When I think back on my decennary ’ worth of Zelda memories , there ’s one that sticks with me the most : that sentence I mash Dark Link like a bug .
Partway throughThe Legend of Zelda : Ocarina of Time , Link must push his doppelganger . The shadowed villain is his perfect equal , anticipate every one of his sword cut . It ’s a ruffianly battle — or at least I guess it would have been . Rather than trying to flummox him the old - fashioned way , I plainly equip my Megaton Hammer and squashed him like a hemipteran . Anytime I ’ve relay that story to a supporter , they ’re almost always surprised . They ’d either out - slash him or campaign back with their fore . It ’s a simple import , but one that makes my playthrough feel special . It ’s not just Link ’s adventure that I ’m tune into ; it ’s my own , too .
Nintendo has drilled down on that smell with late game likeThe Legend of Zelda : Tears of the Kingdom , but now it ’s taking that idea to its classic rule . The Legend of Zelda : Echoes of Wisdomboth revisits and reinvents the serial publication ’ top - down days by placing Princess Zelda in the lead role and giving her a new detail - copying ability . That change give the doorway for a whole adventure full of “ Dark Link ” moments , as every challenge in Hyrule becomes an open - end puzzle . It ’s a expectant idea for a serial publication that flourish on change , but one that ’s not yet to the full earn . With a special selection of object to copy and a good reliance on serial basic , Zelda ’s first solo adventure does n’t full step out of Link ’s phantasm .
Playing with echoes
The Legend of Zelda : echo of Wisdomflips theusual Zelda storyon its school principal when mystical rifts spread out up around Hyrule . tie-in gets trapped in one and disappear , so Zelda must pace in to save the day . She gets a little help from a orotund critter advert Tri who gives her the Tri Rod , a staff that can copy objects and enemies as “ echoes . ” It ’s a clever gameplay twist that dwelling house in on a dissimilar piece of the Triforce for a modification . While Link ’s games are all about showcasing courage , Zelda ’s story is all about examination thespian ’ wisdom .
Echoes of Wisdomthrives on creative flexibleness .
The foundation ofEchoes of Wisdomis refreshingly familiar come off the last decade of reimagined Zelda games . It ’s a top - down dangerous undertaking filled with traditional dungeon , small key , collectable heart piece , and more pre - Breath of the Wildstaples . That ’s all made new thanks to echoes . The system ’s metier is that it ’s so easy to grasp flop from the saltation . If an object has a shine around it , I can weightlift my right trigger to copy it . From then on , I can summon it anytime I want with no confinement . The only thing keeping me in check is the fact that each echo has a specific summon cost and I have a limit as to how many ticks of echo get-up-and-go I can drop at once . With virtually no friction , I can experiment to my heart ’s content , turning every stretch of Hyrule into a little sandpit .
Rather than slashing away problems , replication of Wisdomthrives on creative flexibleness . What ’s the safe way to get past a patrolling guard duty without getting ensure ? One player could hide in a pot to evade their eyes , while another may opt to construct a bridge out of layer and run above them undetected . That idea flow into every piece of the Zelda recipe , from platforming to dungeon puzzles to boss fights . No two playthroughs will look the same .
In its good moment , that melodic theme is a complete formula scene that calls all of my favorite Zelda memories to mind . My treasured Dark Link fight come back to me in an early battle against a rift - infect Link when I summon a keese to distract him so I can safely connive from behind . When I find myself building a tower of trampolines and box seat to scale a mellow cliff , I think back to the time Ibypassed aTears of the Kingdomshrineby establish a comically impractical bridge over a water current . Breath of the Wildwas the offset of a young earned run average , butEchoes of Wisdomcements that secret plan ’s approach to musician bureau as the central sight for the series moving forward .
While echoes are a corking idea , the organization is n’t fully realized here . I ’m astonishingly limited in what I can really copy , with no in - universe of discourse account as to why . One sidequest tasks me with finding a hoarded wealth thorax for a Zora . I work out I could simulate one and rally it , but it release out that it was an particular I could n’t replicate . In fact , of the over 100 sound reflection available in the secret plan , very few of them are for items with unique upshot . The majority of what I finish up copying are interchangeable monsters who I can cite to fight for me as I stare on passively . battle feel a act like a small - scale scheme game , but with much less tactical decision - devising . Once I capture the most sinewy moblin on the block , there ’s no need for me to summon any of the other dozens of creatures that are just bandstand - ins for computer - controlled swords .
