Summary
The upcomingThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomis garnering a good deal of hype from players excited for a fresh take on theZeldaformula. Thoughit adopts many tropes of previousZeldagames,Echoes of Wisdomis mostly different, and in ways that few could have predicted.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomwill follow the titular Princess Zelda herself for once, as the heroic Link has fallen victim to a mysterious, magical blight spread across Hyrule. With Zelda at the helm.Echoes of Wisdomwill take a markedly different approach to combat and puzzle gameplay, with an emphasis on slower, more methodical magical abilities rather than real-time, hack-and-slash action. In all likelihood, this fundamental mechanical change will have significant effects on the overall experience of the game, which cements an evergreen facet of theZeldafranchise: it’s impossible to predict what it will do next.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Proves How Unpredictable The Legend of Zelda Is
Almost No One Saw Echoes of Wisdom Coming
Whether in real life, on social media, or within gaming editorials, it’s common to seespeculation about the future of theZeldafranchise. In the wake of games likeBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom,Zeldafans the world over tossed around their own predictions for the nextZeldagame, with some suggesting that it could go back to the series' roots, place a heavier emphasis on combat, or double-down on the light RPG elements introduced inBOTW. These may happen at some point, but it’s clear that no one should feel that confident in their guesses.
Echoes of Wisdomwill have almost no swordplay, immediately distinguishing it from the rest of theZeldaseries in a way that few could have accurately predicted; for many,Zeldaand swordfighting go hand-in-hand, with the Master Sword and Hyrule Shield being as inextricable from the series as Link himself. But of course, Link is also absent from most ofEchoes of Wisdom, subverting audience expectations in another major way. What is most interesting aboutEchoes of Wisdomis that, rather than proving the ineptitude of speculative fans, it simply reminds players of something that has been true for years.
Zelda Is Defined by Innovation and Reinvention
Not every newZeldamechanic is universally beloved, but this divisiveness is actually emblematic of the series' greatest strength.Zeldais constantly reinventing itself, its creators not content to simply rest on their laurels and give audiences more of whatever they have come to expect. They take creative risks, with sea changes occurring every few years with releases like:
It’s crucial to note that this degree and cadence of innovation is not common in the games industry. One only needs to look at the biggest AAA franchises to see how content many companies are with delivering a predictable, formulaic product every year or so.Zeldais more than iconic enoughto skate by on reputation and prestige alone, but its commitment to making stark and unpredictable changes is essential to its identity as an evergreen franchise.
A newZeldarelease always feels like an event in large part because, thoughZeldahas important iconographyand shared DNA between releases, it’s genuinely hard to know what to expect from each upcoming game. There have been dozens ofZeldaentries, but unlike other prolific, long-running IP,Zelda’s cultural impact and creative value has not diminished, and reinvention like what is being shown inEchoes of Wisdom’s marketing footage is a key part of that.
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!
