The game kicks off right at the end of a typical heroic Link adventure, details of which are unknown to the player (and Zelda, who’s been kidnapped). But when Link falls in the ultimate battle, Zelda is united with a magical sprite who imparts the Tri Rod, a magic staff that provides the new abilities. The result is a drastic break from convention, where you’re no longer relying on authored puzzles and specific items to progress. Instead you’re experimenting with more than 100 Echoes and their properties, from size and weight to things such as fire propagation or electrical conduction, to invent your own solutions. The humble bed becomes a multipurpose tool for building in addition to being a handy portable resting spot, while stranger items such as cubes of gravity-defying water require more experimenting to determine their various uses.
From early on you can rig up structures that let you jump fences to get to areas you “shouldn’t” be, and coming up with a wild idea before discovering that it actually works (and was accounted for by the developers) is always a thrill. There are so many optional caves and crannies that reward your wise Echo use with treasure, and sly use of your tools to rout enemies or avoid traps often feels like cheating or getting away with something, which is a sensation familiar from the shrines in Breath of the Wild.
The world doesn’t quite bend to your will like it does in Tears of the Kingdom, but then it’s a different type of world. Exploring the village surrounding Hyrule Castle or splashing around in the ruins of the Faron Wetlands feels nothing like the lonely open worlds of the new games; Echoes of Wisdom is dense and filled with characters, activities, side quests and secrets.
The game was co-developed by Grezzo, a studio behind previous Zelda remakes such as Link’s Awakening, and as with a certain side-activity in that game you can feel here an intense love for the Zelda of the 1990s, and a desire to create a game where players act as dungeon master.
Wisdom above all
Having Zelda as a main character is a frequent fan request, but it’s far from straightforward. Should she simply act like Link but look like Zelda? Should the entire game change to accommodate a magic user rather than a sword fighter? The solution in Echoes of Wisdom is a brilliant one, which I think should satisfy fans even as it provides a genuinely interesting experience for newcomers.
Zelda has always been presented in the series as the manifestation of wisdom, as distinct from Link who wields courage, and I love that her new powers reflect that. Both characters are ultimately needed to deal with the world-ending catastrophe in this game, as usual, but players are required to wield the Tri Rod in a way Zelda can and Link simply wouldn’t; with perception and intelligence.
Some underground areas are presented from a fixed side-on perspective, which changes how the Echoes work.
The shift in perspective also factors in to how sublime many of the dozens of side-quests are. This is the best-realised the kingdom of Hyrule and its people have ever been in a 2D Zelda, and that’s thanks in part to Zelda being a wise and compassionate ruler. Whether you’re exploring stories about the various races and their struggles, helping out with a post-catastrophe rebuild, or partaking in sillier elements like the smoothie-making or horse riding, Zelda feels more involved than Link usually does.
Zelda’s powers fundamentally change the approach to combat as well, and at first it can feel like you’re a passive participant, spawning friendly enemies to deal with nasty ones while you stay out of the way. But as your collection of Echoes grows, you become more familiar with their properties and the game introduces more complex scenarios, the system becomes quite satisfying.
Certain creatures will attack immediately when you produce them, which can be used as a direct assault, while others don’t fight at all but can provide useful battlefield effects like distractions or electricity-enhancing rain. You can build shelters or higher ground, use Bind to your advantage by repositioning friends and foes, or flood the room with small but deadly pests. And, by using Link’s blade, you can transform Zelda into a courageous sword fighter to hit directly as in the traditional games. But this consumes magical energy that isn’t always easy to find, so you need to use it judiciously.
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This game is the confident realisation of a bundle of impossible gameplay ideas, which also lands thematically and aesthetically, and I’d argue is the result of a Nintendo at the height of its power. But Nintendo’s focus is clearly on finding new and surprising ways to reinvent beloved formulas for fans new and old, rather than on issues of a more technical nature, so in that respect the game is not perfect.
As with Link’s Awakening, the frame rate in Echoes of Wisdom will reliably shudder as the screen scrolls in wide open areas, which would be a turn-off in a game any less engaging. The imaginative possibilities of the Echoes also exceed Nintendo’s ability to make a suitable menu system; you can only really search by last used, most used or last learnt, meaning a lot of good Echoes can get lost at the end of all the lists and you’ll forget you have them.
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