The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom doesn’t need Link to be great

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is the first mainline game in Nintendo’s legendary series that lets fans take on the role of the iconic princess. It’s a monumental moment and one that could make it the most interesting 2D Zelda game to date. 

While any Legend of Zelda announcement will spark worldwide excitement, the June Nintendo Direct reveal of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is special for one major reason. For the first time since the original hit TV screens back in 1986, players will be able to play as Princess Zelda in a mainline game. 

This obviously opens up a lot of unique opportunities when it comes to how Zelda approaches combat, solves puzzles, and traverses the Kingdom of Hyrule. With Echoes of Wisdom’s release date set for September 26, 2024, fans don’t have long to wait – and it could just be the most interesting 2D Zelda game to date.

Unique combat scenarios

While Link’s trusty Master Sword is one of the most iconic video game weapons of all time, The Legend of Zelda series is at its best when it remains in The Lost Woods. This is largely due to the blade’s ability to completely trivialize combat. 

To help alleviate this issue, Breath of the Wild famously nerfed Link’s Legendary sword, having it run out of energy temporarily after a certain amount of uses. Players then had to wait 10 minutes for it to regenerate before unleashing its devastating power. 

Tears of the Kingdom also followed this cooldown functionality, but instead of acting like a regular sword, Link could Fuse other items to it, further elevating the blade’s power. Even with these nerfs in place, whenever our green-clad hero gets hold of the Master Sword, there’s very little his enemies can do to counter its destructive power. 

This is great when you want to mindlessly slice through Ganondorf’s Moblin hordes, but part of the fun of Zelda games is utilizing Link’s other tools to beat foes. Whether that’s through using Tears of the Kingdom’s Fuse ability to make unique weapons or alternating between Bow and Boomerang to barrage unsuspecting foes. 

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s combat channels this methodical approach to combat, which is largely down to Zelda’s unique weapon – the Tri Rod. Unlike Link, the Princess of Hyrule doesn’t swing around a sword, instead, she gains access to a magical staff that can make copies (echoes) of objects and enemies. 

This opens up a new dynamic for both regular combat encounters and boss fights, with players needing to rely on various objects to outwit opponents. Do you conjure a rock to counter an enemy’s sword swing before throwing it at them? Or do you unleash an echo of another monster, and watch as it does the fighting for you? 

Just from the brief four-minute gameplay trailer shown at the Nintendo Direct, the possibilities seem almost endless. In a Hyrule without the Master Sword, players have to think a little more carefully about each encounter – and that’s exactly what Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom looks to achieve. 

Greater freedom when solving puzzles

It’s not just combat that will drastically change in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. The Tri Rod opens up new ways for players to solve puzzles. While the Tri Rod has similarities to Link’s Ultrahand ability, in that it can move objects and erect structures, the magical staff has the bonus of being able to summon anything Zelda has previously copied. 

It’s this freedom that could make it one of the best 2D Zelda games we’ve seen since A Link Between Worlds back in 2013. This 3DS title famously enabled our hero to merge into walls, adding a new dynamic to exploration and puzzle solving – an area recent 2D releases have failed to deliver. 

Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom aims to provide another unique take on the series’ 2D titles, by giving players more adjacency over the way they solve puzzles and explore Hyrule. When discussing the game’s Echoe ability, Producer, Eiji Aonuma notes solving puzzles and battling enemies “will change depending on the Echoes used,” and that “each player’s experience will be different.” 

Just from the trailer alone, we’ve already seen how Zelda can create platforms using stacked beds, block wind traps using decorative plants, and even summon trampolines to reach inaccessible locations. It certainly appears that the Princess has a few tricks up her sleeve.

The Legend of Link: A new Zelda story

Fans of Zelda have wanted a playable princess for years, particularly after Skyward Sword made special efforts to make her feel like a living and breathing character, and not just another generic princess in need of saving. 

A lot of debate was sparked over Zelda’s lack of appearance in Breath of the Wild, and while the latter was somewhat alleviated in Tears of the Kingdom – with Link needing to piece together Zelda’s past events, she has served as a glorified plot device that calls Link to action.

Echoes of Wisdom aims to change that. It will be the first mainline Zelda game that puts the focus purely on the princess, which is a monumental moment for the series. This time Link is the one that needs saving, and the Hylian princess will need to piece together the mystery behind the strange rifts that have appeared across the kingdom of Hyrule. 

Having Zelda as the protagonist is certainly an exciting prospect, and hopefully, this will be the beginning of a new wave of adventures starring a playable princess.