Warning: This article contains light spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.

Since its release in 2013, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds has been my favorite Zelda game. Elegantly bridging the gap between Zelda‘s rigid past and its freeform future, A Link Between Worlds, to me, struck the perfect balance between old and new. It marked the Zelda series’ evolution toward “open-air” design, while at the same time preserving the formula that many fans had come to cherish.

Now, 11 years later, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom represents yet another transition for the Zelda series.

As the first wholly original top-down Zelda game since Breath of the Wild revolutionized the formula, this new game marks the moment when the Zelda series must once again reconcile what it has been and what it will become. How does a game carry forward the philosophies of player freedom established by the Switch titles while not abandoning the qualities long cherished by classic Zelda fans? What does it need to overhaul, and what does it need to preserve? What does it need to do to stay a Zelda game?

Echoes of Wisdom, I’m very relieved to say, is another masterful blend of Zelda old and new. It brings back the craftsmanship and deliberate design of the series’ 2D greats, while at the same time permitting players to forge their own path with an extensive and versatile toolset. It tells its own uniquely touching story starring the series’ namesake princess — her first true solo adventure — while at the same time honoring the worlds, characters, and themes of stories past. And, perhaps most importantly, it signals the series’ first steps into a brand-new era — one not yet clearly defined — with confidence and grace.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, while a bit rough around the edges, is exactly what the Zelda series needed at this point in history. So, let’s talk about it.

 

From a Better, Vanished Time

Echoes of Wisdom begins where most Zelda games end, with the green-clad hero Link valiantly facing off against the dreaded foe Ganon in an effort to save the princess Zelda. However, rather than rescuing that princess and restoring peace to the kingdom, this hero is abruptly stolen away by a mysterious rift created by his adversary, finding just enough time to free the princess and allow her to lead the rest of the adventure herself. An established scenario elegantly gives way to a new beginning.

It’s in the player’s first steps with Princess Zelda that one can first see the happy marriage of old and new. The hero this time might not be the boy in green we’re used to — gameplay implications incoming — but the world we interact with is quintessentially Zelda.

The world map is, at least in layout, an expanded version of the map seen in A Link to the Past and A Link Between Worlds, with a few new regions now bordering a familiar Central Hyrule. Timeline fanatics will quickly learn that Echoes of Wisdom hosts its own unique iteration of Hyrule Kingdom, but there are enough recognizable landmarks and locations for the player to feel at home as they get used to the new protagonist. And as was the case when A Link Between World remixed A Link to the Past‘s world map, veteran Zelda players will immediately enjoy the satisfaction of noticing what’s the same and what’s different in this version of Hyrule.

Even Zelda newbies will find Echoes of Wisdom‘s world immediately inviting, with a charming art style inherited from 2019’s Link’s Awakening remake, a carefree tone built on humor and whimsy, and a stunning soundtrack that stands up there with the series’ best. This game, on top of servicing the old fans, might prove the perfect entry point for players who have never experienced the magic of Zelda before.

Echoes of Wisdom also benefits from the gratifying attention-to-detail of co-developers Nintendo and Grezzo. Anyone who enjoyed admiring the detailed dioramas of Link’s Awakening and A Link Between Worlds, with all their tiny adornments in the set dressing, will find plenty to look at in this game. Even a location as small and singular as Zelda’s room in Hyrule Castle has invited Zelda Dungeon’s staff to carefully study its contents and speculate on their significance. That says something when the game is full of tiny details in just about every location.

I’m not lying when I say that just exploring Hyrule Castle Town for the first time in Echoes of Wisdom — meeting all its likable inhabitants, laughing at the witty dialogue, and listening to the wonderful score — made me emotional. For a long-time fan like me, Echoes of Wisdom‘s opening felt like returning home.

I was reminded of Ocarina of Time‘s Castle Town when an excited dog started following me around, I was reminded of The Minish Cap‘s Hyrule Town when I noticed cats perched about, and I was reminded of Link’s Awakening‘s Mabe Village when I spotted a rooster-mounted weathervane near the center of town. These may seem insignificant details in isolation, but when taken together, they demonstrate the developers’ understanding of The Legend of Zelda‘s distinct tone and approach to world-building. This is a game by fans for fans.

Even the game’s music continually rewards a familiarity with the Zelda series. It should be said that the soundtrack is stellar on its own; the music team has crafted a fantastic collection of tunes. But the arrangements take on additional meanings if you can recognize all the musical references and callbacks hidden away in each track. Something as simple as a reused melody, as one can hear in the new Kakariko Village theme, or a familiar percussive beat, as one can hear in the Scrubton theme, can really contribute to the familiar yet fresh feeling of this game’s world.

Beyond just a respect for the familiar, Echoes of Wisdom also provides added layers to the kingdom we’ve come to know over the years and to the peoples that inhabit it. A lot of this can be attributed to the game’s starring character. Princess Zelda, a protagonist wholly unique from Link, has her own relationship with the world around her, both as a character with her own role within that world and as a player avatar with her own unique skills and abilities. We’ll get into those skills and abilities in the following section, but I’d like to quickly comment on what Zelda as a playable hero brings to the experience beyond mechanics.

Because she is already an established figure in Hyrule before the game begins, given her position in its monarchy, Princess Zelda inherently becomes a vessel by which the player can experience Hyrule in an entirely new way.

Unlike Link, who starts most of his games as a low-profile hero who must build his renown throughout an entire adventure, Zelda starts her game with notoriety and, in some cases, celebrity. Hyrulean citizens know her name and already respect the type of person she is; they behave differently toward her than they would a nameless hero in green. Characters like the King and Impa obviously have past experiences to draw from, but even the townsfolk in Castle Town drop little nuggets of information about Zelda as the quest progresses. As such, the player, though performing many of the tasks and good deeds that they would in other games, is provided novel interactions with NPCs and a glimpse at a side of Hyrule that hasn’t been seen before.

