The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom was announced during this morning’s Nintendo Direct, with players finally able to play as the titular princess herself. Fans have been clamouring for the opportunity to adventure through Hyrule as Zelda for many moons, and it’s an exciting prospect to see the world through her eyes. However, is this the mainline game Zelda deserves?
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is the latest entry into the iconic franchise which generally sees players control the Hero of Hyrule, Link. However, it’s not going down the Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom route of a massive action-filled RPG nor that very recognisable artstyle of the Switch era of Legend of Zelda games. Instead, the upcoming title leans into the chibi artstyle of the 2019 Link’s Awakening remake, and seems to go heavy on the puzzling side of Legend of Zelda titles instead. Does Zelda deserve a much larger entry into the series than she’s getting with Echoes of Wisdom?
Fans have waited for years to be able to play as Princess Zelda, and this isn’t to say that The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom won’t be a great game. It looks like a whole lot of fun, and the new Echo ability that allows players to clone items and monsters from the world around them to traverse, solve puzzles, and battle enemies is a unique iteration on the building and creation seen in Tears of the Kingdom. However, I’m left wondering if the first outing as Zelda might have done her more justice in the form of another major RPG-style title like 2023’s smash hit entry into the franchise.
Will we get as much story and character exposition on Zelda in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom as we have in previous games starring Link as the protagonist? Zelda is often relegated to the sidelines of the story, either spirited away to another realm or otherwise elsewhere while Link saves Hyrule once more. While it’s refreshing to see Zelda finally get her time in the spotlight and have her turn to save Hyrule without Link there to finish the job, I’m worried it won’t be enough.
Having seen mods that turn Link into Zelda for titles like Breath of the Wild, I’m left to wonder if we’ll ever get a major franchise entry where we see the princess at the helm. The chibi artstyle of Echoes of Wisdom is gorgeous, but it feels almost like a consolation prize after years of wanting to see the other side of Hyrule’s power couple in high definition.
I’ll be waiting patiently for September 26 to get my hands on The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom to see how Zelda’s story fares. Inevitably, Link will re-emerge at some point, likely towards the end of the story, and I do wonder if he’ll once more deliver the final blow to whatever enemy is plaguing Hyrule this time and put a stop to the mysterious rifts that cover the land in the newest title. I hope, for Zelda’s sake, she gets to be the one to end the reign of terror over her land for once.
Image: Nintendo
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