Everyone is quick to forget the two CD-i games; Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon and Zelda’s Adventure for a good reason. They were messy games stuck on one of the worst pieces of hardware ever released. Rife with unbearable load times and bone-headed game design choices, it is no surprise that Nintendo buried these games but they were unique for being the only two Zelda games where players did not play as Link.
A Link Between Worlds on 3DS gave gamers an idea of what a traditional 2D Zelda game would be like if it set them loose with the freedom to complete the dungeons in any order. The Zelda formula was reinvented when Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom came around. Moving forward, Zelda games would no longer be linear experiences and would focus on emergent gameplay using magical tools.
What if the emergent gameplay from Tears of the Kingdom was applied to a traditional overhead-style Zelda game in the style of the Link’s Awakening remake? A quest focusing on lateral thinking and problem-solving over brawn would call for a new hero. How would Princess Zelda play with emergent gameplay inspired by Tears of the Kingdom? Find out in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom review!
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Developer: Grezzo, Nintendo EPD
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: September 26, 2024
Price: $59.99
The auspicious cold open to The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom features Link fully powered up, already deep in a dungeon to do battle with the King of Evil. After trading a few blows with the defiler, the fabric of reality is ripped open, and Link is dragged into the Still realm… but not before he breaks Princess Zelda free from her crystalline prison.
After a daring escape to the Hyrule overworld, Princess Zelda is befriended by Tri, a fairy from the Still World. She bestows upon her the Tri-Rod, a magical instrument that can copy the echoes of various objects and enemies. Zelda’s quest to restore Hyrule and save the people from being replaced by evil doppelgangers from the rifts will push her to her absolute limit.
For an overhead POV Zelda game, Echoes of Wisdom is the most story-heavy the franchise has had. There is a surprising amount of dialogue scenes and a large cast of characters with arcs and set-ups with pay-offs. Despite the impressive attempts at giving Echoes of Wisdom a fleshed-out story, this game leans heavily toward letting players play around.
While Zelda is given a lot of freedom to explore, she won’t be able to play any of the dungeons in any order like in A Link Between Worlds. This game gradually allows players to unfold the story at a steady pace that feels like it’s building up to a climax. Most of Hyrule is open to explore but to get anywhere, Zelda is going to need echoes.
Echoes can be anything from tables, exploding fish, trampolines, fans, or waterblocks. There are tons of echoes and the possibilities are almost limitless when negotiating a puzzling area. Most of the time, the simplest solution to getting anywhere is to make stairs, but Zelda can only summon echoes based on her total Tri count. Her max can be increased not unlike heart containers in past games.
The adorable toyetic art direction has a timeless appeal that combines old-school chibi-style designs with diorama-like environments. The heavy use of depth of field and tilt-shift photographic effects make the characters and world tangible. Highlights and reflective colored shadows are exaggerated as if from the eyes of a child experiencing a profound sense of wonderment.
The graphics look excellent and resemble something on a PlayStation 4 than Nintendo’s withering hardware. The only hint that Echoes of Wisdom is punching above its weight, is the admittedly erratic frame rate while exploring the overworld. The gameplay is very smooth and stable while in dungeons or during the 2D sequences, but expect some chop while exploring Hyrule.
In most regards, Echoes of Wisdom is the most RPG-like the franchise has ever been. In most Zelda games, rupees barely have a purpose, but this is not the case in this game since some of the most important upgrades require huge amounts. The accessories can further tweak Zelda’s play style to any preference, which fosters unique experiences.
The combat and magic paradigm in Echoes of Wisdom is inverted compared to other Zelda games. Zelda is effectively free to cast as much magic and summon echoes endlessly. Using arrows, bombs, or melee sword attacks costs limited MP. It may seem like going into sword mode might be a crutch for players who aren’t adept at using echoes, but it has other uses apart from combat like making Zelda jump twice as high.
Yes, it’s true – Zelda can jump. She can also swim from the start. Her traversal is impressive and with the help of some cheekily placed echoes, she can circumvent many dangerous areas by going on top of trees or ledges that would normally be out of bounds in any one of Link’s adventures.
No matter where you go, it always feels like you are engaging in one massive puzzle box. Every few feet, there is a side quest or environmental puzzle. Sometimes Zelda may not have the echoes to negotiate the situation, or maybe she does if you get very creative with what she has. The game constantly keeps players guessing and invites them to explore and if you can’t solve the puzzle with what you have, fast travel points are generous and load quickly.
When Zelda does find herself in a battle, it is always more fun and interesting to use echoes over the sword mode. The easy option is to summon monster echoes to fight for her, which can make the game feel like an RTS when having multiple smaller foes overwhelm a large enemy. Other times using traps and physics can torture enemies, letting players unleash their inner sadist.
As the game unfolds and players progress, Zelda’s list of echoes will grow… a lot. Echoes of Wisdom uses a similar UI system as the inventory screens from Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild. This can make the game screech to a halt as players will have to sift through dozens of echoes on a single horizontal line, adding minutes to puzzles and monster/boss encounters.
There are different categories to arrange the echo list, but no matter what, expect to be inundated with a slow process for navigating. The game needed to arrange the categories with a drop list and maybe an option to have a wheel menu for assigning some of the more useful echoes.
Other than the echoes and magical abilities, Zelda can grab distant objects and enemies, tethering herself. This is a very underrated power and is handy for keeping dangerous enemies at bay or leashing to a powerful echo like a peahat and using it like a chainsaw. Other times Zelda might need to build a structure and she will be able to move the entire combined object.
Echoes of Wisdom‘s grid-based mechanics prove to be surprisingly flexible all the way through. The level of freedom and options available to players may not be as vast as Tears of the Kingdom, but the limitations of the overhead POV become a strength that allows gamers to focus on what’s in front of them and are less likely to waste time.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is an utterly enthralling breath of fresh air for the Zelda franchise. Straying away from swordplay and quadrupling down on puzzles, magic, and monster summons is exactly what these games needed after decades of Link’s games adhering to a strict template.
Zelda’s adventure shown within The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is one of the best experiences in the series since Majora’s Mask and succeeds where Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom couldn’t: being unadulterated fun.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom was reviewed on a Nintendo Switch using a code provided by Nintendo. You can find additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy here. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is now available for Nintendo Switch.