This byproduct of a new protagonist, in my opinion, even serves to reveal more about the central character than would be revealed with Link in the starring role.

With Link, the player avatar is characterized primarily through action and reaction. As we, and the hero through us, overcome obstacles, complete tasks, and help others, we are given a clearer picture of that hero’s character. The formula has been effective enough for over 30 years, but one can make the argument that our view of Link has remained limited by the nature of his relationship with the game worlds he inhabits. Even in games where he’s further fleshed out, we the players have been responsible for filling in a lot of the gaps ourselves.

In Echoes of Wisdom, however, because its cast has pre-existing relationships with or preconceptions of Zelda before the game begins, there are far more opportunities to learn about the protagonist’s character than there would be otherwise. Beyond the standard actions and reactions, the princess is characterized by everything from dialogue, the dispositions of those around her, and recollections about past events involving her. It’s honestly refreshing to have a protagonist that is more actively developed over the course of the journey.

It seems no accident that Echoes of Wisdom‘s title reveal happens while Zelda stands atop a cliffside looking over her kingdom, a moment previewed in the game’s first trailer. In that scene, we see a Hyrule that so much resembles iterations from the past, but we see it from a perspective we’ve never quite had before. Zelda has her own relationship to Hyrule, and part of Echoes‘ charm comes from seeing that relationship fleshed out throughout the adventure. We see another side of Hyrule thanks to our new heroine.

Echoes of Wisdom‘s first few hours do such an amazing job setting the right tone for its adventure. With its visuals, music, narrative, and mood, the game’s introduction offers enough red meat to series veterans so that they feel comfortable getting used to the new formula. And considering the novel features that comprise that new formula, having that familiar base is more than welcome.

 

Test for Echo

Echoes of Wisdom‘s most promoted new feature is, of course, the “echo” mechanic. With the help of her trusty Tri Rod, Princess Zelda is able to create copies of various objects and monsters in the game world to help her with everything from combat, to traversal, to puzzle solving. It is the gameplay hook of this title.

When the echo mechanic was first promoted, I was admittedly a bit apprehensive about how much it would frustrate or even trivialize the core elements of the tried-and-true Zelda formula. How tedious would combat be if a sword and shield weren’t readily available all the time? How easy would it be to bypass barriers in the environment or intended solutions to puzzles? These were questions I held on to until Echoes of Wisdom released.

Now, as I stand on the other side of the game’s conclusion, I’m happy to report that echoes provide a healthy departure from series conventions without creating too many problems of their own — “too many,” being the operative words there. But more on that later.

Echoes of Wisdom is already being described as 2D Zelda‘s answer to Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, and the echoes are the legs on which that comparison stands. Like the versatile abilities of Zelda‘s open-air titles, the echoes in this new game invite varied approaches to most encounters and obstacles, as each player is encouraged to find their own path forward using the echoes they’re most comfortable with. If you need to cross a gap, it’s up to you whether you create a bridge of “old beds,” jump across with a well-placed “trampoline,” or glide over with the help of a “crow.” Echoes of Wisdom is full of micro-challenges like this that encourage you to look over your collection of echoes and choose the ones that best fit the situation for your preferred play style.

One of the most welcome byproducts of this design philosophy is that, like The Legend of Zelda‘s last two 3D offerings, Echoes facilitates a community environment in which players can share their unique experiences with others. Some of the best conversations I’ve had about the game this past month have involved my friends and colleagues simply recounting the echoes they chose to use for particular challenges. I’ve been able to proselytize about the magic of the Sea Urchin echo, and I’ve been left stunned by the revelation that Platboom echoes can be stacked to conquer great heights. More than anything else borrowed from Breath and Tears, it’s this foundation for community collaboration that I’ve come to cherish most in Echoes of Wisdom.

As stated above, many obstacles and puzzles in Echoes allow for multiple solutions and paths forward. But that’s not to say that the developers threw the baby out with the bathwater when it comes to classic Zelda‘s clever, deliberate design. For all the freedom and versatility offered in the game, many isolated challenges, especially in dungeons and caves, still retain the brain-teasing craftsmanship seen in classic Zelda games. There are plenty of places where any old echo will get you through, but there are also points where you need to think critically and suss out the single correct solution.

We’ll talk more in-depth about Echoes of Wisdom‘s collection of dungeons a bit later, but I do want to say upfront that I appreciate the balance the game strikes between the one-size-fits-all challenges geared around echoes and the deliberately designed puzzles that require one solution. As I’ve said several times up to now, it demonstrates a pleasant meeting of old and new.

With gameplay variety and player freedom serving as the primary aims of the echo mechanic, it only makes sense that this game is jam-packed with usable echoes. Just about every new area offers at least a half-dozen new echoes to learn, so players — especially the most adventurous among us — will always have new tools to play around with and new solutions to stumble upon. Heck, there are even obscure and ultra-hidden echoes that serve as rewards for the completionists out there.

Even those prone to sticking with a certain set of echoes — like myself — will find better versions of existing ones throughout the game. If you like the practicality of your Sword Moblin echo, for example, you’ll be happy to know that you’ll find stronger versions of that very monster regularly throughout the adventure. Likewise, if you’re part of the old bed bridge brigade, you’ll find a few echoes that better do the job of bridging gaps late in the game. Echoes provide a satisfying sense of progression in this way.

