25th September 2024 treated Zelda fans to perhaps the most unexpected release of the entire series. That of a brand new entry titled Echoes of Wisdom. But what really made headlines was the realisation of a concept heavily discussed amongst the fandom for years: Zelda as the playable protagonist of the game. The Nintendo Direct teaser of June 2024 demonstrated how it was Link who would require rescuing this time. Additionally, we were shown Zelda’s role as a magician with special powers to create replicas of… well… everything she comes across in this new adventure. Fans approached this new entry with intrigue as much as excitement in seeing how this curveball of a new Zelda game would pan out. Over two weeks after its release, I’ve had my own playthrough of the game. And as a minor spoiler, the game was glorious. Now, let me delve deeper into why I thought this! As always, if you haven’t played the game, come back later as this review will go into MAJOR SPOILERS
An impeccable blend of traditional and modern Zelda
As much praise as the likes of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom have garnered around a new, open world style of Zelda gameplay along with the almost endless amount of freedom the player is afforded, there are many who are genuine in their criticism around these games departing too far from the traditional, linear format of the franchises’ entries. As a result, there was a clamour for the game developers to combine aspects of the free, open-world format of gameplay with the linearity and puzzles associated with the likes of Ocarina of Time, Skyward Sword and Twilight Princess. Echoes of Wisdom is clear and obvious evidence that the game developers listened. From the aesthetics to the actual gameplay, the blend between traditional and modern Zelda was exceptional. The overworld of the map certainly mirrored that seen in games such as A Link to the Past, Four Sword Adventures and A Link Between Worlds, however, specific areas in the different regions were clearly inspired by Breath of the Wild, for example, Gerudo Town and the attire of the natives were a replica of those found in the 2017 blockbuster, along with the volcano areas, the energy-replenishing hot springs, the mist of the Eternal Forest, and most glaringly, the attire and architecture of the Sheikahs. There was also a perfect split between linearity and freedom to choose which areas the player could tackle, evidenced by the first segment of the game allowing the player to complete the Jabul Ruins or Gerudo Sanctum in either order before the beginning of the next segment, which allowed the player to complete the Faron, Eldin or Lanayru Temples in any order, the latter three temples being unavailable before completing the first segment of the game. Additionally, the dungeons also played into this theme of a blend between the old and the new (which I will get to in a separate section of the review).
A fresh, yet compelling story narrative enhancing the series lore
Given the fact that the teaser showed that it was Link who needed rescuing by Zelda in this outing, the story was always going to be a subject of fascination. What we got was something quite unorthodox for a Zelda game. The game starts off with a bang, where it mirrors what we usually have gotten with the end of most Zelda games: Link going to Ganon’s lair to rescue Zelda. But after that particular fight, Link is stolen away by a rift, with his last action being shooting an arrow to free Zelda from her glass prison. We soon find out why Zelda is having to be on the run, with it being revealed that not only do rifts steal people away, but replace them with evil doppelgangers. The King is no exception here, who’s doppelganger orders Zelda’s execution, needing her to escape from the castle dungeons. And I have to say, I really enjoyed this aspect of the game, how Zelda wasn’t just loitering around the land as the cherished princess, but begins as a fugitive!
The visits to the Zora and Gerudo regions provided new concepts also, I liked how we got both River and Sea Zora coexisting, and that they weren’t hostile to one another like the teasers had us believe, instead the respective chiefs of the Zora having more of a sibling-type rivalry over music. I also noticed that the Gerudo weren’t as hostile to the outside world as Ocarina of Time, yet not as friendly as Breath of the Wild.
Coming to the main protagonist of the game, Null, it is not presented as a megalomaniac like Ganondorf, or a harbinger of destruction like Demise. Rather, it feels like Null wasn’t really evil, but bringing balance to the universe, consuming in contrast to the creation conducted by Nayru, Din and Farore. And upon its defeat, I almost felt sorry for it as it desperately tried to cling on to life.
Link may have been the one needing to be rescued this time, but he certainly was no damsel in distress. We get some solid backstory on the warrior clad in green, how being swallowed in a rift as a child took away his speech, and after completing a few dungeons, we learn that he is on his own mission within the Still World trying to fight Null and its minions. And when we finally rescue him, the game incorporates him into the final dungeon and boss battle impeccably, still demonstrating the sword fighting badass he has always been!
