The following contains spoilers forZelda: Echoes of Wisdom.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomis far more than meets the eye. While it might fall under the radar for some who prefer a style more akin toBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom,Echoes of Wisdomhas turned out to be a title of extreme importance in the series, thanks to its version of the creation of Hyrule.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomisn’t the first game in the series to tell the story of the creation of Hyrule. In fact, contrary to popular belief, not evenOcarina of Timewas the first to tell the story. While it wasn’t told in the game itself,The Legend of Zelda’s creation story was first told in the instruction manual forA Link to the Past.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Evolves the Franchise’s Creation Story
The Legend of Zelda Has Told the Creation Story Before
InZelda:A Link to the Past’s version of the story,the golden goddessesdescended from the Heavens and created the world, filled with order and life. The God of Power created land, the God of Wisdom created science and magic, bringing order to the world, and the God of Courage created life, including the animals that walked the ground and the birds that inhabited the skies. Once their work was finished, they created the legendary Triforce, which contained a portion of their essence and power — three small triangles representing Power, Wisdom, and Courage, connected to one another to form a larger triangle.
Zelda: Ocarina of Timeretold this story with finer details, giving the names Din, Nayru, and Farore to the goddesses of power, wisdom, and courage, respectively. The heart of the tale remains the same, apart fromthe Triforce being formedat the place where the goddesses departed the world.Twilight Princessthen told the creation story once more, only its version was far more brief but still just as it had been told before. Now,Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomhas changed everything with its version of the creation story, proving the tale’s ability to evolve even more.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Expands the Franchise’s Creation Story, Proving More Potential for Its Evolution
WhilepastZeldagameshave told a similar creation story,Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s is far different, as it establishes a purpose behind why the golden goddesses created Hyrule in the first place. In past versions of the story, there was no reason for the creation of Hyrule, and it could only be assumed that the golden goddesses created it simply because they wanted to. InEchoes of Wisdom’s version of the tale, however, Hyrule was created because of the game’s antagonist: Null.
Before Hyrule was made, only darkness, an endless void, existed. In this void wasZelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s antagonist, Null, who would be revealed to be an overarching antagonist for the entire series. In the darkness, life would attempt to form, only for some of that life to be absorbed by the void. As it turns out, this was Null’s doing, as he wanted to dominate all things, including life itself. To prevent this from continuing, the golden goddesses created Hyrule and trapped Null in the belly of the world, imprisoning him.
This is why he begins creating rifts in Hyrule, as he wants out of his prison.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomhas changed the franchiseforever by adding a brand-new and unexpected layer to its creation story, showing that Hyrule was created for a specific reason. What this ultimately means for the series moving forward is that the creation story could potentially evolve even beyond this, thereby changing the entire world ofZeldawith one major story beat. It’s likely thatZelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s influence in this way will be felt for the rest of the series' lifespan, however long it may last.
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!
