TheLegend of Zeldafranchise has taken on many different forms over the years, with the likes ofZelda: The Wind WakerandZelda: Breath of the Wildseeming like two completely different franchises. During the Wii era, the series shed away its more cartoonish side for the muchmore realisticZelda: Twilight Princess. Often regarded as one of the best that the franchise has to offer, Nintendo has not really gone back to revisit its unique style since. ButZelda: Echoes of Wisdommay actually be filling that void, sort of.
WhileZelda: Echoes of Wisdomlooks and plays nothing likeTwilight Princess, it does share more similarities than players may think. Specifically, much of the game’s structure feels ripped straight from Link’s grittier tale. And although these comparisons may not be the grand return ofTwilight Princesssome were looking for, it is still nice to see that it has seemingly made an impact all these console generations later.
Twilight Princess and Echoes of Wisdom Feel Very Similar
Twilight Princess and Echoes of Wisdom Share Similar Plot Structures
One of the biggest similarities betweenZelda: Echoes of WisdomandTwilight Princessis the core story that is being told here. InZelda: Echoes of Wisdom, the kingdom of Hyrule is slowly being engulfed bymassive rifts that lead to the Still World, and it is up to Princess Zelda to stop them. InZelda: Twilight Princess, Hyrule is also slowly being engulfed by another world, but this time it comes in the form of the Twilight Realm. Even though the realms engulfing the kingdom are different, that core premise seems virtually identical, with one of the few major differences being the hero who needs to fix it.
The plot similarities do not end there, as there is also an entire sequence that feels copied and pasted. InZelda: Twilight Princess, Link is arrested after turning into a wolf and thrown into a damp jail cell. It is there thathe meets the mysterious Midna, who ends up helping him escape. A very similar thing occurs inZelda: Echoes of Wisdom, where Zelda is arrested upon returning to Hyrule only for the fairy Tri to arrive and help her break out. Both are arrested, both have allies, and both must save the kingdom from plunging into the unknown.
Both Game Also Seem to Share Similar Mechanics
Along with their plots, the two games also share a similar mechanic when it comes to interacting with various objects. While breaking out of the prison inZelda: Echoes of Wisdom,Zelda is given the powerful Tri Rod, which can create echoes and bind to objects. When players progress throughTwilight Princess' Temple of Time, they are able to get their hands on the Dominion Rod, which allows them to bring statues to life.
These statues will end up mimicking Link’s movements and can be used to attack enemies or perform various special abilities. Although the Tri Rod can do so much more, it can also make objects, statues, or enemies follow the player with its bind ability. Of course, it likely took more inspiration fromZelda: Breath of the Wild’s SheikahSlate, but the feature had to have started somewhere, and maybeTwilight Princessblazed the trail.
Along with that, there are a couple of other similarities some fans may notice during their Hyrule adventures, including the fact that Tri’s friends feel awfully similar to the Light Spirits. Of course, since this is all part of the same franchise, these similarities are bound to happen as the ideas grow and evolve. That being said, It is nice to see all of these concepts crop back up again decades later, and it will be interesting to see ifZelda: Echoes of Wisdomhas just as much of a lasting impact asTwilight Princessseemingly has.
