Is Zelda now worthy of the Legend?
Save the kingdom of Hyrule – this time with the wisdom of Princess Zelda – in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. The people of Hyrule are being stolen away by strange rifts that have appeared, and with a certain swordsman among those missing, it’s up to Princess Zelda to save her kingdom. Team up with the mysterious fairy, Tri, and use the power of the Tri Rod to learn how to create echoes, imitations of things found in the environment.
I have been a fan of the Zelda series since I played Zelda II on the NES. Yes I know, it’s the black sheep of the series (with the exception of the CD-I games) but it hooked me in as a kid and I will always appreciate it for that. Coming back to the CD-I games, Zelda’s Adventure was the only game previously where you could actually play as the princess herself, so I could see why some were worried about her getting her own game…but fret not, she’s not called a Legend for nothing…
Echoes of Wisdom takes the art style seen in the Switch remake of Link’s Awakening and runs with it. Link is swallowed up in a rift and Zelda is the only one who can save him and Hyrule from the spread of rifts throughout the kingdom. It handles much like a traditional 2D Zelda title, though Zelda herself doesn’t actually attack…at least not to begin with. She gets a rod from her new friend Tri, which she can use to produce imitations of almost everything around her, which can vary from beds and blocks to enemies and platforms. The rod can also move specific objects or enemies out of the way.
You will need to have defeated an enemy before you can make it into an echo though, so you’ll originally have to use what’s around you to beat your first, but then you can create echoes of it to use against other foes, as many as Tri will currently let you. The great thing about this is that it lets you come up with your own solutions to reach new areas or beat enemies and bosses, it’s a really unique idea for the series and I hope they use it again in some other form, even if it’s limited.
After a while, Zelda will be able to enter Swordfighter mode but this is temporary until her energy bar depletes. You can refill it with shards you find or through smoothies/potions you make, but it won’t last long until you upgrade the ability later on. Tri will also get upgrades over time that reduce the cost of specific Echoes or increase the amount that you can use. You can also build automatons with the help of Dampe if you bring him the correct echoes and items.
Zelda can get her own horse after a while, which she can call upon at any time by making an echo of a carrot. This can help getting around a lot faster, though you’ll come across plenty of teleporters that you can fast-travel between, even in dungeons. Yes, I said dungeons! Echoes of Wisdom has true traditional Zelda dungeons and a fair amount of them too. I was impressed overall with the dungeons design and how you’d have to make your own solutions to each room, as opposed to waiting to get a specific item to solve a room.
The same applies to getting around Hyrule. You’ll ends up with tons and tons of Echoes, but finding the right one to reach that specific Heart Piece or to get into a cave is down to you. There are multiple solutions here, so you have more freedom than you would normally get from a Zelda game. Overall, I was more than impressed with what I could accomplish.
It’s nice to see the Link’s Awakening remake visuals return. I enjoyed the overall design, though the framerate did seem to drop in certain areas, but not consistently enough to be a problem in my eyes. The soundtrack is great as you would expect from a Zelda title, so there’s little to complain about here.
The Verdict
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom gives the player the most freedom in a 2D Zelda game to date. Zelda can replicate almost anything, giving you the choice on how to proceed. Add that in with the charming visuals and well-designed puzzles and you have a game worthy of the Legend.