Princess Zelda’s expansive collection of echoes also represents a rewarding roster of references for Zelda veterans. Just about every classic Zelda monster, from both the 2D and 3D games, is accounted for in Echoes of Wisdom and thus available for echo service. We’d seen favorites like Dark Nuts, Tektites, and ReDeads in the game’s trailers, so I knew to expect echoes based on baddies from The Legend of ZeldaA Link to the Past, and Ocarina of Time; but I was not expecting to at some point see explicit representation from Zelda II or Oracle of Ages. I wasn’t lying when I said this game was crafted by Zelda fans for Zelda fans.

Echoes of Wisdom‘s large cast of echoes certainly serves several purposes, but it also unfortunately gives way to a few significant gameplay issues. The most immediate issue — one already hotly debated — lies in the game’s menus and sub-screens, as the player is, by the end of the game, expected to rifle through dozens of echoes at any given time to find the exact one that they want.

Players have two primary methods by which to select echoes. The first, and by far slower, method is to go to the Notebook tab of the start screen and select an echo from there. The second is to hold Right on the D-pad and scroll through all available echoes there, not unlike the quick select menus from Tears of the Kingdom. While one can get used to the menus well enough to make the process as quick as possible, neither option for selecting echoes is solidly intuitive. There will always be times when selecting a specific echo for a specific situation proves arduous.

The quick menu does have a few preset options for how the echoes are ordered — like “Most Used,” “Last Used,” or “Last Learned” — but even these have their deficiencies. For one, there will always be points during the adventure where you need to utilize a particular echo’s elemental property, such as an Ignizol’s flame, a Spark’s electricity, or a Bombfish’s explosion. Just because you sparingly use these creatures for specific purposes, they will inevitably be tucked away in the middle of every available tab.

As has been already suggested by other members of the Zelda Dungeon team, many of these menu-ing woes would have been assuaged had Echoes of Wisdom included a “Favorites” tab for echoes. Such an option would have allowed the same convenience of the Most Used tab, where our go-to summons like the old bed, water block, and trampoline perpetually reside, but it would also house the less-utilized specialized echoes like those mentioned in the above paragraph. I would take this solution a step further and suggest a load-out feature for echoes. I would have loved to have the option to set up a “swimming” load-out with underwater essentials like the Bombfish, Chompfin, Tangler, and boulder primed to go, or a “dark” load-out with Ignizols, Hoarders, and braziers at the ready. Likewise, allowing us to assign our most used echoes to the face buttons — like the C-button items in Ocarina of Time or hot keys in a PC game — would have saved us a lot of stop-and-start time in the menus.

The problems with Echoes of Wisdom‘s menu systems are further exasperated by the glut of redundant echoes sitting in Zelda’s pockets. I mentioned that finding higher-level versions of common monsters aids the game’s sense of progression, but it unfortunately does so at the expense of a streamlined menu experience. As has been suggested by other ZD writers, players should have been able to mark lower-level monsters as “obsolete,” thus eliminating them from one’s quick menus. I’d have extended that option to duplicate objects as well; who really needs three different pots or four different statues clogging up their inventories?

It really is a shame that Nintendo seemingly learned nothing from the menus in Tears of the Kingdom. Having so many different items crowding Link’s pocket in that game actively dissuaded me from experimenting with different items and strategies, just because scrolling through a lengthy sub-screen was a chore. That hesitance to experiment unfortunately carried over into Echoes of Wisdom, where an equally lengthy sub-screen very likely kept me from trying out echoes that would have been helpful or otherwise fun to play around with.

As for actually using echoes during gameplay, I, for the most part, found the process largely intuitive and hassle-free.

In fact, on the most basic mechanical level, controlling Zelda overall is largely intuitive and hassle-free. Taking cues from A Link Between Worlds‘ control scheme and range of mobility, Echoes of Wisdom gives Zelda a full 360° range of motion, as opposed to the eight locked directions of games like Link’s Awakening, meaning movement overall is fluid and comfortable. This advantage, by extension, makes placing echoes simple, for the most part. There are particular objects that require some precision, especially square-shaped ones like blocks or boxes, or else they’ll drop in places you didn’t intend. But with all said and done, it’s clear the developers worked to make this game’s controls complimentary to the echo mechanic.

Before the game’s release, I was worried that taking the sword away from the player and forcing them to rely on NPC monsters to fight would make combat too slow, tedious, and frustrating. I completely understand the developers’ decision to shake-up the gameplay formula; for Princess Zelda to succeed as her own distinct protagonist, she needs to be more than Link in a dress. But on a purely mechanical level, fighting with echoes sounded like a risky proposition because I recognize the speed and convenience of a sword slash or an arrow shot.

Fortunately, the development team, according to Echoes of Wisdom Co-Director Tomomi Sano, emphasized immediacy when it came to echo use. “For example, if you made an echo of a monster,” she recently shared, “that echo would immediately attack an enemy, just like you swinging a sword.” As someone who was initially cautious that fighting with echoes would become too slow and tedious, I am relieved to see that the developers were addressing those very same concerns amongst themselves and relieved to say that they were largely successful in capturing that desired immediacy.

Monster echoes that perform melee or charge attacks typically do so immediately after spawning, which makes the lack of direct swordplay easier to stomach. There’s a reason I relied on the Sword Moblins so much throughout my adventure. There are even certain echoes that function very much like a sword in practice, like my beloved Sea Urchins and the spiked roller. Issues do pop up when utilizing monsters with ranged attacks, as there tends to be a delay between the time you summon them and the time they launch the projectile. Every time I dropped a Spear Moblin, for example, I couldn’t help but miss my bow.

