It is no secret that Nintendo seldom carries over many mechanics between entries in its biggest franchises.Super Mario Odysseywas nothing likeSuper Mario 3D World,Animal Crossing: New Horizonstook the series in entirely new directions, andPokemon SwordandShieldcompletelyrevolutionized thePokemonconcept. While they all share similar concepts, their approach feels incredibly distinct from each other. AndThe Legend of Zeldais no different, which is whyZelda: Echoes of Wisdomfeels so special.
Of course,Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomwould not be the first time that the franchise reused some of its concepts, as seen with titles likeBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdombeing so similar. That being said, each entry often takes the franchise to whole new locales, with only the core concept really tying them together. But, withZelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Nintendo and Grezzo have crafted a game filled with many returning features. Some of these have been long awaited while others seem to come out of nowhere, making this game feel like a great blast from the past.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is Filled With Revisited Concepts
The Entire Premise is a Blast From the Past
One ofthe biggest second chancesZelda: Echoes of Wisdomoffersis in its core gameplay loop. With the release ofBreath of the Wild, the franchise took on a whole new look and feel. Even before that, the concept of a top-downZeldagame seemed to be on the way out in favor of more third-person action-adventure games. While the studio would end up revisiting it in theZelda: Link’s Awakeningremake in 2019, it felt like the mainline series was never going to look back after the success it was having with its new approach.
However,Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomdoes exactly that. It has brought the franchise back to its roots, injected it with all the classic dungeon-crawling fans had come to expect, and delivereda truly nostalgicZeldaadventure. This iteration ofLegend of Zeldais once again in the spotlight, and likely will be for a while, as there is no news on when the next title will hit store shelves. Plus, if it succeeds, then there may be even more top-down adventures like that in the future.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is Filled With Even More Returning Concepts
The second chances do not stop at the game’s top-down approach either, asZelda: Echoes of Wisdomactually has a few other returning mechanics that diehard fans may notice. For starters, the game brings back the Stamp Rally, which waslast seen inZelda: Spirit Tracks. Now, players are once again able to explore the world and collect 25 different stamps at various locations to earn rewards. It may not be the most advanced of mini-games, but its inclusion is fantastic to see, especially for those who want to get lost wandering Hyrule.
Alongside the Stamp Rally,Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomalso features a returning bossin the form of Volvagia. This fiery serpent was last seen inZelda: Ocarina of Timeresiding in the depths of Death Mountain. It was up to Link to defeat it so that Hyrule would not be turned into a burning wasteland. It appears once more inZelda: Echoes of Wisdomwithin Eldin Volcano, albeit as an echo with a very different fighting style.
If that was not enough,Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomalso takes the often-antagonistic River Zora and turns them into friendly allies of sorts. All of this makes for a game that feels filled to the brim with second chances, with some fans likely finding plenty more throughout their adventures. And if the studio is willing to re-explore some of these classic features, then there is no telling what futureZeldagames will entail.
