Wisdomrelies on Zelda creating Echoes of enemies, it may not be as important that the game has 360-degree movement options. But the future of the top-downZeldagames in apost-Breath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomworldhinges on the game feeling mechanically sound. That’s why it’s important thatEchoes of Wisdomimprove upon the mistakes ofLink’s Awakeningand couple solid visuals with tight controls.
There will likely be scenarios inEchoes of Wisdomwhere havingfull control over the direction Zelda is movingwill be imperative, such as when riding across Hyrule on horseback or accurately placing items created by Echoes. As the series gets more experimental with in-game physics, translating them to the top-down 2D space with tight movement options will greatly improve how it feels to play and work through these new puzzles. Based on what has been shown in the trailer, the smoother walk cycle for Zelda suggests, at the very least, the game will feature seamless eight-directional movement, but it is more likely that 360-directional movement has already been achieved and givenEchoes of Wisdoma leg up onLink’s Awakening.
