Daily Debate: Where Does Tri Rank Among The Best and Worst Companions in the Zelda Series?
Posted on November 26 2024 by Sean Gadus
Spoiler Alert: This article and the comments section may contain spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.
Echoes of Wisdom brings back the companion character in a major way after games like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom did away with one of the Zelda series’ most well-known staples. In the Echoes of Wisdom, an ethereal being named Tri accompanies Princess Zelda on her adventure. Tri creates the Tri Rod for Zelda, which gives the princess a variety of powers like creating echoes and binding objects. The mysterious being also assists Zelda by opening gateways to rifts, mending rifts, and allowing Zelda to warp across Hyrule.
After playing Echoes of Wisdom, where does Tri rank among the best and worst companions in the Zelda series?
For me, Tri is in the middle of the rankings for Zelda companions. Tri’s child-like personality is very endearing, and I like how Tri adds some new wrinkles to Zelda lore. In addition to their role in the story, Tri also has a clear role in Echoes of Wisdom‘s gameplay, something that cannot be said about all companion characters. One of the most interesting elements of Tri’s story is that other characters in Echoes of Wisdom cannot see Tri until they have some type of interaction with rifts; this wrinkle adds even more mystery to the character. With those positives out of the way, I would argue that Tri does not have the complexity and nuance that some other companion characters are known for. Midna and The King of Red Lions possesses fascinating motivations and backstories, and their story arcs are more emotionally rewarding because of this nuance.
What do you think? Where does Tri rank among the best and worst companions in the Zelda series? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Sean Gadus is a Senior Editor at Zelda Dungeon. His first Zelda game was Ocarina of Time, and he loves all of the 3D Zelda games from 1998-2011. He is currently replaying the narrative ghost story Oxenfree, and taking his first stab at playing Dark Souls. He wants to help build a kinder, more compassionate world. You can check out his other written work at The-Artifice.com.
