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After the groundbreaking hit that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was, it was only normal for fans to wonder where our brave knight would take us. To the surprise of many, our silent protagonist took a well-deserved rest and let the former damsel in distress finally take a playable spotlight in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. What came out of this was a fantastic adventure full of terrific gameplay additions, challenging dungeons, and many innovative features that make Echoes of Wisdom one of the best games in the franchise.
As a fan of the franchise and Zelda as a character, I was thrilled to play the princess for once. While she might not have Link’s sword skills or ability to fuse a branch to a dynamite stick, she has plenty of tricks up her sleeve. And even if you’re used to playing as Hyrule’s most famous swordsman, you’ll quickly discover that Zelda is as brave and resourceful as the green tunic hero.
The Price of Being a Princess
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom begins just as many of the games in the franchise. Zelda is imprisoned by the current villain who threatens Hyrule, and when all is lost, a mysterious green-robed warrior arrives to defeat this great enemy. However, Link is not very well known and still has no relationship with Zelda in this iteration. Yet, that does not stop him from trying to save the princess. Only when Link is finally victorious against the colossal monster and is about to rescue Zelda does a rift appear suddenly, absorbing part of the map and many characters, including Link.
Zelda manages to escape and find some soldiers who take her back to the castle with her father. However, the rifts keep appearing all over Hyrule. The rifts end up swallowing the king, his deputy, and the leader of the soldiers, and as if that wasn’t enough, the rift creates an impostor for each of them. The false king unjustly accuses poor Zelda, who has just returned, of being the cause of the rifts and sends her to the dungeon to later execute her. The soldiers themselves do not believe it, but as the king says so, they end up convinced that Zelda is the bad one. Now, the princess must leave her own home as a fugitive to rescue the missing people, return Hyrule to normal, and end the rifts while clearing her name.
She will achieve this with the help of Tri, a small creature that emerged from the first rift and that only Zelda can see. Tri is there to lend their power to the princess. With them, she can create “Echoes,” replicas of furniture and monsters you find throughout the journey. This leads to quite the intricate Hyrule Pokedex-like feature of collecting tables to climb or monsters to defend you from other enemies. Creativity is Zelda’s ultimate weapon.
The Magic of Creativity
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom gives players free reins to use creativity and Echoes as their primary weapon. Echoes are essentially copies of objects or monsters you encounter on your journey. To obtain one, you’ll see some objects glow, and as you get closer, you can “Learn” how to make a replica. To make Echoes from enemies, you must first defeat them; then, a miniature of them will appear glowing, and if you get closer, you can “Learn” it, too. Once you memorize any of the Echoes, you can summon them to fight for you or use them to solve any of the game’s puzzles.
Yet, it is easier said than done because the system comes with a bit of a limitation. Zelda has “magic points” that you must manage carefully. Echoes of strong enemies can cost 3 points, so you can still use 1 point. But if you are climbing, you can use a stool and three boxes of 1 each. If you create one more Echo or one that uses all the points, the first Echoes will disappear. While it might sound restrictive, it isn’t. On the contrary, it makes the game more strategic and encourages you to try different combinations of Echoes to solve any of the game’s challenges.
However, I found that the Echoes catalog could be more efficient. You have to scroll through the entire inventory bar and look for the Echoes you want to use. Although the filters make it easier to find them, using a single linear bar is not the best way. Another way to find an Echoe is to go directly to your “Inventory” menu, and you will see more Echoes on your screen, but it requires more steps. Eventually, it’s something you get used to later and isn’t so critical, as the time stops while you’re on your Echoes screen. Also, the puzzles and fights don’t need an immediate reaction time; they’re more relaxed.
Tri is a great companion, and that reminds me of when Navi used to accompany Link. It’s adorable to have this little magic star accompanying, guiding, and lending you its power to repair the rifts. That’s right. Tri and its friends will be responsible for repairing Hyrule and cleaning up this rift conundrum. However, to return everything to normal, you must go to the three huge rifts scattered all over the map. So, Echoes of Wisdom has the same structure as many of The Legend of Zelda regarding missions. For instance, the quests are linear, like “Go to Zora Cove and talk to the chief,” then “Return to the Zora River and talk with the chief,” “Rescue the Zora,” and “Go to Zora Cove.” You won’t get lost; only perhaps sometimes when the markers stay on the previous objective. Fortunately, the map is easy and quick to explore.
A Link to the Past
As soon as I watched the first trailer, I fell in love with the chibi-like graphics of this Legend of Zelda. It is precisely this that makes it a very adorable game. I felt like I was playing with a LEGO or a Polly Pocket set, which goes perfectly with the theme of magic that Tri brings. Also, this story is not as serious as that of BotW or TotK, making it an excellent game for younger fans or, in my case, a cozy game to explore.
Its map and world have a simpler and square structure that reminded me of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. The first thing I had to do was to break the pots, cut the spinning grass, and throw the chickens. By the way, you better leave the chickens alone, or you could pay dearly for it.
Besides, the music follows similar tunes to previous games of the franchise, which I liked as it brings a sense of familiarity to the vast world of Hyrule. Echoes of Wisdom is something new, but at the same time, the nostalgia was strong.
Unique in Its Own Way
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is a shorter game, and I loved the length of the main story, which is about 17 hours, which is concise. Furthermore, you can focus on solving puzzles or completing the “Echo-Dex.” if you want to extend your stay in this fantastical world. I won’t deny that BotW or TotK are beautiful games with much more to explore. It’s just that for me, sometimes I don’t have enough time or get distracted easily and don’t finish any mission. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom allowed me to live the franchise’s essential aspects and flow with the story.
The puzzles are pretty straightforward, and the main missions are the same—the story is linear. However, if you’re not in the mood to take down the threats, you can catch Echoes, search for stones to upgrade your sword, or ride across the plains of Hyrule. The previous Zelda games are amazing, but it won’t take 500 hours to figure it all out. So, Echoes of Wisdom offers a lot to do, and playing this Zelda sounds like a great plan for a relaxed weekend.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Nintendo Switch Reviewed)
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom deviates entirely from the most recent installments and delivers one of the most fun and entertaining adventures in the franchise. Also, we can finally play with the princess of Hyrule, who, alongside Tri, gives it an even more whimsical and charming touch.
Pros
- Recaptures the ambience of the original games
- Innovative and fun gameplay mechanics
- An easygoing and relaxed pacing
Cons
- Finding an specific Echo could be more efficient
- Sometimes it is unclear where you should go exactly
