Summary
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis quite unlike anyZeldatitle before it, primarily due to its Ultrahand ability, which allowed players to build custom vehicles and experiment with finding different ways forward. Despite the initially disappointing news from Nintendo that it would beretiring Ultrahand afterTears of the Kingdom, however,Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomis tapping in with several similar abilities that already appear to be decent upgrades from what players grew familiar with in the previous installment.
What madeZelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s Ultrahand ability so popular was that it granted players the freedom to improvise and, in a sense, make their own progression. As it turns out,Echoes of Wisdomrelies on that same idea with many of its abilities, seemingly setting it in stone for the series' future.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Proves TotK’s Emphasis on Improvisation Is Set in Stone
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Encourages Improvisation With the Tri Rod, Echoes, and Bind
Just likeZelda: Tears of the Kingdom,Echoes of Wisdomencourages players to improvise their way through the land of Hyrule. However, whereasTears of the Kingdomgave players Link’s Ultrahand ability to contrive different ways forward,Echoes of Wisdomplaces the Tri Rod in Zelda’s hands, which allows players to create copies calledEchoes of enemiesand objects throughout Hyrule. They can then summon these Echoes for whatever purpose necessary, whether using tables as makeshift stairs or cubes of water as a temporary elevator.
AlongsideZelda’s Tri Rodand the Echoes it can create, players are given the Bind ability, which functions similarly to Link’s Ultrahand, only without the ability to build vehicles. InZelda: Echoes of Wisdom, players can use Bind to move objects that may be blocking their path — like a large boulder, for example. Where Bind ultimately differs from Ultrahand, however, is in its Reverse Bond variant. Unlike Bind, which allows players to move other objects, Reverse Bond instead causes Zelda to be moved by other objects.
This opens up a whole new world of improvisation for players, as it creates yet another opportunity for them to make their own way forward.
WithZelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s Bind abilityand its Reverse Bond variant, players can bind Zelda to moving creatures such as birds, which can then take her to new locations. Using Reverse Bond on a bird inEchoes of Wisdomwill cause Zelda to move wherever said bird flies, potentially taking players to higher platforms, just as her Tri Rod might be able to accomplish with an Echo. There are clearly plenty of ways for players to get creative with their progression throughEchoes of Wisdom’s Hyrule, just as there were inTears of the Kingdom.
Future Zelda Games Would Be Stepping Backwards Not to Allow for Improvisation
Now thatZelda: Tears of the KingdomandEchoes of Wisdomhave both emphasized improvisation more than any other installment before them, it would undoubtedly feel like a step backward for the nextZeldagame to go back to the franchise’s more limiting form of progression. Experimentation seems to be the way forward forThe Legend of Zelda, with the only issue being how to implement this level of improvisation again without simply copying Ultrahand, the Tri Rod, and Bind. Bind may be an evolved form of Ultrahand, but it might be difficult to evolve it further without things becoming too repetitive.
Nevertheless,Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomhas established a clear path forward for the series, setting in stone the progression system set in place byTears of the Kingdom.Breath of the Wildmade it clear thatNintendo is not afraid to innovateThe Legend of Zeldabeyond the norm, so that may very well be the case for the franchise’s future. At the very least, however, improvisation and experimentation seem to be key for the series now, so that much can’t be forgotten.
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’re able to even make echoes of monsters to fight at your side in combat!