I should also mention that enemy AI — and, by extension, the AI of monster echoes — is surprisingly advanced. In contrast to the mindless beasts of past Zelda games that will throw themselves into danger, Echoes‘ monsters display a sense of self-preservation. They retreat when threatened, they take advantage of natural barriers to protect themselves, and they attempt to reach higher ground to gain an advantage. It’s nothing revolutionary on an industry-wide level, but I was nonetheless impressed that Zelda baddies were behaving more realistically. There’s an added layer of unpredictability to combat, which can be quite thrilling.

Encounters can therefore be chaotic, so there are a handful of abilities available to Zelda that mitigate combat frustrations. The most basic is the “spin” maneuver (not a spin attack), which allows the princess to quickly change positions or retreat. She can also couple echo use with her new “bind” ability, which will essentially tie a target’s movements to hers. With bind, the princess can move baddies around the battlefield, sometimes directly into pits and other hazards, while her other echoes do the heavy hitting. There are even bosses and mini-bosses that are vulnerable to bind, as if it was a classic Zelda Hookshot item.

If you’re looking for an edge in combat, you can also deck Zelda out with accessories. Most accessories provide the princess with small stat boosts or ability upgrades (damage reduction, faster movement speed, higher jump height, etc.), but some will provide more specialized effects that help with exploration and traversal. It should be noted that Zelda can also don different costumes; but unlike Tri Force Heroes, most of these outfits are simply cosmetic.

The most significant non-echo ability in Zelda’s repertoire is, of course, her swordfighter form. Following an encounter in the game’s first dungeon, the princess will be able to transform into a swordfighter at will. In this form, she will have access to a sword (and later a bow and bombs), as if she was Link in a classic Zelda game. She can also run faster and jump higher in this form. The transformation comes at a price, however, as her time in this form is tied to an energy meter that continuously depletes while Zelda is acting as the swordfighter. The only way to refill this meter is to collect energy specifically in the game’s Still World dimension (more on that later).

Swordfighter form is, pardon the pun, a double-edged sword. On one hand, having access to the classic Zelda play-style at the push of a button eliminates some of the frustrations of having echoes do everything in a fight. It’s satisfying to be able to wail on a boss in swordfighter form while your squad of echoes do crowd control around you. And the added jump height Zelda receives in swordfighter form can be combined with echoes to greatly assist in world traversal and platforming.

However, this form is so convenient, useful, and reliable that it often becomes an excuse to not bother with echoes at all. The energy makes sense in this regard, as the developers needed a way to make the form temporary. But by the mid-game, when the meter has been upgraded a few times and you have access to the bow, many combat encounters can be quickly overcome with just the swordfighter form. The echoes may work well enough to justify their focus in this game, but swordfighter mode is always there to remind us that some challenges are better suited with a sword and shield.

When Princess Zelda isn’t using her echoes to solve a puzzle or to raid Moblin camps (another feature inherited from the Wild-era games), she’s likely using them to travel across the overworld. As I hinted at above, I was, before Echoes of Wisdom‘s release, concerned that overpowered echoes would too easily “break” the game when it came to progression. I saw from trailers how easily Zelda could vault over treelines or scale large cliffs with what seemed like basic echoes. And she can most definitely do those things.

But the interesting thing with this game is that, despite several opportunities to take shortcuts, you’re better off not doing so. Echoes‘ overworld map proves dense enough with content that you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you were constantly skipping over pathways and clearings. For one, as discussed above, every new region hosts a collection of new echoes to learn; so if you want to add more tools to your tool chest and keep the play experience fresh, you should be taking intended paths and exploring every corner of the map.

There are also plenty of side quests to experience in this game, and many of them can be quite substantial (and, dare I say, crucial), with their own mini-boss encounters and everything. So many juicy secrets hidden around really do disincentivize “breaking” or “cheesing” progression beyond simple time saves. You really don’t want to miss finding Dampé until late in the game like I did.

At the end of the day, the echoes of Echoes of Wisdom offer a welcome gameplay twist to the established Zelda formula. They represent a satisfying marriage of the open-air, do-it-your-way designs of modern Zelda and the deliberate, crafted designs of classic Zelda, all while facilitating an emergent gameplay where every player will be guaranteed their own unique experiences based on the echoes they rely on. And combat, while a bit chaotic and finicky at times, works far better than I could have imagined watching the game’s trailers. Monsters attack reliably, and there are enough tools in your belt to mitigate any frustrations.

I wouldn’t mind the Zelda series returning to the echoes concept again in a future title. Having several “flavors” of Zelda game seems exciting to me. However, if the development teams behind the series do revisit the mechanic again, I do hope that they rethink how the echoes are organized in menus. Fumbling around in a menu in order to choose the right echo from over a hundred every time you need to fight something or pass over an obstacle can be exhausting. There are ways to improve this system; let’s just hope the developers decide to enact them.

 

A Farewell to Kings

Let’s take a break from gameplay mechanics for a bit and discuss the game’s story scenario.

In the world of Echoes of Wisdom, Hyrule Kingdom is, and has been for some time, threatened by the emergence of mysterious, dark rifts. These tears in the world can appear at any time, without warning, at any location — one has even swallowed up a house in Castle Town by the time the game begins.

The true thrust of Princess Zelda’s adventure begins when a rift appears in Hyrule Castle’s throne room, stealing away the kingdom’s reigning monarch — Zelda’s father — and replacing him with an evil imposter. The princess is blamed for the rifts by this imposter, and she is thus falsely imprisoned and lined up for execution (dark, I know). It’s in a locked cell in the castle’s dungeons where Zelda first meets Tri, an ethereal sprite who wants to see the rifts repaired and the princess’ name cleared. So, with the help of Tri and their eponymous Tri Rod, Zelda is able to escape her prison and proceed on her quest as a fugitive.

