We must be honest. We at ABC weren’t too excited about the release of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. After the amazing Tears of the Kingdom, we’re looking for a title that follows the path of one of the best titles Nintendo has ever brought to market. However, Echoes of Wisdom felt like a step back, returning to the original formula without innovation. We were very wrong. The Japanese company never ceases to amaze us and has achieved many things with this game: perfectly merging the classic with modernity and fulfilling its debt with Princess Zelda.
This is the first installment of the saga with Zelda as the main protagonist, and it is not unreasonable to assume that it is a spin-off or mini game. But no; What we have on our hands is Zelda, part of the main saga. And one, taking advantage of the character switch between Zelda and Link brings some really interesting and original ideas to the table on a playable level. And interestingly, it adopts the format of classic installments, but it has many elements of modern ones.
In the link search
The story tells of how the kingdom of Hyrule consumes everything in their path with a gaping hole. Among them is Link, who is taken out of the equation in this installment so that Princess Zelda can leave her position as damsel in distress and become the heroine of the story. She is not alone, she is accompanied by a kind of fairy named Tri, who gives her powers. A hub that lets you use two mechanics that are the playable core of Echoes of Wisdom: Replicas and Link.
Replicas, as their name suggests, are copies of objects and monsters that we can summon at any time, as long as we remove and memorize them first. Objects such as tables, beds, boxes or vases are often used to solve puzzles, while enemies help us explore and defeat other monsters.
Link, for its part, allows Zelda to attach itself to an object or enemy, allowing it to move at will and unlock new mechanics. It also acts as a hook to pull some items. Most interestingly, it can be used in reverse, guiding an object or enemy Zelda’s movements.
Thus, combats consist of shooting replicas and waiting for opponents to defeat them. It’s more fun than it sounds, as it’s common to try out different monsters until you find your opponent’s match. And we also do not adopt a passive role, because we have to avoid enemy attacks. They are very dynamic and active fights, although sometimes we feel weak or discouraged when many enemies come together. And our counterparts’ AI sometimes leaves a lot to be desired. At the very least, it reverts to button-mashing, which has always been a trend of older Zelda games. We can always come back to it. Because there’s a ‘Swords Woman’ mod that allows us to adopt Link’s gameplay for a short time.
A small world, but very much alive
As for the structure, it is similar to traditional Zelda, because we have some freedom to choose which dungeon we go to first, but before we can explore it, we have to overcome the small plot that has the characters. Different species living in the area.
Another tradition Echoes of Wisdom brings back is an alternate world to Hyrule, in this case called the Void World. But instead of having two different maps, here we have chosen small stages (some mandatory, others optional) that are accessed through spaces and in which we have to find different objects to progress. As always, exploration is the best asset of these titles, making it clear how everything feels organic and nothing is randomly placed there. It’s not the biggest map or the longest title (you’ll be completely done with it in just 20 hours), but without a doubt it does everything it does with love and care.
Like the graphic style, it’s one of the prettiest we’ve seen on the Nintendo Switch. Through the isometric view, we are presented with big-headed characters in a world full of bright colors and, in its simplicity, full of details.
Slowdowns seem to drag
Unfortunately, it’s not all good. Echoes of Wisdom is not a difficult game. In fact, if you’re a fan of the saga, chances are it’s pretty simple for you. In the entire game, I only died once, and no matter how many puzzles it had, there was only one that I could say stuck with for a while. It’s true that it has a mode that offers more difficulty, but if the base adventure isn’t challenging, it gets boring in the long run. On the other hand, its biggest drawback is performance. There are constant slowdowns, which don’t hinder the gameplay, but feel heavy and become annoying. Furthermore, the interface, while clear and simple, can become tedious when you have several replicas and want to find a specific one. This particular menu isn’t planned when you have dozens and dozens of items and bugs to summon.
Is it worth it?
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom recalls both the classic installments of the saga and the most recent ones, a fantastic adventure with a very unique flavor by reviving its traditional principles and spicing up its final narrative with freedom. Games. Here are two different ways to understand this legendary series to give form to a smaller, more compact title that has no desire to revolutionize the industry or elevate video games as a medium, but is impossible to get bored with.
