In recent years, theLegend of Zeldafranchise has really redefined itself. Not only has the mainline series embraced the open-world sandbox experience, but Nintendo has also given players a plethora of exciting tools to truly make their adventure their own.Zelda: Breath of the Wildkicked off this new era,Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomexpanded upon it immensely, and now,Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomhas taken it even further. But, while that has been great to see, it may also put future games in a tough spot.
With the release ofZelda: Echoes of Wisdom, players have now been given practically every sandbox tool imaginable. All of this has given fans hours of enjoyment, yet Nintendo rarely seems to carry these types of mechanics over to the next game. Instead, mostZeldatitles seem to be very different from the last. So, if that trend continues, then the nextZeldaadventure may also be vastly different from what has come before. And after the studio has taken these exciting concepts for a spin, it is unclear where it can take the franchise next.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s Mechanics May Put the Franchise in a Tough Spot
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Echoes Are So Much Fun to Play With
While players seem to be lovingthe return to form that isZelda: Echoes of Wisdom, the real standout is easily the echo mechanic. At the start of the game, Princess Zelda is gifted the powerful Tri Rod from the fairy Tri. With this rod, she is able to collect echoes of all sorts of different objects that litter Hyrule. These echoes can then be placed down on a whim to solve puzzles, attack enemies, or just cause mayhem throughout the kingdom.
Through these echoes, players are able to do all sorts of wild things during their adventures. They canpit Bokoblins against each other, create a family of Zol, build a massive tower of beds, or simply create and destroy as many pots as their hearts desire. Even though not every echo may be incredibly useful, they all help make for an incredibly unique experience that many fans will not soon forget.
Zelda May Be Running Out of Unique Sandbox Gameplay Mechanics
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s echoes are joining a long line of unique featuresThe Legend of Zeldahas included over the past few titles.Breath of the Wildgave players the Sheikah Slate, which featured powers that mostly dealt with momentum, explosions, and the elements.Tears of the Kingdomthen expanded upon the concept by switching out those powers for ones associated with building contraptions, rewinding time, and even phasing through objects. And now,Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomhas given players the ability to copy and paste over a hundred different items.
While all of that has been great to see, Nintendo also rarely seems to carry over these core mechanics between games. Instead, it often switches them out for whole new ones, making each entry feel incredibly unique. Because of that,Zelda: Echoes of Wisdommay be the only time players get to mess around witha feature like echoes. That being said, it is not entirely obvious just where Nintendo can actually take the franchise next.
Nintendo has seemingly covered all the bases when it comes to sandbox-like mechanics, so the nextZeldagame may be drastically different from these past three titles. However, fans have also fallen in love with this new approach to the franchise, so it may be hard to leave it behind. Of course, whatever the studio does next with the series will likely be highly anticipated by the fanbase. It just remains to be seen if it ends up breaking a franchise trend, doing away with the sandbox entirely, or if Nintendo can come up with another special set of powers.
