The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is a trailblazer for the series, since it's the first game to feature Zelda as the playable main character, which is long overdue for a franchise named after her. While I would've preferred Zelda being the main character in a 3D game, this is at least a start, and it means that we might see Zelda take the lead again in future games. In fact, there's a particular game that I'd love to see as the next Zelda title, having experienced Zelda's journey in Echoes of Wisdom.

In Echoes of Wisdom, Hyrule is in trouble once again, but this time, Link is nowhere to be found. As rifts are tearing the land apart and replacing citizens with evil versions of themselves, it's up to Zelda to take the fate of her beloved kingdom into her own hands. Unlike Link, Zelda isn't somebody who uses a sword and shield to fight. In this game, she uses echoes of objects, but her inherently magical nature means that there's a lot of potential for how she navigates puzzles and enemies in future games.

Zelda's Next Main Role In A Game Is Obvious

She Could Have The Perfect Sequel

In many games, Zelda is in a position where she's unable to travel and outright help the kingdom as freely as she can in Echoes of Wisdom. In BOTW and TOTK, Zelda is first sealed with Calamity Ganon and then sent thousands of years into the past. In games like Twilight Princess, Zelda is essentially imprisoned in Hyrule Castle by Ganondorf, which in that case is of her own volition for the sake of sparing her people Ganondorf's wrath. In short, she generally has a rough time while Link is clearing temples and breaking pottery.

However, I noticed that there's at least one game where Zelda's journey could be turned into a companion game with her as the playable character, kind of like a sequel, but taking place concurrently with the original title. Naturally, my first instinct is to say that Ocarina of Time should be retold from Zelda's perspective, where she helps Link in disguise as Sheik, doing her best to avoid Ganondorf's attention for as long as possible. Instead, I actually think Skyward Sword is a better option for retelling the story as Zelda.

It's not the only game that could be retold from Zelda's perspective, but it feels like the best fit, and I love Skyward Sword despite its shortcomings. It's tempting to suggest Tears of the Kingdom as a good option, but the more I think about it, the more I don't see it as a viable option. Unfortunately, I think that TOTK would end up being more of a politically focused game with Ganondorf and Rauru's feud. Zelda's role as the Sage of Time and becoming the Light Dragon are her main contributions in that time period.

Skyward Sword Could Be Told From A New Perspective

Familiar But Different Enough

Out of the current catalog of Zelda titles, I'd particularly love to see a companion game to Skyward Sword that shows Zelda's journey with Impa during their attempts to visit the shrines and avoid Ghirahim. Although we don't see Zelda herself fighting, it's possible that she has some type of magic that she can use at this point. Not only is she the mortal incarnation of Hylia, but she seems to have a power that Ghirahim wants to use to resurrect Demise. It would make sense that she would be able to attack or empower Impa.

Aside from magic, Zelda has shown in games that she's capable of using traditional weapons in a fight, especially in a capacity, which is perfect with her traveling alongside Impa in Skyward Sword. She's used a bow and arrows in the past, which she was able to imbue with the power of light, and she's been shown holding a sword, although we haven't really seen her use a sword in combat. Additionally, Impa likely taught her how to protect herself when she was Sheik, even if we once again don't see her in combat.

Zelda and Impa already present a unique dynamic that you don't get to experience in Zelda games.

If we include games like Hyrule Warriors and Super Smash Bros., then the possibilities for Zelda's combat abilities increase. However, they aren't considered canon, so I'll focus more on what we know and have seen in canon titles, which still gives us a lot of information about Zelda. Plus, the game doesn't necessarily have to adhere to what we've seen before, like how Echoes of Wisdom gave Zelda a completely new ability through the use of an item, the Tri Rod. It just needs to fit what we've seen in Skyward Sword.

Zelda And Impa Have A Lot Of Potential For Gameplay

New Mechanics, Abilities, And Styles

Since Skyward Sword shows us that Impa is with Zelda and guarding her as they go around the Surface, you would naturally have Impa with you in a game that follows their journey as it occurs at the same time as Link's. However, this opens up additional opportunities to create a unique gameplay system, and it could even allow for a co-op game to be made, which is rather rare in the Zelda series. It could also have the option to be a single-player game but let you swap between Zelda and Impa depending on what you need to do.

Zelda and Impa already present a unique dynamic that you don't get to experience in Zelda games, considering Link usually fights on his own or with some amount of help from Sages and Champions. However, we know that Impa is with Zelda during Skyward Sword, acting as a guard for her since she's the main target of Ghirahim. As a result, the combat system could feature combo attacks, or take a simpler approach and have Impa as a main fighter with Zelda to her. Aside from when she's in crystal, there's a lot to explore with Zelda.

I don't expect to see a companion game made for Skyward Sword, but told from Zelda's perspective. However, I think it's a great example to consider and discuss when it comes to the potential that Zelda has as the main character of another game in the franchise, and how creative developers can get for combat with her in the lead. After all, we already got to experience the fun of creating echoes of everyday objects to get through The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.