Daily Debate: What Are Your Early Impressions of Echoes of Wisdom?

Warning! This article contains spoilers from the first few hours of Echoes of Wisdom.

Well, that was quick! Considering the typical wait between Zelda game releases this generation – remasters and Warriors spin-offs aside – it’s certainly refreshing to have received a new 2D adventure less than a year-and-a-half after Tears of the Kingdom’s launch. Now that Echoes of Wisdom has been available for a little more than a day, many of us have had a chance to experience the game’s opening hours.

Having just finished the first dungeon, I’m particularly impressed by the element that – leading up to the game’s release – had me most cautious: the Echoes themselves. There’s a chaotic energy to this mechanic that often makes the adventure feel like a bizarre, fan-made mod of A Link to the Past.

Although I’ve fallen off the Pokémon train in recent years, this game speaks to the part of me that still has a soft spot for collecting combatants. The Peahat, for instance, is an echo that some players may totally miss before reaching the first dungeon. If acquired, though, you’ll find it much easier to take care of many early-game enemies. We’ll see whether this approach extends to the game as a whole, but so far, Echoes of Wisdom rewards exploration in a tangible, meaningful way.

As for the first dungeon itself, it’s pretty standard, 2D Zelda fare. Certainly, compared to the dungeons found in Link’s previous two outings, it’s more in line with what I’m looking for in terms of progression and basic design. And though I definitely expect later temples to be more complex, I hope they’ll each boast a distinct identity from a visual and thematic perspective. This first one, while fun to explore, has the generic “ruins” aesthetic of many 2D Zelda dungeons. That’s A-OK for the early-game, but I hope the remaining dungeons are not only more varied, but also have a more defined sense of place within this iteration of Hyrule.

What about you, though? How are you feeling about Echoes of Wisdom so far? Let us know in the comments below!