With the release ofZelda: Breath of the Wildback in 2017, Nintendo’s iconicLegend of Zeldafranchise took on a whole new look. The gameplay was vastly different from what came before, the freedom the studio gave players was unprecedented, and it is still often lauded as one of the best things the open-world genre has to offer. Of course, that success meant that Nintendo went full speed ahead ona sequel withZelda: Tears of the Kingdom, which took the concept even further. While it seemed like this may be the franchise’s future,Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomhas revived what came before instead.
Now,Legend of Zeldafans are being treated to an old-schoolZeldagame rather than the massive new approach the studio adopted. ThroughZelda: Echoes of Wisdom, they are being brought on another fantastic adventure that does not feel limited by its top-down nature. And because of its success, this type ofZeldagame may not be left by the wayside after all.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Feels Like a Blast from the Past
AlthoughZelda: Breath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomare fantastic games, they really do not share many similarities with previous games. Instead of being a top-down action adventure filled with dungeons to conquer and treasures to find, these games fully embraced what an open-world game could be. Much of that was left behind in favor of a massive open-world Hyrule, completely revamped gameplay with whole new mechanics and shorter puzzle-based shrines rather than the dungeons of the past. But, instead of further expanding upon that,Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomhas taken a step back.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomfeels like whatold-schoolZeldagameshave that modern games are sometimes missing. It brought the franchise back to its top-down roots, delivered that classic dungeon-crawler experience, and told a whole new story through the eyes of Princess Zelda. Additionally, the studio injected a fewBreath of the Wild-like mechanics to help keep it feeling fresh and unique. And through all that, it has delivered an experience that fans may not soon forget.
The Future of Zelda Can Juggle Both Approaches
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s success is great to see, as it shows that there is still a place for these classic titles alongside the massive new adventures Nintendo has been crafting. Of course, this would hardly be the first time thatLegend of Zeldahas explored different styles. In these last couple of years, players have also beentreated toHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity,Skyward Sword HD, and theLink’s Awakeningremake. But, unlike those games,Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomis a fully-fledged new entry into the mainline series, which makes its approach feel even more special.
There is seemingly no reason titles likeZelda: Tears of the Kingdomshould stop, but now, players could also be treated to that classicZeldamodel as well. Not only would that help keep the franchise feeling fresh and diverse, but thesetop-down adventures by Grezzocould also serve as fantastic ways to bridge the gap between the larger open-world titles. Plus, with the unique mechanics it has tossed into the mix, these titles would likely never feel inferior to those adventures, even if they are smaller scale.
It remains to be seen just what the future ofThe Legend of Zeldaentails. As of now, it seems likeZelda: Echoes of Wisdomwill be the last mainline title for the Switch unless Nintendo has another surprise up its sleeve. But, whatever the future of the franchise looks like, there is seemingly space for both types of adventures within it.
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!
