The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom - Review

It's her time to shine.

Console: Nintendo Switch

Well, this game sure is a surprise, isn´t it? I don't think anyone, myself included, was expecting any more Zelda games for Switch after Tears of the Kingdom. That Nintendo, with how much of a winning combination a new console + a new Zelda game has proven to be, would keep the next Zelda in the wings for 'The Switch 2'. 

That was the 1st surprise. The second was that this game clearly was not that Oracles remake that seemed a logical follow-up to Link's Awakening. That became very clear with the 3rd and final surprise: not Link, but Princess Zelda herself is the hero of this tale. She's finally the playable character in the series bearing her name! 

And they didn't just swap around models and call it a day either. No, they gave Zelda her own playstyle. All of this makes Echoes of Wisdom quite an interesting title. Both the top-down Zelda game I've lowkey wanted, with a playable Zelda to boot. 

So, without further ado, let's talk about the Princess' first solo adventure and find out what it brings to the table! 

In the land of Hyrule, the monstrous Ganon kidnaps Princess Zelda while mysterious Rifts and the monsters spawning from them threaten the land. A courageous young lad, Link, sets out to free the land and save the princess. Business as usual, until it isn't.

After defeating Ganon, Link falls into a Rift and disappears, leaving the Princess behind. Making her way back to Hyrule Castle, she witnesses how her father and his advisors are sucked into a Rift and replaced by evil doppelgängers. Freed from the dungeon, the evil twin of her father threw her into by the mysterious light being Tri, and it's now up to Zelda to save Hyrule.

I don´t have much to say about the story, really. It´s a pleasant narrative that isn´t much different from normal. You have that familiar Zelda structure of the two halves, the initial, smaller, journey that leads into the actual, higher-stakes, quest. You meet the people of Hyrule and help them out of their binds which, of course, always has some connection to the local Dungeon. It's these mini-stories that I remember more than the main plot. That one is rather generic while the small stories are far more charming. 

What is different than usual is that setup. Playing as Zelda and everything that comes with it. The opening starts out as if it were the end of your typical Zelda fair, with the Princess trapped in a crystal by Ganon. Link even has the maximum number of hearts to sell this idea more. Only this time, well, Link doesn't get out Scott-Free. That is a very clever way to set Zelda up as the hero while staying true to the series' conventions. 

It was interesting to see this perspective switch. To see the world interact with Zelda, their Princess, helping them out. Hearing about this mysterious mute swordfighter who has been fighting the good fight. As a fan, those were small things that were nonetheless exciting to experience. 

Come to think of it, this general approach of mostly the stuff we know but with a few twists, is also the perfect way to describe the gameplay. 

I've heard/read somewhere online Echoes of Wisdom's different gameplay is described as the following. That the traditional offers one singular, but intricate and elegant, solution while this is offers countless, blunt and unelegant, solutions. 

I can see where this viewpoint is coming from but I don't quite agree with it. These are two different approaches, each with their own pros and cons. One is a real brain teaser but can be oh-so obtuse while the other is more freeing but also repetitive. Figuring out the singular solution or finding one of your own has its own charms. But, as the design around them hasn't changed, this is still very much top-down Zelda. It scratched that itch for sure and I think it's a style worth refining and repeating. 

Why climb a mountain while you could 'swim' up it instead? This world is your oyster after all!

To that unchanged design, the backbone of the game. You travel across Hyrule encountering enemies and finding heart pieces with plenty of Dungeons scattered throughout that test your puzzle-solving skills. Where 3D Zelda has moved away from this structure, top-down Zelda doesn't seem interested in shaking things up even when it brings in such a big part of the design philosophy that has led to the current style: player freedom. 

Zelda doesn't wield a sword and shield. She can't attack enemies directly nor does she gather an arsenal of tools for exploration. With her staff, Zelda can create copies or 'Echoes' of all sorts of things. Instead of using a Hookshot to get across a large gap you can summon and stack some beds to build a bridge.  

These Echoes make the gameplay more flexible but have its downsides, especially in combat. There is no direct way to attack enemies without having some drawbacks. Zelda can assume a 'sword fighting' form using the energy stored in the sword Link left behind that plays exactly like the mute hero. However, this form is tied to an energy meter, limiting its use. 

You mostly attack enemies through Echoes. By, say, summoning a Moblin and letting it attack. This means there's a lot of just waiting around, jumping around to not take damage while your AI buddy tries its best. I'm not a fan of passive design choices such as these, which take away control from the player so often. 

