Daily Debate: How Do You Feel About Finally Having a Game Where You Play as Zelda?
Posted on June 21 2024 by Leslie Jacobson
Can you believe it?! We are actually getting a title in the The Legend of Zelda series in which you play as Princess Zelda herself — I mean, a title that’s fully developed by Nintendo, at least.
There are several games in which Princess Zelda is a playable character, but most are games developed by other studios in collaboration with Nintendo. The most infamous are perhaps Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon and Zelda’s Adventure. Wand of Gamelon was developed by Animation Magic and released in 1993 for the Phillips CD-i; Zelda’s Adventure meanwhile was developed by Viridis for Philips Media and released for the Phillips CD-i in 1994. The next playable Princess Zelda was in 2001 when she was added to the Smash Bros. lineup in Super Smash Bros. Melee, which was developed by HAL Labratories; she has been on the roster since then. Hyrule Warriors, originally released for the Wii U in 2014, was a collaborative effort between Koei Tecmo and Nintendo, and you can play as a very combat-oriented Princess Zelda. In 2019’s Cadence of Hyrule, developed by Brace Yourself Games in collaboration with Nintendo, you can play as Zelda, Link, or Candence. Finally, the most recent game with Zelda as a playable character is Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, released in 2020. For a series that bears her name, the Princess really hasn’t had a game of her own fully developed by Nintendo.
While each of the games mentioned above has a playable Zelda, she is not the main character and none of the games really play like a Zelda series game. Aside from the CD-i games, most of the actual gameplay can be done with any other character on the roster. The Smash Bros. series is a fighting game, Hyrule Warriors is a 1 vs. 100 or “musou” game, and Cadence of Hyrule is a rhythm-based game. There are games with Zelda as an option, but not a true Zelda game in which you play as the princess herself.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is for sure the first main-series title to feature a playable princess as the star of her own game. She is not just a Princess Zelda “skin” put over another’s moveset and abilities, or just another part of a roster. She is the one the story follows and the one who the player plays as. There are many fans who have been waiting 38 years for Zelda to star in a game in her own series.
I know I am super excited. I nearly screamed myself hoarse yelling in excitement during the Nintendo Direct. From what we’ve seen so far, gameplay is mostly based around puzzle-solving and exploration. Those are always my favorite parts of any Zelda game.
What are your thoughts? How do you feel about finally having a game where you play as Zelda? Are you concerned that it won’t “feel” like a Zelda game? Let us know in the comments!
Leslie is a mom, a cosplayer, an educator, and a fervent fan of The Legend of Zelda series. She lives in an area of the United States that reminds her of the Akkala region in the fall and Hebra the other 11 months of the year. She owns The Legend of Zelda t-shirts older than most of her students.
