Summary
TheLegend of Zeldaseries has always been known to feature recurring characters, items, and themes in each installment, butThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomseems to be taking that tradition to a whole new level. This could be because ofZelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s massive shift in featuring Zelda, rather than Link, as the playable protagonist for the first time in a mainlineZeldagame and its desire to keep veteran players attached to the series' past. There is also the possibility of these references having something to do withZelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s placement in theZeldatimeline. Regardless,Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomappears to wear its franchise connections on its sleeve.
Not much has been revealed yet about the full extent ofZelda: Echoes of Wisdom, and that is unlikely to happen until the game is released on September 26. However, in breaking down the announcement trailer alone, keen-eyed fans may notice references to a wide variety of otherZeldagames hidden withinZelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s world. Whether these references mean anything remains to be seen, but they are there nonetheless.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom References Several Different Installments
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s Art Style Is Identical to the Link’s Awakening Remake
One of the most obvious connectionsZelda: Echoes of Wisdomhas to another franchise installment can be found in its art style. Specifically,Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s art styleis identical to the remake ofZelda: Link’s Awakening. While that could imply some kind of connection, it’s impossible to tell between all the other franchise references included inZelda: Echoes of Wisdomand the fact that the originalZelda: Link’s Awakeningdid not feature this new art style.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Makes References to A Link to the Past and Oracle of Ages/Seasons
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomalso makes references toZelda:A Link to the PastandZelda: Oracle of Ages/Seasons. Most prominently featured isZelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s maplayout, which is almost a 1:1 replica of the map fromZelda: A Link to the Past, apart from a few outliers.Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s design for the monster presumed to be Ganon is also seemingly pulled from the design for Ganon inZelda: A Link to the PastandZelda: Oracle of Ages/Seasons.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Uses Assets From Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom
There are several noticeable assets fromZelda: Breath of the WildandZelda: Tears of the Kingdomthat seem to have been reused inZelda: Echoes of Wisdom. Firstly, the design on Link’s hood and sword resembles Zonai architecture, which is put on full display inZelda: Tears of the Kingdom. It’s also possible to spot a Sheikah lamp inZelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s announcement trailer that is nearly identical to the same lamp that can be found in homes throughoutZelda: Breath of the Wild’s Hyrule.
Some Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Enemies Were Pulled From the Child Timeline
Some ofZelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s enemieshave also not been seen together in aZeldagame since those games that fit intoZelda’s Child Timeline, which includesZelda: Ocarina of Time,Zelda: Majora’s Mask, andZelda: Twilight Princess. Specifically, the Lizalfos, ReDead, and Walltula have all made a return inZelda: Echoes of Wisdom, despite this game seeming to have no other clear connections to the Child Timeline.
There are other minor references inZelda: Echoes of Wisdomto installments likeZelda: A Link Between Worlds, which just goes to show how much of the franchise’s past the upcomingZeldatitle is leaning on. It could be thatZelda: Echoes of Wisdomfinally embracesthe multiverse in a mainlineZeldainstallment, despite the non-canon spin-offHyrule Warriorshaving already done so. However, all of that remains to be seen and will be disclosed onceZelda: Echoes of Wisdomlaunches on September 26.
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 may even make echoes of monsters to fight at your side in combat!