As far as I’m concerned, Tri ranks high among the pantheon of Zelda companion characters. They benefit from a cute, simple design, they provide plenty of levity during the main quest, and they don’t overburden the player with too many interruptions and too much handholding. They may not have as significant an arc as Twilight Princess‘ Midna or Majora’s Mask‘s Tatl, but Tri nonetheless leaves an impact with how their relationship with Zelda and with Zelda’s realm grow throughout the game.

Tri, though the source of most information on the world beyond the rifts, still starts the game with a childlike naivety; they are often confused by social customs and acts of emotion. But by the time the adventure is finished, Tri will demonstrate a deeper understanding of the world around them, which is all the more enhanced by a genuine friendship that grows between them and our heroine. This may sound silly, but I got some Terminator 2 T-800 vibes from Tri in this game; just replace the Arnold Schwarzenegger cyborg with an adorable, yellow sprite.

The charm of Tri’s character arc carries over to just about all the stories told throughout Echoes of Wisdom.

Following her escape from Hyrule Castle, Zelda needs to visit the various regions of Hyrule in order to patch up the rifts that have appeared and solve local problems those rifts may have caused. As we had seen from trailers, Zelda must visit Jabul Waters, the home of two squabbling Zora tribes, Gerudo Desert, which takes cues from Breath of the Wild with its depiction of Gerudo Town, Eldin Volcano, in which Goron City is situated, and Faron Wetlands, where the Deku make their long-awaited return to the Zelda series. There are even a few more unpromoted places the princess will visit.

The structure of this adventure is quite similar to Majora’s Mask, Breath of the Wild, and Tears of the Kingdom, in that our heroine must visit each distinct region, meet its people, solve its dilemma, conquer its dungeon, and then move on to the next. Something I appreciate about the game is that you can approach certain dungeons in whichever order you like. Following the first dungeon, you can tackle the following two in any order; and following a mid-game event, you can tackle the next three in any order. The progression isn’t as open as A Link Between Worlds or the Wild-era games, which is a tad disappointing, but one can still appreciate that the Zelda series is continuing to embrace nonlinearity.

Like the games mentioned above, each leg of Zelda’s main quest can be thought of as its own distinct episode, with its own conflict and its own cast of characters. The Zora of Jabul, for example, are experiencing a tribal dispute, while the Deku of Faron are plagued — or blessed, depending on how look at it — by the emergence of spider webs throughout the wetlands. Even though some of these conflicts resemble each other — all denizens are dealing with the rifts in some way — Echoes‘ main story still allows for a fair bit of variety and twists. You may think you know where things are going on a narrative level, but then the game will surprise you.

Something I appreciated about each of these episodes was the focus on clever writing and characterization. Each region not only features a conflict to be resolved, but each one features a set of flawed or troubled characters that develop or learn something new over the course of their episode. Without giving too much away, I’ll say that, over the course of one’s adventure in Echoes of Wisdom, you’ll meet a pair of obstinate Zora chiefs, a rebellious Gerudo warrior, an insecure Goron leader, and a pack of selfish, indulgent Deku. And as you spend time with these characters, you’ll enjoy watching them grow and change as you complete your quest.

All of these characters, in my opinion, experience a satisfying arc by the time Zelda finishes her business in their respective regions. And thanks to Echoes‘ stellar writing, these character arcs speak on themes like friendship, trust, compassion, and confidence. Some scenarios are definitely more fleshed out than others — the Faron episode, while quite funny, is the weakest in terms of emotional depth — but overall, the stories told throughout the game, taken together, are some of the best in a top-down Zelda game.

Echoes of Wisdom‘s narrative strengths even extend to its primary protagonist, Princess Zelda. I’m not saying that Link, the series’ typical hero, has received no characterization in past Zelda games. But I’d argue that opportunities for character development have been limited, as growth and maturation when it comes to Link has taken place between the lines or has been left to players’ imagination. So, with this new game, Princess Zelda proves a breath of fresh air because she, as a playable hero, provides a lot more opportunities for characterization.

I’ve already spoken about Zelda’s unique relationship with the game’s setting, given her position in royalty. In a similar vein, Zelda taking on hero duty means that we get to see a Zelda protagonist with more prominent familial relationships. Zelda is a daughter, a friend, and a ward before the game even begins; and we see each of these pre-established relationships reveal themselves to us through story moments and dialogue. We get to see our protagonist interact with her loving father or with her faithful maid; and through these interactions, we glean information about the lifetimes that occurred before the adventure begins.

If nothing else, this element of the story is a novelty; it’s something we haven’t really seen before. In past games in the series, Link has had families and friends — A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword come to mind — but I think it’s fair to say that these relationships were not entirely fleshed out. Link is often portrayed as a silent lone wolf, without a lot of significant personal history. He is his own character, absolutely, but he is also an avatar for the player. Zelda is both of those things as well, but the balance leans further away from a simple player avatar. And that’s a welcome change.

Even this game’s version Link enjoys more significant character development! With the focus now on Zelda, the green-clad hero is his own character, with motivations and agency outside the player’s control. Not only does this mean that we get to see what Link would do if we weren’t the ones pushing the buttons, but we, through Zelda, get to learn about his exploits before the game even begins. By talking to various Hyrule citizens, it’s clear that Link means something to the people across the kingdom. There are tales and myths that surround the silent swordsman that we — and Zelda — get to learn about.