An amazing return to form for Zelda Dungeons along with fun and engaging boss fights
Of the many wonders of Breath of the Wild, the dungeons in the form of the Divine Beasts were certainly not one of them. Tears of the Kingdom did make a slight shift towards the traditional format, but again, people found them a little too similar to the Divine Beasts. However, what Echoes of Wisdom managed to achieve with its dungeons was a dream for pretty much all Zelda fans. Yes, the freedom of how to solve stimulating puzzles was indeed present, particularly with the option of almost endless echoes at the players’ disposal, and this was combined with the freedom of exploring the dungeon in the way the player chose to do so. However, I was immediately delighted to see how we (finally) saw the return of the dungeon map, small keys, and of course, the Boss Key. Nothing encapsulated the perfect blend between modern and traditional Zelda more than the dungeons of this game. On top of this, there was a variety of themed dungeons. We had the usual forest, fire, water and sand-themed dungeons. However, the Suthorn Ruins served as an almost “normal-themed” dungeon that didn’t fit into a specific type. And with the Lanayru Temple, we got a challenging ice-themed temple.
In the same vein, we get a variety of boss battles. My personal favourite was the fight against Volvagia at the Eldin Temple. For me, it was a superior experience to the Volvagia fight from Ocarina of Time, testing my resilience as well as my use of the echoes. The Gohma boss battle (because it’s obligatory to have some form of Gohma in most Zelda games) was slightly different from Gohmas seen before, and the boss of the Gerudo Sanctum Mogryph also presented a fun and interesting challenge from bosses seen before. But I must say, the final boss in the shape of Null was an exquisite experience. It truly was an ultimate test of my echo-using skills indeed, my favourite part of the battle being the underwater phase, something I would love to see being replicated in a future 3D Zelda game (imagine fighting Ganondorf underwater?!)
Zelda – a phenomenal main protagonist given dazzling gameplay
As mentioned earlier in my review, the concept of Zelda being the main, playable protagonist of a game was something of intense debate amongst Zelda fans for years. Many clamoured for the Princess to finally get her chance to shine, whilst others (and I will confess, me included) were not too keen on this being realised. But once the teaser confirmed the materialisation of this concept, I was fascinated to see how it would pan out. Three months, and another completed Zelda game later, how I am pleased to be proven wrong! Playing as Zelda in a protagonist role far exceeded my expectations. For starters, I’m glad that a more traditional iteration of the character got to be playable (I’ve honestly never been super obsessed with the BOTW/TOTK iteration of Zelda). There was a certain charm about Zelda in this game, despite not having any dialogue. But from what I can figure, I imagine this Zelda to be an upbeat, charismatic yet assertive personality.
I really thought Zelda and Tri had solid chemistry with their main hero-sidekick dynamic, and Tri was a more than worthy companion character, definitely above the likes of Navi, Tatl and Fi, although still short of Midna and the King of Red Lions. Coming back to Zelda as the protagonist, I’m more than glad that Nintendo refrained from the obnoxious trope inexplicably adopted by Hollywood and some Western game developers of making the female character a superior version of the long standing male protagonist and degrading the latter in the process. Instead, Zelda was a brilliantly facilitated main protagonist of the game, making her the Priestess of Legend who would fight alongside the Legendary Swordsman to save Hyrule. Although Zelda had her temporary sword fighting form (which was a blast to play with), she had her own skillset as a mage creating echoes, and the game clearly showcased that both Link and Zelda contributed in defeating Tri, one couldn’t have won without the other. And this is a dynamic I would certainly love to see in future Zelda games!
My Verdict
This may have been an unexpected release, but boy am I glad this game exists. Of course, I do have some very minor complaints, including slight irritations with the controls, a lack of region-based outfits for Zelda and my gripe with why the Deku Scrubs were brought back in a Zelda game before the Kokiri. However, the game was as close to perfect as it could be. Zelda’s first outing as the main playable character was far beyond my expectations, the overworld was scenic and gorgeous, the gameplay was exceptionally fun, and as mentioned before, the game blended modern and traditional Zelda in a way that BOTW and TOTK could only ever dream of. Which is why, I cannot give this game anything lower than a 10/10. For me, one of the greatest Zelda games of all time.
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