The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom was released on September 26, the latest entry in the long-running, beloved Nintendo series. Similar in style to 2019’s The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, this puzzle-based adventure has one important deviation from every other mainline game: People can actually play as Zelda. Despite being the titular character for decades, Zelda has only been playable in spin-offs and ensemble games like Super Smash Bros.
Nintendo’s most popular series have traditionally been male-focused in its leading characters, with Mario and Link fighting against the forces of evil (like Bowser and Ganon) to save their respective leading ladies. Recent years have seen a dramatic shift in that trend, as now both Princess Zelda and Princess Peach take the reins in their own adventures alongside the traditional main entries like Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
The Trend Of Female Protagonists In Nintendo Games
A New Era Of Princess Power
Interestingly enough, Echoes of Wisdom's release is not the first Nintendo game to flip the hero and damsel dynamic in recent years, though it wasn't originally intended star Zelda. In fact, it’s not even the first game to switch these roles in 2024. Princess Peach: Showtime!, which came out in March of 2024 alongside a beautiful set of pink Joy Cons, gave the lead to Princess Peach instead of Mario.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Final Boss & Ending Explained (In Detail)
This final boss is not what Zelda fans expect, but it surprises everyone with layers that also unites Zelda and Link in The Legend of Zelda Series.
In this title, Princess Peach must save a theater and its guardian from an evil grape-themed sorceress. Mario is never seen or even mentioned throughout the entire game, which gives a uniquely Peach-y themed experience. In Princess Peach: Showtime!, like Echoes of Wisdom, the most iconic female character of the franchise is now in charge. However, unlike Echoes of Wisdom, the male lead is entirely absent from the story.
Echoes of Wisdom Isn't The First Game To Flip The Script
A 2000s Era Game With Peachy Power
Nintendo has finally been taking advantage of its huge catalog of iconic female characters as its two premier princesses get their own games. But these two recent games aren’t the first to do this. The first game that truly pioneered this trend came out all the way back in 2005: Super Princess Peach.
Released on the Nintendo DS, Super Princess Peach featured Princess Peach on a quest to save Mario, Luigi, and various Toads from Bowser after he used a powerful weapon called the Vibe Scepter to scramble emotions across the Mushroom Kingdom and Vibe Island. This early aughts game also features a unique gameplay function that revolves around Princess Peach’s emotions. Using joy, gloom, calm, and rage, Peach must fight through eight worlds alongside a magic parasol named Perry.
The game is iconic and ahead of its time, as more princess lead games are now coming out with financial and critical success.
Almost two decades after its release, an emotion-based gameplay system for the only Mario Bros game headlined by Princess Peach at the time can certainly be looked at with a side-eye, but it was still the first to give Princess Peach her own game. The game is iconic and ahead of its time, as more princess lead games are now coming out with financial and critical success, especially The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.