I’m reminded of the protagonist change that occurs in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. In that game, player control shifts from series mainstay Solid Snake to newcomer Raiden. The director of that game, Hideo Kojima, felt that he could better realize Solid Snake’s character if the game was told through another character’s eyes. And the decision worked out; taking control away from an established hero and giving it to someone else proved the perfect way for fans to learn more about that hero and to see that hero in a different light.

I think the very same phenomenon occurs in Echoes of Wisdom. During Princess Zelda’s story, we learn so much about who the character Link is and what he means to the people he’s interacted with before we took control — it’s a fascinating twist on the Zelda formula. We get to admire Link’s heroism from afar this time around, which really helps to emphasize the type of person he is independent from us, the players. I honestly never expected to see Link’s character illuminated so much in a game starring Zelda; Echoes‘ writers deserve a lot of praise.

And then there’s the lore of Echoes of Wisdom. Without going into too much detail, I will say that this new game does inject some interesting wrinkles into the established Zelda mythology. For all the familiar faces, settings, and mythological forces we see on the surface, Echoes and its tale of worlds beyond rifts really do shake up what we know about the history of Hyrule and creation of the Zelda universe. There are some surprising call-backs and some thought-provoking inclusions, especially toward the climax. I won’t reveal anything more, but I will say that I’m interested to see the discourse around the game continue as more folks finish the journey.

 

Lead Them to the Dungeons

The quest to repair the rifts will lead Zelda and Tri into many dangerous places, with perhaps none more dangerous than the Still World. This realm, which lies within the rifts themselves, is where most of Echoes of Wisdom‘s dungeons reside. So, in this section devoted to those dungeons, we need to first discuss the Still World more generally.

When the Still World was first unveiled in Echoes‘ third trailer, one could be forgiven for believing that this location would resemble the Dark World from A Link to the Past or Lorule from A Link Between Worlds, a twisted mirror of the game’s entire overworld map. In actuality, the Still World is less complex than that. If anything, it moreso resembles the Silent Realm from Skyward Sword, one-and-done locations that serve as a light diversion from the normal gameplay loop.

The Still World is essentially a collection of isolated challenge areas that, excluding dungeons, focus on platforming and small combat encounters. With Tri’s help, Zelda will be able to enter the Still World through specific openings found along the rifts in the overworld. Once within, the princess will find a linearly constructed path of objects, hazards, and pieces of terrain that she needs to navigate around. Each Still World area borrows elements from the region where its respective rift resides; this means that you’ll find more water hazards in the Jabul Still World, whereas you’ll find more lava pools in the Eldin Still World.

Overall, these Still World areas come in two flavors: larger, more prominent locations that house a dungeon (which we’ll discuss shortly) and smaller, shorter obstacle courses that require Zelda to locate and save Tri’s friends  — fellow sprites that will help repair the rifts.

In the latter versions of the Still World, Tri will task Zelda with locating a set number of friends in that rift — typically three to five. These friends could be hidden among the terrain and restrained within a vault of darkness, or they may be kept captive within a Still World monster (which will just take the form of an overworld monster). So, Zelda must carefully navigate the twisted collection of floating stones, sideways trees, and topsy-turvy terrain, fighting monsters and solving tiny puzzles along the way.

These Still World areas primarily test the player’s mastery of traversal-based echoes. Even with your dedicated jump button, you will need to get creative when avoiding the bottomless pits separating each section of solid ground. The challenges are never very hard — the old bed, trampoline, and water block will always trivialize some sections — but you’ll likely come to points that will require a Crawltula, an Ignizol, or a Bombfish.

As soon as all of Tri’s friends are found within that rift, Zelda will be returned to the overworld and that rift will be healed forever. You’ll never need to enter that part of the Still World again. It’s because of this quality that I would broadly classify these shorter Still World areas as side content. Sure, there are a few that are required on the game’s critical path; but overall, these sections are merely a means to shake up the minute-by-minute gameplay and give players a way to upgrade their stats. Completing them will let Zelda stay in swordfighter form longer and they will upgrade Tri’s echo capacities, which is nice.

One aspect of these Still World challenges that I find regrettable is how much late-game echoes circumvent their hardships. I won’t mention them by name to avoid spoiling anything, but there are echoes acquired toward the end of the game that can be used to cross all gaps and ascend to any point effortlessly — I’m not even referring to speedrunning strategies either. You can just “cheese” your way through, as long as you have these echoes at hand. And because you aren’t expected to come back to these locations again, there is no incentive to stick to the path in case a collectible or one-of-a-kind item is hidden there.

Thus, I’m as conflicted on the Still World as I was on various challenges in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. For all the freedoms afforded by the gameplay options and the open design, I find my satisfaction for figuring out solutions and reaching goals diminished. It’s an odd dilemma, for sure. If the Zelda team were to revisit the Still World again the future, I just hope that they would include more constrained obstacles amongst the more open ones, especially if all those powerful echoes are up for grabs again.

Luckily, these pronounced open-air follies are largely relegated to the shorter Still World sections. The dungeons that occupy the larger Still World areas, on the other hand, better retain the more controlled design philosophies of classic Zelda games, with some allowances for echo-based flexibility thrown in to liven up the experience.

Echoes of Wisdom‘s collection of dungeons, and the puzzles and encounters therein, take far more cues from games like Link’s Awakening and A Link Between Worlds than they do Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. And it’s a rather good collection of dungeons at that. Because the layouts of these labyrinths take on a more traditional form, the developers were inclined to compose puzzles that encouraged the critical thinking and spatial reasoning that longtime fans have appreciated about their dungeon puzzles. Unlike the divisive Wild-era dungeons, there are a lot more “aha” moments here than there are “I guess that worked” moments.

