After years of Link taking the spotlight, Zelda finally stars in her own adventure with this year’s The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. Using the same beautiful engine as the Link’s Awakening remake, Echoes of Wisdom looks like another memorable entry in this already legendary franchise.
Link is missing after various dimensional shifts pop up around Hyrule, also taking a number of villagers with them. Thanks to a special magic rod, Zelda finally gets to be a hero and save Hyrule herself with unique abilities not seen in one of these games.
With this rod, Zelda is able to make “echoes” of items that she can then bring out at any time, whether it’s for combat or getting through puzzles. It’s an interesting new formula that spices up the classic gameplay of this series, making Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom a Switch exclusive to look out for.
Beyond these new mechanics, Echoes of Wisdom should please fans who’ve wanted a classic 2D Zelda game after fearing Nintendo would only make open-world titles. This announcement shows that there’s still a lot the company can do with this classic formula, even if the open-world games are more impressive.
Seeing Nintendo present an ambitious new game like Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom at the end of this console’s lifespan is really interesting. Nintendo is on a roll with this, not only announcing another classic Zelda game but also the return of Mario and Luigi as an RPG series. Granted, the company is also using remakes and remasters to get by, but this shows that the Switch has a lot left in the tank.
Fans won’t have to wait too long to get their hands on this title, as Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom will be coming out on September 26, 2024. Anyone who wants a primer on how this game will play should check out the excellent Zelda: Link’s Awakening remake on Switch, which is readily available.