After spending years exploring massive sandboxes, theLegend of Zeldafranchise has taken a step back withZelda: Echoes of Wisdom. While the game may have some exciting sandbox-like mechanics, it also serves as a fantastic blast from the series' past. Finally, players are once again being treated to a top-down action-adventure title filled with dungeons to conquer, enemies to defeat, and treasures to find. That said, what makesZelda: Echoes of Wisdomeven better are the deep cuts for the die-hard fans.
Specifically,Zelda: Echoes of Wisdombrings the franchise back to the 2D side-scroller space along with the top-down world, at least for a little while.Last seen inZelda: A Link Between Worlds, the 2D side of Hyrule once again takes a prominent role here, as the game seems to tap into it throughout the adventure. Even though these are not the most exciting portions of Princess Zelda’s story, having them here givesZelda: Echoes of Wisdoma whole new feel while also celebrating what came before.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Feels Like a Blast From the Past in More Ways Than One
Legend of Zelda Has Dabbled in the 2D Space
Whilethe firstLegend of Zeldawas a top-down adventure, the sequel ended up putting a much larger emphasis on 2D side-scrolling instead. There was a larger top-down world map, but the game was primarily played as a side-scroller. Whenever players entered a town, fought monsters, or got lost inside caves, they would enter this mode. It served as a massive departure from what came before, and since its release, the franchise has not really gone back to it.
Zelda: Link’s Awakeningfeatured a few side-scrolling segments, yet the game was primarily a top-down action-adventure. Moreover,Zelda: A Link Between Worldswould also adopt a 2D side-scrolling portion as a core part of its story, where Link would actually become a 2D painting with the use of a magic bracelet. The franchise has hardly touched this concept since this classic era and, with the release ofZelda: Breath of the Wild, it felt like the series would never look back.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Fully Embraces the Franchise’s 2D Side
That all seems to be changing withthe release ofZelda: Echoes of Wisdom. Not only is it bringing the top-down adventure back to the mainline series, but it has also brought 2D segments along with it. While they do not play a major role, there are many times that the game will switch from its top-down perspective to a 2D side-scroller. These segments are often short and tend to really only pop up in various dungeons, tunnels, or as treasure hiding spots. But, through them, players get to experience this forgotten side of the franchise.
A 2D side-scrollerLegend of Zeldagameseems like a strange prospect in the modern day. That being said, side-scroller mechanics actually seem to fit really well into a game likeZelda: Echoes of Wisdom. It can help shake up the gameplay a bit, provide players with a whole new perspective, and let the studio experiment more outside the standard top-down experience the series has become accustomed to. Plus, if players don’t take well to them, this version is so brief many may not even think about it.
It is nice to seeZelda: Echoes of Wisdompay homage to both the classic top-down games and the side-scroller era. Even if this is the last time players see that type of gameplay, it at least got to shine once more on the Nintendo Switch. On the other hand, perhaps this is a sign of things to come inThe Legend of Zelda’s highly anticipated future.
