Summary
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomwill be landing on Switch consoles before too long, giving players a long-awaited taste of a new kind ofZeldagame.Princess Zelda will finally be playable inEchoes of Wisdom, not only as a gimmick or side excursion, but as the central protagonist, fulfilling a wish that many fans have had for years.
With this heroine taking center stage,Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomwill be implementing a number of new, transformative gameplay mechanics. No, Princess Zelda will not rely primarily on a sword and shield, dominating her foes in the same manner as the series' traditional lead. Rather, she will use what she is best known for: magic. Thanks to the Tri-Rod, Zelda will have the ability to absorb and reproduce inanimate objects and monsters, able to spit them out as “echoes” which can be used for both combat and puzzle-solving purposes. This new gameplay mechanic is tantalizing and promising, but it has one hurdle to overcome, and it ought to learn from the mistakes ofTears of the Kingdomto deftly sidestep such issues.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Needs a Better Inventory System than Tears of the Kingdom
Tears of the Kingdom’s Inventory Undermines Its Core Mechanics
Among the most exciting features introduced inTears of the Kingdomare Ultrahand and Fuse, which breathe new life into everyday objects of the game’s world. Link can use these powers to craft ingenious, sometimes bafflingly implausible, structures, or enhance existing weaponry by fusing them with items like bombs and rockets. These features open the door to a new world of creativity and player expression, where the greatest limit to creation is one’s imagination.
But there’s an awkward hiccup in this system: inventory management. Players can summon objects that they have collected throughout the game—some of which are virtually essential for creating things like vehicles on the fly—by opening up the traditional menu or via a more easily accessible, minimalized menu. However, both of these routes are somewhat poorly implemented, as it won’t be long before players amass a sprawling assortment of different items, and digging through them can be cumbersome and time-consuming. This issue is especially pronounced in the aforementioned minimalized menu, which takes a linear form and is awkward to use. It’s not game-breaking, but it’s a wart onUltrahand and Fuse’s otherwise stellar legacy.
How Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Can Improve Upon TOTK’s Inventory Management
AlthoughEchoes of Wisdom’s Tri Rod isn’t exactly the same as Ultrahand, it shares a few key similarities. Among the most essential parallels is how the feature will require sifting through Zelda’s inventory for items and monsters to summon, much like how players have to seek their desired objects in Link’s inventory inTOTK. There are a number of ways that Nintendo could improve upon the foundation set byTOTK’s inventory management with the Tri Rod mechanic, including:
By implementing thesesorts of helpful features,Echoes of Wisdomcould present players with a more streamlined and easy-to-use version ofTOTK’s Ultrahand system, thereby making the Tri Rod mechanic more smoothly implemented. In some ways, ease-of-use may be even more important inEchoes of Wisdomthan inTOTK, as it appears that the former will be much more focused on puzzle-solving and picking the right tools for the job than the latter, which always has traditional combat as an option for players.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
WHERE TO PLAY
Save Hyrule—this time with the wisdom of Princess Zelda!The people of Hyrule are being stolen away by strange rifts—and with a certain swordsman among the missing, it’s up to Princess Zelda to save her kingdom in the latest adventure in The Legend of Zelda™ series!Team up with the ethereal creature Tri and use the Tri Rod to create “echoes,” which are imitations of things you find in the environment—then recreate those echoes whenever you like to solve puzzles and defeat enemies. Use echoes like water blocks to reach new heights, make bridges out of old beds, throw rocks at foes, or find your own combination of echoes to do things your way. You can even make echoes of monsters to fight at your side in combat!
