Summary
Despite featuring a new protagonist for the first time in mainlineZeldahistory,The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomstill stays true to its roots. There are plenty ofclassZeldafeaturesto be found inZelda: Echoes of Wisdom, making it an all-you-can-eat nostalgia buffet for longtime fans.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s nostalgia buffet includes elements like combat mechanics, recurring characters, and beloved icons, refusing to shortchange veteran fans of the series despite its willingness to innovate. WhileEchoes of Wisdomis a perfect entry for newcomers, it’s a clear love letter to the most dedicated fans of the series as well.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Has a Buffet’s Worth of Nostalgia
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Begins With a Fight Longtime Fans Know All Too Well
One of the mostnostalgic events inZelda: Echoes of Wisdomtakes place during the game’s prologue, in which players control Link through a small portion of a dungeon in search of Princess Zelda. Upon finding Zelda, Link encounters Ganon, whoseZelda: Echoes of Wisdomcharacter model resembles his fromA Link to the Past. While the character model itself is a bit of nostalgia, however, the most significant piece of history lies in the fight itself.
Throughout theLegend of Zeldaseries,encounters with Ganondorfhave involved the recurring Dead Man’s Volley battle mechanic, which sees Link playing a game of tennis with Ganondorf after he launches a projectile at Link until one of them is struck by it. The mechanic debuted inZelda: A Link to the Past, but franchise fans might remember it most fromOcarina of Time. Dead Man’s Volley returns inZelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s prologue, providing fans with a nostalgic return to one of the series' most memorable boss mechanics.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Includes Characters Who Have Been Around as Well as Missing for Many Years
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomalso includes plenty of the series' most prominent recurring characters. For example, Lord Jabu-Jabu is a major part ofZelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s Zora story, who first appeared inOcarina of Timein 1998 and then again inOracle of Agesin 2001, but has since been missing from each subsequent installment.
Thankfully, players aren’t required to venture into the belly of the whale inZelda: Echoes of Wisdom, which proved to be one ofOcarina of Time’s most divisive sequences.
Dampe also returns inZelda: Echoes of Wisdom, though not as a gravekeeper this time. Instead,Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s Dampeis an engineer who crafts Automatons for Zelda. The lovable character has not appeared in the series sinceA Link Between Worldsin 2013, but he has been an otherwise prominent recurring character. The Business Scrub also makes an appearance inZelda: Echoes of Wisdomafter a 20-year absence, although he now sells Smoothies to Zelda at the game’s Smoothie Shops.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Includes Several Other Iconic Franchise Elements
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomalso brings back the Triforce thatBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomleft out. However, rather than being called the “Triforce” inEchoes of Wisdom, it is referred to as the “Prime Energy.” This makes it one of only threeZeldagames to change the name of the Triforce.Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomfeatures classic dungeon designas well, which is even reminiscent of the dungeons from the originalLegend of Zeldagame on the NES. This is an especially welcome return after classic dungeons were missing from the previous two installments.
The list of nostalgic callbacks inZelda: Echoes of Wisdomcould go on for much longer, but all of this makes up some of its more prominent features. It just goes to show how much impact theLegend of Zeldaserieshas had on its fans for almost four decades now, and it’s likely that impact will continue to ripple into the future.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
WHERE TO PLAY
Save Hyrule—this time with the wisdom of Princess Zelda!The people of Hyrule are being stolen away by strange rifts—and with a certain swordsman among the missing, it’s up to Princess Zelda to save her kingdom in the latest adventure in The Legend of Zelda™ series!Team up with the ethereal creature Tri and use the Tri Rod to create “echoes,” which are imitations of things you find in the environment—then recreate those echoes whenever you like to solve puzzles and defeat enemies. Use echoes like water blocks to reach new heights, make bridges out of old beds, throw rocks at foes, or find your own combination of echoes to do things your way. You can even make echoes of monsters to fight at your side in combat!