Now that I'm on the subject of Echoes, switching between them is cumbersome. With over 100+ Echoes to choose from and with no way to map more than one at a time, you spent an unappealingly long time navigating menus. They should've implemented some quick chance feature. Some way to map at least a couple of them for quick us ala Horizon's weapon wheel. 

I also don't see the point in Dampé's mechanical inventions. Introduced in the back half of the game, these are essentially just more Echoes that you can summon without them taking up an Echoes' cost. One of those triangles Tri has floating around it. 

Because they are so similar to your Echoes and enter the scene so late, I rarely used them, if ever. I just don't think they add anything the Echoes can't do, especially if you spent some time just exploring and upgrading Tri so you can summon more Echoes, and for less.

Better is Tri's ability to hold on to objects from far away to move them and all the accessories Zelda can equip. The former is both useful in puzzle solving and combat in which you can grab smaller enemies to incapacitate them so you Echoe can attack them kind of like the core battle loop in Bayonetta Origins. The accessories customize Zelda a bit in some very useful ways. A longer, larger jump for example means you can get to higher places (something you have to do quite a lot) easier. 

On to the last big part of the gameplay we need to talk about: the Rifts and Dungeons. The latter are just as well designed and satisfying as they used to be. Yes, there are design changes for the Echoes approach but really, they are the type of Dungeons we know and love with only some very hit-and-miss bosses to hold them down. 

The Rifts all have the same general look and objective but I find fun nonetheless. Through mostly platforming and combat across these twisted, gravity-defying pockets you must rescue Tri's fellow, well, Tris, from some great rewards. For more 'triangles' so you can summon more Echoes and for these special crystals you're rewarded with which you can upgrade the swordfighter form. Prizes well worth the effort seeking out these Rifts for, repetitive as they might be.  

I find the Rifts to have a pretty neat general design. All these parts of Hyrule in a blank void, twisting dimensions and gravity.  

Speaking of repeating, Echoes of Wisdom is built upon Link´s Awakening engine and that comes with the same graphics, side/scrolling sections and, sadly, technical hurdles. To tackle the latter first, there is again some slowdown here. Nothing major but there will be times in which things become noticeably a bit sluggish. 

In the looks department we have that same ´plastic toys-like' feel that I'm not the biggest fan of but have warmed to somewhat over time. Not something I feel like talking a lot about, as goes for the music. The soundtrack is pleasant, with some recognizable tunes, but nothing remarkable. 

What I was pleasantly surprised by is just how much content there is here. Going in, I was expecting it to be around the same size as its predecessor: about 15-20 hours. That is most certainly not the case here. You can add another 5 hours on top and then I still have stuff left to do. More heart pieces and the like to found, more sidequests and I'm pretty sure that there is at the very least one more optional mini-dungeon out there. I'm not planning on tackling all of it. I'm quite satisfied with what I played but it's here for people to dig their teeth into should they choose. 

Walking back a little, the way side-quests are handeld here is new for top-down Zelda. We've had them before, but not like this. Not this many and not with an entire quest log to keep track of them all. That is just one of many things Echoes borrowed from Breath of the Wild. Those have quest logs like these even down to basically the same U.I. The yellow dots, font etc. 

It's not a case of simple asset reuse though. Well, not entirely. There are too many chances for that and too many other similarities to what is probably the most recognizable version of Hyrule. We have the Gerudo in the top-down style for the first time and their entire look is clearly adapted from their Breath of the Wild design, sound effects and all. The same goes for the Sea Zora's and we also have the region names reused and I'm willing to bet that there is more stuff I overlooked.

Ocarina of Time got some love here too, with the likes of Jabu-Jabu and I do believe that the Yeti here is a nod to Twilight Princess. I can't help but feel all of this is an attempt to perhaps create a more defined world? One that marries as many elements of the series together? A thought, a discussion, for a later time perhaps. 

Conclusion

Only a few posts ago, I stated that even if I had finished The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom in 2024, I didn't think it would make the top 5. Now that I have seen the credits roll, I recint my statement somewhat. It would be a toss-up between it and Gris for the bottom spot. 

While the game doesn't always hit the spot, just look at its cumbersome Echo-switching and passive combat, it's a rewarding top-down Zelda experience.  The game is packed with charm, classic dungeon design and a surprising amount of content that pays homage to the series' rich history. If this more flexible but less intricate approach interests you, this game might just be the fresh top-down Zelda adventure you’ve been waiting for—or an excellent entry point for newcomers to the style.