That ’s a running problem inEchoes of Wisdom , as it often step on its own design with a small-scale handful of utile sound reflection that trivialize its handcrafted ingredient . There ’s no need to build up a clever contraption to scale vertical heights when a wall - climbing wanderer become the job done every time . There may be tons of echoes to copy , but only a few spirit like they matter . easygoing shortcuts like that fall around to bite me late in the game when I discovered a minigame that asked me to “ glide ” through wind current . I had no idea how to do it and wonder if I ’d just missed an item somewhere in my escapade . I had n’t ; I had just completely steamroller through a keep that was meant to subtly instruct me how to do that by using basic seam and boxful to cross puzzle rooms .
I ’m incentivized to excessively rely on items like that due to pitiful UI . Whenever I desire to call an echo , I have to scroll through a horizontal menu ( straight fromTears of the Kingdom ’s playbook ) with every individual selection . you could imagine how cumbersome it becomes to scroll through it once you have a few dozen pick . There are filters to help organize them , but “ Most Used ” becomes the easiest agency to call a handful of go - to options rapidly . That meant I was eventually lodge in a loop using the same quickly approachable echoes . Otherwise , I ’d have to spend clip scrolling through a long , single - note carte to discover what I ’m looking for . It ’s a total momentum killer , so stick to to some central echo is a more likable pick .
Even with those frustration , I see a future in this style of play . The “ eureka ! ” moment are powerful and they do n’t require an engine room degree to arrive at them . Echoes of Wisdombetter democratize the core ideas ofTears of the Kingdom , making it well-heeled for a tyke or effortless role player to feel like they ’ve chronological sequence broken the risky venture with some clever evocation . It ’s a great starting point , but I imagine we wo n’t see the full might of it until developer Grezzo gets a second shot at it .
The smoothie problem
reverberation are n’t the only path that the adventure bringsBreath of the Wild ’s design pillars to the classic Zelda formula . Its DNA can be felt inEchoes of Wisdom ’s heart-to-heart - end exploration , long list of sidequests , perk - granting accessories , and more . In many guinea pig , those ideas are a natural fit . echo of Wisdomis the largest top - down Zelda to date and it gives players more ways than ever to research Hyrule . Anytime I obtained a utilitarian Modern echo or supplement , I ’d find myself run around the mathematical function all over again to see how that prick could help me notice something I ’d missed .
WhileBreath of the Wildlooked like a radical divergence from the Zelda series in 2017 , it ’s still probably the closest a game has come to matching the feel of the very first entry . The NES classic feel like the first rightful open - world game with its sprawling map full of secrets . Subsequent Zelda games would break off away at that more and more over the decades , butEchoes of Wisdombrings back that feeling . Exploration is satisfying here , sometimes leading me to secret boss or surprise miniskirt - dungeons that I might not obtain until my sixth head through an area .
The great here and now of find puncture the minute you uncover a mundane hatful of vulgar resource .
Not every idea from theBreath of the Wildformula is a neat fit , though . Rather run through every single misstep , rent ’s breach down one undivided mismatch that sounds like an arbitrary ill on report : charmer .
Like its recent counterpart , echo of Wisdomfeatures a cooking system of rules . Zelda can craft smoothies by simply blend two ingredients . The concoctions will heal her , but also once in a while grant her perks like chill resistance or increased climbing speed . Like a lot of strength here , it ’s a streamlined appendage that even a kidskin could piece up with little friction . It ’s Grezzo trying to take a cardinal staple fibre ofBreath of the Wildand fit it into a modest package .
It may sound small at first , but it becomes another surface area whereEchoes of Wisdomtrivializes itself by smash too many idea together . The echo system of rules think of that dangerous situations like fighting are fairly peaceful . There are n’t a fortune of situations where Zelda is at danger of losing her wellness and in need of a sweet talker to fix it . When she is hurt , she can simply summon a bottom at any sentence and pose down for a few minute to recover . Perks like increased climbing swiftness or faster diving never really make sense either , as the world here is n’t terribly perpendicular .