Echoes do still allow for a variety of approaches in certain rooms, especially when it comes to elemental puzzles. As one would expect, the dungeons reflect the theming of the game’s overworld areas, with each region playing home to its own uniquely themed labyrinth. I don’t think I’m spoiling anything when I point out that Jabul’s dungeon incorporates a lot of submerged environments while Eldin’s dungeon features a lot of lava pools. That’s Zelda Dungeon 101, right there.

So, in the situations where the player must traverse or manipulate the elemental forces of a given dungeon, the echoes take on a more prominent role. The player may have several ways to cross a large pool of water, they may have several ways to avoid a hot, volcanic floor, they may have several ways to disperse a pile of sand, or they may have several ways to light up a dark room. But, within every dungeon, these more freeform moments are balanced out with the brain-testing single-solution puzzles that veterans will appreciate. It’s a nice balance of both approaches.

The dungeons of Echoes of Wisdom, taken as a whole, do skew toward the simple though. As one of those Zelda veterans, I found only the final two encountered to be particularly challenging to complete. This adventure has roughly the same number of dungeons as Link’s Awakening, a game with some truly challenging mazes in its latter half, but nothing here really matches the level of complexity we saw on Koholint. The room layouts and paths of progression are cleverly considered and tightly designed, but too often in this game are we simply asked to proceed linearly until we reach the boss room or to tackle a series of hub & spoke-style gauntlets.

But that’s not to say that there aren’t some real standouts in Echoes of Wisdom‘s spread of dungeons. Two late-game temples in particular, as mentioned, were satisfyingly challenging and refreshingly unique. Without getting into specifics, one of those dungeons goes for a fascinating open design, where multiple paths lead Zelda through, in, and out of the primary structure. And though the player can approach the maze from quite a few different directions, the entire thing is a joy to unravel and overcome. A few Zelda Dungeon staffers agree that this temple is the highlight of Echoes‘ assortment of dungeons.

Considering the creativity seen in the final few temples in Echoes of Wisdom, I am disappointed there are, compared to games like A Link to the Past and A Link Between Worlds, so few dungeons in the final game. Right when I felt like the game was reaching its stride of creative, challenging complexes, I found myself moving toward the story’s climax. I just wish that there was at least one last batch of truly intimidating labyrinths to overcome before the game concludes — there is nothing coming close to Turtle Rock in A Link to the Past or Link’s Awakening.

But what about the big bads that Zelda must face off against at the end of those dungeons? Well, Echoes of Wisdom gracefully carries forward The Legend of Zelda‘s legacy of strong boss encounters, with a few twists thrown in.

Because combat in this game is so tied to the echo mechanic, the bosses, like the game’s puzzles, allow for multiple approaches and strategies. You can distract a boss creature with a few echoes while you sneak up from behind with your swordfighter form, or you can keep to the perimeter of the area while an army of flying echoes do damage for you. In this way, the echoes help to solve the “dungeon item problem” of past Zelda games, where boss battles act as transparent showcases of a newly acquired tool and nothing more. With echoes, battles feel dynamic and engaging; and you can keep things varied with each and every playthrough.

Don’t just take my word for it either. When you’re finished playing through the game yourself, hit up YouTube or Twitch to see how other players conquered these bosses. I guarantee that you’ll see some methods that never would have occurred to you. That’s what happened to me when I saw someone utilize bind during the first boss to great effect.

I obviously don’t want to give too much away, but I do want to praise Echoes of Wisdom‘s boss roster for bringing back some familiar faces from Zelda games past. If you were keeping up with the trailers, you’ll know that a certain dragon from Ocarina of Time makes its return in this new game… and it’s not the only boss to do so. If you’re a longtime Zelda player who enjoys a little bit of fan service, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised the further you get into Zelda’s adventure. There are some deep cuts!

In fact, in terms of references and callbacks, Echoes of Wisdom‘s deepest cuts take place in the game’s optional dungeons. That’s right; there are optional side dungeons to complete in this game that will reward you with new echoes, inventory expansions, and — most importantly — a helping of fan service. As I’ve reiterated a few times already, it’s clear that Echoes of Wisdom was developed by some devoted fans of the Zelda series. Seeing how the development team honored Zelda‘s legacy — and how they approached this game’s dungeons more generally — I’m confident that 2D Zelda is in the right hands.

 

A Need to Discover

Beyond the main quest, Echoes of Wisdom does boast a fair share of side content to keep completionists busy. There are mini-games and collectibles, like most Zelda games, and there are few optional gameplay mechanics waiting to be added to Zelda’s arsenal if one is determined enough to find them.

There are actually two mechanics in particular that I’d be remiss not to mention, as both were given the spotlight in respective game trailers. The first is Zelda’s ability to ride horses around Hyrule, which marks the first time since Four Swords Adventures that a top-down Zelda featured horseback gameplay. I won’t get into what it takes to acquire a horse in this game, but I will say that the act of riding one is fluid and intuitive. A horse may not get Zelda across a field as quickly as, say, a Pathblade echo, but it will at least ensure a smooth ride as it gallops across uneven terrain and over obstacles with ease.

Automatons were another mechanic that received notable coverage before Echoes released. These mechanized approximations of classic Zelda monsters act as kind of powered-up substitutes for echoes; you can get your hands on a robotic Octorok that shoots fireworks or a robotic Tektite that that explodes when it jumps, for example. The main difference between the automatons and the echoes is that automatons need to be wound up before they can be used, which means that you’ll spend a few seconds holding the Y button before they can enter the fray. This handicap ensures that automaton use is balanced; they can be extremely powerful tools, but they require more time investment than your standard echoes.

