With the Switch console near the end of it lifespan and fresh from the game-changing open-world evolutions of Breath Of The Wild and Tears Of The Kingdom, it would be easy for Nintendo to stick to a tried and tested format of the top-down Zelda games that have anchored the series for nearly four decades. The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom isn’t that though – instead pushing the franchise into new and exciting territories.
First announced in June during a Nintendo Direct broadcast, Echoes Of Wisdom is set for release on September 26. It’s a bold move forward mainly because the game allows players a rare chance to take control of the elf-like Hylian princess Zelda after decades of playing as her much-loved warrior mate Link. The fantasy world of Hyrule is a bit different too, with a mysterious rift opening up and threatening to swallow the entire map.
We spent 80 minutes with the game during a recent hands-on preview, and we’re buzzing to tell you why it might be our fave Zelda experience ever…
It’s a delight to finally play as Zelda properly
“If only Link was here,” says one villager early on in Echoes Of Wisdom. And while the sword-swishing hero has stopped all manner of destructive villains over the past three decades, it turns out Zelda is more than capable of similar dungeon-exploring, boss-besting exploits.
Hylian historians will know Zelda was the hero in two laughably bad games for the early ’90s Phillips CD-i console (Zelda’s Adventure and The Wand of Gamelon). Then there’s Spirit Tracks, which had her soul as Link’s sort-of sidekick. But Echoes Of Wisdom is the first mainline Zelda game to properly feature the titular princess as a playable character. And rather than just serving up Link in a different outfit, Zelda is very much her own protagonist.
Rather than hacking and slashing her way through forests, fields and rocky mountains, Zelda has to rely on stealth and street smarts. The game leans heavily on its puzzle mechanics and strategy obstacles. Guards can be distracted by a well-timed pot toss, while spinning will cut down grass to reveal all manner of treasure.
“Zelda, can you even fight monsters?” asks another villager later on. Yes, is the answer to that. Early in the game, she’ll arm herself with a magical blade, enabling her ‘Swordfighter’ form for a limited time. This special ability is powered using a dedicated energy bar that can be periodically recharged. It means players can still cut their way to victory, but there are other ways to get the job done too. Which leads us to…
The new ‘Echoes’ system makes for hours of fun
Joining Zelda on this journey into the unknown is Tri, a mysterious fairy who helps you conjure objects known as ‘Echoes’. The canny sprite allows you to copy and paste a range of objects, from trampolines and cooked meat to axe-wielding monsters who are ready to do your bidding, with the number of Echoes available at any one time based on Tri’s current level.
Annoyingly, helpful things like swords, shields and a ladder can’t be ‘Echoed’ – and the slow speed at which your Spear Moblin assistant attacks flying enemy Keese will have you shouting at the screen in irritation. It’s all part of the fun though.
With a rapidly-building library, potential stumbling blocks such as dungeon puzzles and bosses have multiple solutions. Ledges can be reached via carefully constructed towers of tables, a well-timed bounce on a kid’s trampoline or by building a staircase of old beds. Defeating enemies, meanwhile is a case of trial and error as you send waves of different Echoes into battle. Our early favourite is the bouncing flame blob Ignizol, capable of causing devastating wildfires. Just don’t stand too close…
The system of picking an Echo, summoning it, then choosing another Echo from the library has looked pretty slow-going in footage shared by Nintendo so far, but a quick-change menu allows players to cycle seamlessly between their most-used Echoes, making it a sleek skill that doesn’t take away from the urgency of the game. As you progress, different Echoes can be combined – bringing the never-ending possibilities of Breath Of The Wild into a more-focused Zelda game.
It’s perhaps the darkest Zelda game yet
The Legend Of Zelda has always flirted with darkness – from the imminent apocalypse of Majora’s Mask to the demonic possession in Twilight Princess. But despite the adorable art style, Echoes Of Wisdom might be the darkest instalment yet.
The story starts with almost everyone Zelda trusts getting sucked into the mysterious rifts which are popping up across Hyrule, with her own father replaced by a creepy duplicate who then sentences her to death.
With that little hurdle out of the way, players will then bump into villagers across the land who have lost loved ones to the widening canyons. Later, Zelda will encounter those petrified husbands, wives and children who are slowly fading away – with no immediate way to save them either…
If that wasn’t bleak enough, the first major battle Zelda faces is against a dark version of Link. Nothing says ‘prepare for the unexpected’ more than trying to slay an iconic, timeless hero who’s revered across Hyrule and the real world.
‘The Still World’ is bizarre and brilliant
At one point, Zelda has to get her hands dirty and dive into the pesky rifts herself. Here, she encounters ‘The Still World’ – which is Zelda’s version of Stranger Things’ Upside Down crossed with the gravity-bending weirdness of Super Mario Galaxy by way of ‘The Void’ from Deadpool & Wolverine. We only got a small taste of the nightmarish purple wasteland, but with petrified residents, deteriorating objects and no respect for the rules of reality, it’s the stuff of absolute nightmares and really opens the door for things to get strange. We can’t wait to see what else it has to offer.
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