I rarely require to drink a smoothy , so my limited inventory slur are always filled with them . That means I ca n’t make more , in twist leaving me with a glut of ingredient . That ’s a problem , because I ’m constantly finding the same few smoothie ingredients everywhere I go . They are n’t just random pick-me-up , but often snuggle in chests as well . If you find a well - hidden secret or crack a smart as a whip teaser , you ’ll believably find a chest full of apple waiting for you instead of a philia man ( or you ’ll find Pakistani rupee , but take one shot about what you ’ll mostly corrupt with those ) . The great moment of discovery deflate the moment you bring out a terrestrial stack of common resources you have little need for .
This is just a small lesson of how one unassuming design decision so often snowballs inEchoes of Wisdom . There ’s a good reason why top - down Zelda games were n’t flush with the same systems as an open - world game . Breath of the Wildis a survival plot . It address for craft hooks to support that . Echoes of Wisdomis , at its core , alarge - scale puzzle biz . Anytime something fag heads with that vision , I can feel Grezzo contact a little too far past that orbit to try out and turn something graceful into a grand adventure worthy of the Zelda name .
Keeping it old school
WhileEchoes of Wisdomstruggles to nail down its voice , there ’s still something comforting about returning to the more traditional Zelda frame-up . It ’s great to explore full dungeons again , even if there are a few duds in the bunch . I still bang the bare joy of finding a essence firearm and see my wellness cake slowly expand . There is something so primally gratifying about the formula , and Grezzo uses its learnings fromremakingLink ’s Awakeningto bring that expiation back to the surface .
The developer has found a outstanding esthetic match for it too . The miniature - like chibi visuals are sure to be factious , but they give the world a promising and playful look that fits its fresh ideas . sound reflection are in the end toy that I can smash together , so it ’s fitting that they almost seem like shiny plastic Amiibos ; I just want to spiel with them . The soundtrack also sports some fantastic orchestrated air that call back the serial publication ’ best tunes . There ’s an infective , whimsical energy to it that we have n’t try since 2013’sA Link Between Worlds .
echo of Wisdom ’s best parts are the ones that break-dance away from what ’s expected .
There ’s a downside to that , though ; Echoes of Wisdom is perhaps a little too invested in nab that nostalgia . Despite being occupy with so many novel systems , it ’s amazingly light on creativity . The story pack me through the same location I ’ve come to await from the series . I hack it up with Gorons in the hatful and swim with the Zora . Old characters like Impa payoff like clockwork , but I meet few new single outside of Tri . Dungeons are hidden in the Still World , a much lowly iteration ofA Link to the Past ’s Dark World premise that ’s appear in so many Zelda games since . Even the storey is a bit telephone in compared to previous games , with Zelda simply hunt down a big spoilt , closing break , and saving Tri ’s friends .
Then there ’s Zelda herself , who finally induce the star role she ’s long deserved . While it ’s great to control her for a modification , sticking so close to the script means that she ’s not much of a character . She ’s a voiceless Heron like Link who only communicates through modified pantomiming . Nintendo does n’t seem wholly confident about let her have her own identity , either ; early on , players unlock Swordfighter Form , which brieflyimbues her with Link ’s canonical powers . It ’s a fail - safe that ’s sure to appease sceptical players who are n’t bang-up on the teaser emphasis , but it ’s a move that attain Zelda experience like an substitute costume .
echo of Wisdom ’s best parts are the ones that give way away from what ’s expected . My favorite minute largely happen in Still World rifts , where I take to chip at my own route through twisted snippets of Hyrule ’s domain using echoes . I ’m attuned with Zelda most when I come up a large col I ca n’t overhaul , but pull in I can get to the other side by grabbing hold of a vaporize tile with my bind power and following its itinerary . In clever puzzle platform moments like that , I feel like I ’m tapping into her third of the Triforce ; I ’m using her wiseness to meet any challenge that arises . And I ’m doing that by drawing on her connexion to all matter within her kingdom and communicating her eternal royalty through touchable period of play .
This only feel like the true first chapter of Zelda ’s saga , but I expect we ’ll really see her grow into her element in her next adventure . Legends are n’t built in one game .
The Legend of Zelda : Echoes of Wisdomwas tested on Nintendo Switch OLED .
