There were many questions heading into today’s Nintendo Direct, and one of the biggest ones was about whether Nintendo could truly surprise players. Well, with The Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom, they not only stunned players, but they fulfilled one of the deepest wishes that fans have had for YEARS. Why? This game isn’t just another title set within the realm of Hyrule; it’s one where the protagonist is Zelda herself! That’s right, this time, you need to save the day as Zelda and her unique set of abilities, making this one of the most unique entries in the franchise.
The story of Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom is this. Ganon had once again captured Princess Zelda, and Link was able to defeat him. However, no sooner did he do so than unusual rifts opened up on the floor, swallowing the hero whole! Just before being sucked in, he was able to free Zelda, and that put her on the path to saving the day! With much of Hyrule being caught in these rifts, Zelda must travel the land, figure out what happened, and save her people!
The key thing about gameplay here is that Zelda won’t use traditional weapons like Link does in his titles. Instead, she meets a special fairy that gives her a staff called the “Tri Rod,” and it allows her to copy items and then recreate them as many times as she wants! That might not sound impressive, but these items can be summoned in various ways to help Zelda solve puzzles, fight monsters, traverse areas, and more!
Speaking of monsters, Zelda can copy monsters, too! That means that in battle, she can summon an area of foes she’s felled to ensure that she comes out on top and that she doesn’t get hit. Producer Eiji Aonuma has stated that there are so many things that Zelda can copy in this title that even HE doesn’t know the full number! That’s a lot of variety!
What’s special about this is that it speaks to who Zelda is as a character and Tri-Force user. She’s meant to be the embodiment of wisdom, and true wisdom is being able to think cleverly to get out of a situation you’re in or solve the problem right in front of you. It’s truly something special that after all these years, we’re finally getting to play as Princess Zelda and explore HER legend in a new way.
The Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom arrives on Nintendo Switch on September 26th!
