The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom for Nintendo Switch is out next month, and Nintendo has released an extended trailer to pump up the excitement level among fans.
Nintendo’s latest The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom teaser is not a frenetic and flashy sizzle reel of action-packed moments throughout the game, though.
This is a measured — you could even call it chilled — look into some of the different areas in the game. It’s called the Traversing Hyrule trailer.
There’s a charming little deception going on here, though. As any Zelda fan will know, almost nothing the voice-over describes of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is too much of a surprise.
We know a Zelda game is likely to feature Kakariko village and environments based around water, deserts and lava. No one’s jaw will drop at the prospect of being able to ride a horse or unlock map waypoints.
These familiar mechanics do let Nintendo serve up a structured chunk of otherwise unremarkable-looking gameplay that provides a realistic preview of what The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom will actually be like to play, though. You can almost picture the joy-cons in your hands as you watch this preview.
The second half of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom trailer digs more into the specific gameplay mechanics of this particular Zelda game, including echoes.
These are the objects you, as Princess Zelda, can conjure to get past obstacles and solve puzzles.
We also get a look at two other spells Zelda can use, Bind and Reverse Bond.
Bind lets Zelda move objects, including enemies and those summoned Echoes. Reverse Bond makes Zelda move in line with the movements of an object or enemy. You’ll have to use both of these to get through the game’s puzzles.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom was announced in June, and is out on September 26.
It’s likely to be one of the last major first-party Nintendo Switch games released before the console's follow-up arrives. Current reports suggest the next Switch will be released in March 2025, according to Japanese newspaper Nikkei.
Nintendo’s latest Q2 2024 financial results show Switch console sales dropped 46.3 per cent in the April-to-June period, compared to the same period in 2023.
Nintendo isn't close to giving up on the Switch yet, after selling 143 million units worldwide. Other notable Nintendo games in the works include Mario & Luigi: Brothership, coming in November, and Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, due in January 2025.
