Nintendo rarely misses when it comes to new entries in its beloved high fantasy series, The Legend Of Zelda. And from the 45 minutes I got to play of the upcoming The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom, it's safe to say Nintendo’s about to do it again. Echoes Of Wisdom cleverly combines the design philosophies of both of last year’s Zelda games into what’s likely to be one of the best and most ingenious titles of 2024.
Echoes Of Wisdom marks the first time in the mainline series that players will step into the shoes of Princess Zelda. After a mysterious dark magic power invades Hyrule and steals away hundreds of its citizens — including her father the king and the brave warrior Link — Zelda sets out on her own to find answers and return her people to safety.
As expected, Zelda plays nothing like Link. Instead of the brawn and head-strong courage displayed by the tunic-wearing boy hero, Zelda wields magic and wisdom. And while the game retains the toyetic design of 2023’s Link’s Awakening remake, the shift in protagonist completely changes the experience in Echoes Of Wisdom.
The gameplay revolves around Zelda learning echoes, which allow her to create exact copies of items and enemies at will. The enemies can be spawned as allies in combat, while objects are typically used for traversal and puzzle-solving. Each thing Zelda learns to create has a magic cost that players must consider, as her ethereal companion Tri can only spawn the equivalent of four points worth of objects. (A simple object like a crate might cost one point, while a mid-tier enemy costs two points.) Players are encouraged to find as many of these echoes as they can since each one gives you a new tool to solve the game’s puzzles.
Zelda can also use the ability Bind, which allows her to move heavy objects in step with her movement. And she can attach herself to objects, letting enemies and obstacles move her around freely. With all these abilities combined, the result is a 2D Zelda game injected with the same immersive sim elements that Tears Of The Kingdom players will instantly recognize.
While Echoes Of Wisdom doesn’t let players create flying contraptions and makeshift weapons, it does follow the same open-ended puzzle design. For example, in the game’s opening moments, Zelda must sneak out of the castle against the will of her royal guards. The act of sneaking around patrols offers multiple ways of approaching the situation. Players could use a pot echo to lure guards away from their position, allowing Zelda to get past using bookshelves as cover. Players could also use a combination of boxes and beds to climb up the bookshelves and sneak past patrols from above.
This early game example does a great job preparing players for the open world and dungeons that follow. In one dungeon, I was tasked with lighting a torch at the bottom of the level to proceed through a locked door. I solved the puzzle using a flammable echo and my Bind ability to spread the fire from one place to the unlit torch.
After I solved the puzzle, a Nintendo representative watching along pointed out that I had actually missed an opportunity to learn an echo built specifically for handling fire earlier in the level. This object would have completely changed my approach to solving the puzzle, a testament to just how creative the player can be when making progress through the game.
During combat sections, Zelda’s abilities can be applied just as craftily. I found a lot of amusement in ascending above enemies using boxes and beds and dropping rock echoes on their heads to eliminate them. During more chaotic fights, I would create an echo of spear-throwing Boarblins to act as sentinels on the battlefield, then use bind on a nearby sea urchin to jab enemies from a safe distance. In another encounter, I simply overwhelmed my enemies with blobs and Keese as I watched on in glee.
Zelda isn’t completely helpless in combat, either. A magical ability called the Swordfighter form which grants the princess a temporary adeptness with a sword and shield.
If there’s one criticism I have based on my time with Echoes Of Wisdom, it’s that it can be tough to parse through the sheer number of echoes available to Zelda. While you can sort them alphabetically or by time acquired, trying to find an exact object became cumbersome the larger my collection became. This will likely become second nature the longer you play, but can be overwhelming when just starting.
The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom may look like an incremental update on Link’s Awakening. But don’t let the presentation fool you. What Nintendo has crafted instead is a wholly unique and inventive experience fitting not only as a tentpole Switch release but for the iconic character’s debut as a leading protagonist. I can’t wait to play more of Echoes Of Wisdom once it releases later this month.