While I feel that both the horseback riding and the automatons are worthwhile additions to Echoes of Wisdom, both are unfortunate victims of the game’s open design. As discussed earlier, the player can bypass large portions of the map easily with a few different echoes. And as a result, players who take frequent shortcuts may miss out on certain content because they sidestepped a part of the map. Horses and automatons are two such pieces of content.

Unlocking either mechanic requires the player to complete specific side quests during their adventure, which isn’t a problem in and of itself. In fact, these side quests provide some very worthwhile character moments and even a few new echoes to learn. The problem lies in the fact that the quests must be started at very specific locations on the map — especially in the case of the automatons.

If you want to add automatons to your arsenal, then you need to find former grave keeper Dampé at a specific spot in Hyrule Field, but only after a certain portion of the main story has been completed. Let’s assume that you mistakenly walk around that spot, or that you already searched that spot earlier in your adventure; if that’s the case, then you’ll have no access to automatons until you somehow stumble on that spot. Even if you find Dampé’s house where the automatons are built, you’ll have no idea that the start of the side quest is significantly south of your location.

If horse riding and automatons are as important as Nintendo’s promotional materials made them seem to be, I personally think that those mechanics should have been introduced during the game’s critical path. At the very least, the player should have been able to start the side quests that unlock them at multiple possible locations, such as out in Hyrule Field or at Dampé’s house in the case of the automatons quest. Without the assurance that players will find them easily, the game runs the risk of players gaining those abilities so far into the game that they become largely worthless.

Luckily the other pieces of Echoes of Wisdom side content don’t carry such a burden. The game’s collection of mini-games and assortment of collectibles are as entertaining and fulfilling as anything seen in the Zelda backlog. Might crystals, which upgrade Zelda’s swordfighter form, are strewn about the overworld like A Link Between World‘s Maiamais, along with Heart Pieces and Stamp Guy stamps. And mini-games like Acorn Gathering and Mango Rush are fun, little diversions that don’t outstay their welcome.

The most significant mini-game in the Echoes of Wisdom is the combat-focused Slumber Dojo, where Zelda is tasked with facing rooms of enemies in a set amount of time. I’m not the hugest fan of combat gauntlets in Zelda games, but I can say that the Slumber Dojo really tests one’s mastery of echo use, in that its challenges require the player to know what echoes will work best in a variety of situations and which ones will do a job quickly. Of all the challenges Echoes throws at you, gaining the highest marks in the dojo is definitely the most demanding and the most gratifying to overcome.

The rewards for all these activities can be a little lackluster, as they usually just net you rupees or ingredients for smoothies (this game’s version of elixirs), but there are a fair number of opportunities to improve Zelda’s capabilities. More than anything, they provide an amusing distraction from the standard formula, as all good Zelda side content should.

Taken as a whole, Echoes of Wisdom provides a bigger, longer experience than the bite-sized Link’s Awakening, with more story to participate in, more features to experiment with, and more side content to keep you busy once the main quest has winded down. However, at the same time, this adventure proves shorter and less grandiose than some of Link’s greatest tales — A Link to the Past and A Link Between Worlds come to mind.

I’d imagine most of us want more content in just about every Zelda game we play, but I feel that this game particularly leaves me wanting more — not because I wasn’t satisfied with what was there, but because I was enjoying myself so much that I didn’t want it all to end. As far as I’m concerned, the minds behind the Zelda series have more room to explore the possibilities Echoes of Wisdom creates with its new gameplay hooks and its new protagonist.

If this model were to become one of the (for lack of a better word) “flavors” of the Zelda series, in addition to the traditional 2D and 3D offerings, I’d be more than supportive. In fact, I think the series has been given so much room to grow that I’d be disappointed if the Zelda team didn’t explore this game’s unique formula further with a future title. There’s enough untapped potential here that would justify further iteration, experimentation, and expansion.

 

In the End

With The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom marking the first time the series’ titular princess would step up as the primary hero, it was imperative that the game reflect everything the name Zelda represents. It needed to retain the series’ timeless sense of adventure, its spark of imagination, its charming characters and world, its creative collection of challenges, and its impeccable mechanical quality. It needed to live up to the common definition of a classic Zelda title.

And at the same time, it needed to carry on the new legacy established with Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. The sense of freedom and out-of-the-box design philosophies of those modern titles introduced an entirely new generation to the Zelda series, so Echoes of Wisdom also bore the responsibility of preserving their innovations. That’s quite a precarious balance this title had to find, especially when you consider the polarizing opinions within the Zelda fanbase these past few years.

Given that truly herculean task, I’m all the more impressed that Nintendo and Grezzo crafted a superb Zelda game for the current moment. Thanks to its blend of old and new, Echoes of Wisdom should largely service and satisfy the fan base’s wide spectrum of opinions. This adventure honors the Zelda titles I, an old-school fan, cherish the most; and it equally embraces the revolutionary ideas of the Wild era and offers something fresh that will likely guarantee the series’ continued growth.

The game’s world is quintessential Zelda, its tone and stories are wonderful, its dungeons are solid, and its trademark echo ability, while not completely free from frustration, injects some fun and interesting elements into the formula. As I’ve said already in this review, Echoes has successfully introduced a new flavor to the Legend of Zelda menu. We’ll hopefully always have our classic sword-and-shield adventures starring Link, but I think there’s room for more echo-based escapades with our favorite princess.

With Echoes of Wisdom, Princess Zelda has shown that she’s more than worthy to lead the series that bears her name.


Have you finished The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom yet? How well do you think it balanced the old and the new? Would you want another echo-based game starring Zelda in the future? Let us know in the comments!

A review copy of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom was provided to Zelda Dungeon by Nintendo of America.

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