tinkering that Tears of the Kingdom emphasized only a year before. Other concepts have lurked in the background of the series for much longer, however, and Echoes of Wisdom just happens to find a way to rework old gimmicks toward entirely new aims.
While the development of Zelda games over time is often tied to its most landmark entries, like A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time, the series has never been willing to universally discard ideas found in the less iconic titles. For one example, the stylus-controlled movement of Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks might never have appeared again, but the fluid directional movement that accompanied it has remained the standard in top-down Zelda since. There might only be one true black sheep in the mainline Zelda series, however — Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link.
Echoes Of Wisdom Makes Zelda Side-Scrolling Cool
Zelda 2's Big Change Has Never Looked Better
Although Nintendo is known for careful progression of its franchises today, that wasn't the case on the NES, and Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link was one example of a sequel that experimented heavily with the formula. Rather than top-down exploration, Zelda 2 featured challenging side-scrolling action and an emphasis on RPG elements. A strong critical reception and a community of ardent defenders that's just as prevalent today prove that Zelda 2 wasn't just a misstep, but the fact that it's so different from where the rest of the series ultimately went makes it an uncommon pick for franchise favorite.
Why Zelda II: The Adventure of Link Was So Different
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link took a hard left turn from its predecessor, and the franchise has never seen another game quite like it again.
Echoes of Wisdom has way more in common with Link to the Past than it does with Zelda 2, but it also revisits the side-scrolling format in a way that feels uniquely meaningful. Side-scrolling has cropped up here and there in the years since Zelda 2's release, with Link's Awakening and the Oracle games inserting relatively simple sequences into some dungeon environments. In Echoes of Wisdom, however, the feature interacts with the game's puzzle concept in a new way, as the use of echoes gains an extra layer of strategy in side-scrolling scenarios.
Echoes of Wisdom builds on the tech behind the Link's Awakening remake, so the tools for side-scrolling were conveniently already in place.
Some echoes serve identical roles regardless of the perspective, and the benefit of slamming down a bed or trampoline is essentially the same in any context throughout Echoes of Wisdom. Other echoes, however, have significantly more utility in one mode or the other. Hazards that move in a straight line can have restricted applicability in top-down environments, but in a side-scrolling segment, that relative weakness turns into an obvious strength.
Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom Doesn't Change Everything
A New Take On Side-Scrolling Is Just A Little Radical
Echoes of Wisdom doesn't seem to be focused on pushing the switch between perspectives to its limits, and there might not be anything in the game that's as transformative as the way that Super Paper Mario plays with flipping between dimensions. There's also an argument to make that the approach to 2D in A Link Between Worlds, where Link could solve puzzles and move between environments by flattening himself into walls, was even more interesting. Side-scrolling ultimately isn't the main thrust of Echoes of Wisdom's innovations, and those sequences aren't what most people will walk away from the game discussing.
Is The Master Sword In Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom?
Many are likely wondering if Link’s iconic weapon, the Master Sword, appears in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, as it’s a staple of the series.
What Echoes of Wisdom does accomplish is evolving its ideas while sticking to the same basic side-scrolling format that Zelda introduced decades ago, and that loyalty gives it a certain unique sense of satisfaction. It's a good example of what makes the game interesting as a whole, as the balance between old and new actually contributes to the sense of excitement. In some capacity, Zelda is re-tracing Link's steps in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, and revisiting the franchise's most off-beat choices to tackle them with a new set of perfectly suited tools is perfectly delightful.
Strange rifts are tearing Hyrule apart, and with Link missing, it’s up to Princess Zelda to save the kingdom. Armed with the Tri Rod and aided by a mysterious fairy, she must solve puzzles, create environmental “echoes,” and battle enemies while navigating new regions and uncovering hidden secrets.
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo, Grezzo
- Franchise
- The Legend of Zelda
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch
