“Echoes of Wisdom”: In a game of callbacks, newest “Zelda” installment finds its place within series’s lore
(Light spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.)
For much of its history, The Legend of Zelda series has arguably been less about innovation than about adopting a proven formula to new systems. If anything, Zelda fans have shown hostility to outright revamps: take the initial reaction to “Toon Link,” for instance. That norm was upended with Breath of the Wild, where a bevy of changes — a return to the series’s open-world roots, a new focus on cooking, the power to manipulate the world via the Sheikah Slate — were universally lauded. It’s surprising, then, just how much Echoes of Wisdom maintains elements of some of the series’s founding installments despite pulling from the success of recent convention-breaking. Much like the “echoes” of monsters and items that players gather from experience, Echoes of Wisdom pulls together an amalgamation of source material in the Zelda series while sending it into the world with its own unique twist.
The most obvious similarity to the past, evident from the Echoes of Wisdom’s first trailer, was its replication of the top-down perspective and art style of Link’s Awakening. Specifically, it evokes the 2019 Switch remake, which switches out the Game Boy’s graphics for a 2.5D, almost chibi look. Both enter true 2D when exploring dungeons’ depths, and knowing the perspective of Link’s Awakening helps players understand how high Zelda can jump or far she can throw items. The two games also share a fuzzy screen border that obscures the player’s field of depth. While this move makes more sense in Link’s Awakening (spoiler: it’s all just a dream), this distinct stylistic choice is a dead-ringer for Echoes of Wisdom’s predecessor, enough so that it’s easy on first blush to mistake Echoes of Wisdom for a sequel to Link’s Awakening.
However, besides being more puzzle-based than your average Zelda game, the similarities between the two largely end there. They share none of the same story beats, have none of the same non-playable characters, and don’t even appear to be in the same timeline. Instead, while looking a lot like the Link’s Awakening remake, Echoes of Wisdom has much more in common with the two other, more groundbreaking Zelda installments for the Switch: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
This starts almost from the beginning. After a brief tennis match between Link and Ganon and an escape through falling rubble —all a recreation of the final battle in Ocarina of Time — Zelda appears at the edge of a cliff, scanning her kingdom as her own adventure begins. It is the iconic opening to Breath of the Wild, copied in Tears of the Kingdom but done to better effect here. Zelda sees her kingdom not yet destroyed by evil’s influence, giving players a rare chance to see Hyrule pre-meltdown. The brief break into a 3D view during this scene also telegraphs to players this is going to be a much bigger game than Link’s Awakening. The moment is even more impactful after having just guided Zelda away from death by debris.
This scene, in its evoking a series highlight, also hints at what will make Echoes of Wisdom different: as the musical flourish fades and Zelda walks off with her knights, a rift appears on the cliff where she had just been standing. This foreboding addition breaks off the game’s need to be completely beholden to what made Breath of the Wild revolutionary.
The mechanics of the Tri Rod — the game’s big gimmick — play like the Sheikah Slate or Zonai Ultrahand, doubling down on this distinction in the wider series. Players can wield boxes and beds to reach new places and solve puzzles. This is different from the normal 2D Zelda style, which instead boxes players into an area through raised heights, obstacles, and out-of-reach switches. Like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, players must manipulate items in time and space to reach the next location. Zelda can also call up defeated enemies to fight in her stead, a new ability that nevertheless replicates Autobuild in Tears of the Kingdom, where players recreate inventions they’ve learned from found parts or schematics. In that ingenuity lies the bridge between Echoes and these two earlier games. All three break from the Zelda formula by allowing players to choose how they solve puzzles, defeat enemies, or reach new locations — and, for the most part, doing so in whatever order they want. This spirit of nurturing the unexpected has cemented itself as the series’ new modus operandi.
One place Echoes of Wisdom builds on Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom is the return of old enemies — and even the rehabilitation of one such nemesis. Beefy Lynels, one of the hardest enemies in the original Legend of Zelda, came back in games like Link to the Past but never made it to 3D. They returned with Breath of the Wild in 2017, and here they serve as one of Zelda’s most powerful echoes. Echoes of Wisdom, though, hosts even more of these callbacks. The low-powered Zol appeared in 1985 but was phased out of later games, disappearing after Four Swords Adventure. In Echoes of Wisdom, they serve as part of Zelda’s starter monster pack once she escapes Hyrule Castle dungeon. The scorpion-like Aruroda, only ever seen in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, returns here after a 37-year absence. Maybe owing to its (and the Switch’s) hybrid nature, Echoes contains several of these enemies fated to never make the transition to 3D: Zirros, Buzz Blobs, Boarblins, and Ropes, among others. They return alongside enemies like Lizalfos, Darknuts, Gibdos, and Wolfos, which have all come and gone from at least one 3D Zelda game. Conversely, one prior series enemy, the River Zora — one of the most annoying enemies from games like Link to the Past — are now a peaceful people who welcome Zelda with jazzy horn-playing.
Echoes rewards players for remembering these older series enemies, too. Knowing to steer clear of Sand Crabs’ claws when trying to kill them is a lesson well-learned from hours on the SNES or Game Boy. Similarly, understanding a Mini-Moldorm’s erratic pattern can lead players to dispense an enemy echo that is either quick or patient enough to defeat it. One of the more satisfying encounters comes in the game’s Eastern Temple, where players learn a Spark echo — those irritating, electrified blobs that circle whatever wall they touch. These enemies were once undefeatable, but now, they are enlisted in your cadre of moves during future battles. Plus, using their age-old pattern against the temple’s boss is one way to beat it. While brand-new players shouldn’t experience a huge learning curve with these retro foes, tying in the knowledge experienced Zelda players have underscores how Echoes of Wisdom understands itself within the main series.
Echoes of Wisdom’s overworld map, similar to Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, shares overlaps with previous series installments as well. Eastern Temple is a striking example: its location, along with its exterior design, are a spitting image for Link to the Past’s Eastern Palace. The layout and proximity of Suthorn Forest and Gerudo Desert also suggest Link to the Past, right down to the ruins and winding entrance to the desert. Hyrule Ranch is a short ride southwest from Hyrule Castle Town, much like Lon Lon Ranch in Ocarina of Time. Looking at Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, the location of Korok Forest matches that of the Eternal Forest — as do their haunting moods. Previous games have copied parts of older Zelda maps, but Echoes of Wisdom’s map feels like the most realized amalgamation of these predecessors, including drawing in sites like Hebra Mountain and Faron from the recent mainline Switch games.
By contrast, Echoes of Wisdom more resembles pre-Switch Zelda in its music. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom eschew the famous overworld theme for a sparse, atmospheric piano. Evoking its 2D mainline history, Echoes of Wisdom returns elements of the old heroic theme, while introducing oboe and flute solos that draw on the instrumentation used in the Link’s Awakening remake. When later in the game you embark on a new set of missions, a brief “Zelda’s Lullaby” kicks off this revised theme, uniting two melodies of once discordant worlds to signal something new is afoot. The Great Fairy theme is a beautiful woodwind rendition of the song first encountered in Link to the Past. The songs of many spots — from Hyrule Castle to Gerudo Desert to the Sea Zora Village — also draw on those of Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, and other games, providing a throughline for these locales’ tones through similar style and instrumentation choices.
One place I’m glad did get a musical revamp? Goron City. The original grating, percussion-dominated theme of Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask, with its overreliance on dated cuica samples and an aimless marimba, is replaced with a melody full of whimsical oboe and flute lines. This is a rewrite even the revolutionary Breath of the Wild didn’t attempt. Still, marimba, bells, and a triangle chime in throughout to link Echoes of Wisdom’s new theme with the old, developing on what came before. Fresh takes on songs like this should reassure players that, despite what Breath of the Wild’s more low-key soundtrack suggested, the series’s iconic music won’t be getting thrown out with the bath water.
Echoes of Wisdom may prove more fundamental in the history of The Legend of Zelda’s development than even Breath of the Wild. It says something that I’ve been able to go this whole review without mentioning the game’s biggest revelation: you get to play as Zelda, a first in the official series canon. How Nintendo handed this installment off to its namesake says something about the series’s past as well as what its future portends. The game begins out with the player controlling Link, who’s statted out almost like he’s at the end of his adventure: a full set of heart containers, plus his shield, bombs, and arrows. In a way, he is at the end of his adventure. The last thing he does is put a crack in Zelda’s cage, but she has to rely on her own wits to complete her escape. When Zelda becomes the main protagonist, it’s less like she’s picking up where Link left off, and more like she’s starting out on her own adventure, guided by a personal agenda. She has her kingdom to protect, after all.
Many Zelda games start with Link waking up, a little disoriented and bumping around the world until the Big Bad challenges his way of life. In Echoes, Zelda must be smart from the start — the world’s evil has already held her hostage, demonstrating what it can unleash. The effect is a series maturing, lending more weight to character development and trusting player inventiveness. The sea change that Breath of the Wild heralded seven years ago comes crashing through in this marriage of old and new.
