Summary
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomis changing things up for the longstanding franchise by making the titular princess herself the primary playable character for once. It won’t be the first time Zelda has been made a playable character, as spin-off titles likeHyrule Warriorshave already accomplished that. However, never before has she taken Link’s place as the main protagonist in a mainlineLegend of Zeldagame. With Zelda as the main protagonist, she will also not be using Link’s iconic weapons and tools. Instead,Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomequips Zelda with the Tri Rod, which seems to function similarly toZelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s Ultrahandability.
Despite all the changes thatThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomis bringing to the series, it still observes some key franchise traditions. One such tradition was largely neglected by the series' most recent installments,Zelda: Breath of the Wild,and its sequel,Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. In reviving this particular tradition,Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomis showing that it might not be set aside for good after all, affirming the hope that the franchise hasn’t entirely abandoned its roots for a more modern approach.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s Tri Is a Good Sign for the Series' Future
The Most Recent Zelda Titles Largely Abandoned the Series' Iconic Companion Characters
Throughout theLegend of Zeldaseries, Link has been accompanied by a wide variety of companions during his journeys. While most of them have been small fairies, likeZelda: Ocarina of Time’s NaviandZelda: Majora’s Mask’s Tatl, others have taken on a more human-like appearance, likeZelda: Twilight Princess' Midna andZelda: Skyward Sword’s Fi. In eachLegend of Zeldagame where Link is given a companion, this particular character generally serves as a guide for the hero, informing him with lore tidbits and information about his surroundings. Fairies like Navi inZelda: Ocarina of Timeeven helped Link in combat.
Unfortunately, no matter how much of a regular occurrence it became for Link to be accompanied by an otherworldly companion of some sort,Zelda: Breath of the WildandZelda: Tears of the Kingdomall but abandoned the tradition.Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s Sagescould very well be seen as a companion for Link, but they don’t function like the companions of old, in that they are mostly there to provide Link with other abilities rather than doubling as an actual friend he can rely on. Thankfully,Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s Tri is a great sign that the series is coming back to its companionship roots.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s Tri Shows the Companion System Still Lives
The main bit of information disclosed aboutZelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s Tri is within the announcement trailer itself, but there is enough there to show that Tri will likely be more than a mere tool for Zelda as she navigates the land of Hyrule on her own. Based on their initial interaction briefly shown in the announcement trailer forZelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Zelda and Tri may end up having a relationship similar to that of Link and Navi inZelda: Ocarina of Timeor Link and Midna inZelda: Twilight Princess. In fact,Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s Tri seems reminiscent of Midna, simply because Zelda meets Tri in a cell just as Link met Midna in a cell.
The full extent ofZelda and Tri’s relationship inZelda: Echoes of Wisdomremains to be seen, but, at the very least, their companionship is a sign of life for what previously seemed to be an ailing series tradition. Hopefully, from here on out,The Legend of Zeldawill stick to its guns and continue to give players memorable companions who can accompany them on future adventures.
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!
