Summary
Legend of Zelda: Breath Of The Wildintroduced aninspirational gameplay formatto theZeldaseries. It expanded the world of Hyrule for players to explore while giving them the freedom to do whatever, whenever. This structure expanded in its next entry, increasing its freedom and creativity.
This inspiration is present in the most recent entry,Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. It combinesTears of the Kingdom’s influence for familiar vibes while offering new experiences for engaging playthroughs. Despite the two games being vastly different in structure and gameplay, they share similar qualities to welcome hardcore fans with familiar vibes.
1Introduction
How To Begin
The starting intro in both games gives an empowering feeling through an upgraded swordsman. Link is equipped with the best tools similar to how players prepare for the end game. Aftersome twist of fate, Link gets greatly hindered, forcing the player to start over from scratch.
Despite the major consequence, both games offer immense, freeing perspectives of Hyrule Kingdom. Anything is reachable through the huge camera span of Hyrule, letting the players choose how they can venture into the kingdom.
2Expanded Hyrule
Developing Kingdom
Both games expand the land of Hyrule from their predecessors.Tears of the Kingdomtakes thesame map from its predecessor but adds new points of interest and verticality. Link could travel from the peak of the skies to the ominous deep pits of Hyrule Kingdom. The game offers several options for him to explore, whether with gliding outfits, paraglide, horseback, or inventions.
TheEchoes of Wisdommap isn’t as big as the previous entry, though its map is around eight times bigger thanLink’s Awakening.Zelda isn’t limited with traveling options as she can use her echoes/bind to scour through her kingdom.
3Corruptive Infection
Threat of Hyrule
Both Kingdoms of Hyrule are endangered by a spreading corruptive force. InTears of the Kingdom, Link conflicts with malice, a dark matter that infects and harms anything through physical contact. The substance spreads throughout Hyrule Kingdom to infect anything with gloom, greatly hindering the being’s strength. The infection can also harm Link, which can only be recovered under sunlight.
Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomfaces a similar issue with the spreading rifts. It consumes anything within direct touch, which can petrify living beings. It took even the heroic swordsman, forcing him under its effects. Zelda is one of the few to escape its ominous grasp, leaving the burden to her to relinquish the spreading dark realm.
4Dark Realms
Another Reality Of Hyrule
Along with the corruptive forces of Hyrule come their sources. InTears of the Kingdom, Malice comes from Ganondorf’s corruptive powers within the depths of Hyrule. After his resurrection, malice creeps onto the lands of Hyrule, infecting the inhabitants and creatures. Link has to explore the depths to investigate, which involves dealing with stronger dark enemies. Danger is more potent with malice covering more grounds, relinquishing any safe passages for Link.
InEchoes of Wisdom, the spreading rifts come from a blue fiend in the Still World, another reality. Anything that lingers in the decrepit realm will vanish, including any living being petrified by its effects. Zelda has to explore the area to restore her kingdom while facing several dark creatures posing as hostile beings.
5Menu U.I.
Organized Adventure Log
The menu U.I. inEchoes of Wisdomis greatly influenced by the menu format inTears of the Kingdom. It’s made with easy access to the players' needs, including the expansive map of Hyrule, belongings, and quests. Its main quests and side activities are organized with the prioritize option, guiding players to the quest’s destination. The colors are even similar, making the main quests yellow while the side quests blue.
There’s even crafting and a slide menu. Zelda can gather ingredients to craft different smoothies for beneficial effects. Echoes are created through the slide menu, which can be organized with different sort options. With how many echoes are present for Zelda to copy, she isn’t present without an answer.
6Game Approachability
Welcoming For Any Fan
Both games are welcoming for a broad audience, making their experience satisfying for newcomers and veterans.Tears of the Kingdomis a direct sequel, though its story setup and predicament are separate from the previous catastrophe. It even has character profiles for players to observethe characters’ history.
Echoes of Wisdombrings a brand new perspective to Hyrule Kingdom. Even though its graphics are similar toLink’s Awakening, anyone can play without any hindrances. The adventure only feels better for veterans when observing Link’s history, giving a clearer image of the swordsman’s journey.
7Customization
Going Hero In Style
Customization is plentiful for both Link and Zelda to explore their respective kingdoms. Link canequip and mix various gearswith special effects for his head, body, and feet. Each gear can even stack up its effects for better efficiency while offering various defense stats.
InEchoes of Wisdom,Zelda can wear various clothes. She can’t change her clothes immediately due to her situation. They’re mainly for cosmetics, offering very few changes to her stats, and only a few offer certain effects.
8Item Management
Heroic Cooks
Gathering ingredients is essential to maintain a hero’s strength during the journey in Hyrule. Both protagonists can collect materials and monster parts tocook various recipes. Any item can be mixed to create new foods with effects, including health recovery.
Link can choose to use his various materials to create foods and potions, granting a wide array of effects for him to travel or prepare for combat. Zelda uses her ingredients to make delicious smoothies, giving her refreshing recovery while granting her different buffs.
9Realistic Expression
Life-Like Personality
Characters are very expressive in both games, especially the protagonists during certain environments. They explore through different environments on their journeys, forced to face various terrains like the desert and snowy regions.
Their maps can even be affected during disorienting weather, becoming disabled or foggy.Link is more vulnerable in extreme environments, taking damage when lingering too long under the burning sunlight or freezing colds.
Even the monsters are more realistic in how they interact with their surroundings. Both protagonists can sneak and spy on the enemies doing patrol, socializing with other comrades, relaxing at their camp, or attacking other hostels or innocents. They love food, which can distract them long enough for a surprising ambush.
10Creative Powers
Force Of Environment
The most emphasized gameplay theme between the two games is creative freedom. Both protagonists can use their powers to create multiple answers for different challenges. This greatly encourages replayability for players to invest in the games.
Tears of the Kingdomis the most diverse with Ultrahand and Fuse, letting Link create anything with the right tools.Echoes of Wisdomrequires Zelda to find a source before using it to her advantage, which is more limiting, yet simple. Despite the restrictions,she can get stronger to create various echoand binding combinations to handle any obstacle.
