Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Review
Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Genre:
PEGI: 7
Comments:
Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is the newest game in the Zelda franchise. It is also a very different Zelda experience in many ways. Is it a good game? Will fans of the franchise enjoy it? Here’s our review of Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom for the Nintendo Switch.
In Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom the world of Hyrule is in danger from mysterious rifts that have appeared all over. And this time, its up to Princess Zelda to save the day! The story of Echoes of Wisdom is very different from the usual franchise entry but it also feels like a Zelda game. Princess Zelda being at the forefront of a game named after her feels fitting and perfect. It just works really well, and hopefully we’ll see it in more games. This is an excellent story and you know what? The gameplay is great too.
As Zelda, you call forth echoes of objects and enemies that you encounter in the game. After you find an object or defeat an enemy, you can collect an echo and use it to solve puzzles or fight other enemies. The echoes are neat and there are tons of them to discover. We won’t spoil what kinds of echoes you find. There’s just so many. Rest assured, however, that you will find a use for each and everyone of them as you progress through your journey!
And although you get different categories to scroll through: from most used to just learned and others, as you get more echoes it becomes harder to find certain ones. Ultaimtely, you’ll find yourself using certain echoes over other ones simply because of their placement in your lengthy list of options. A search option or a better way to catalog the echoes would’ve been cool. Although the current system doesn’t stop you from using all the echoes, it certainly doesn’t encourage it. Who wants to spend all their time scrolling through a LENGTHY list of options? It’s not a massive problem, and thankfully the game pauses when you look for an echo, but it can be occasionally annoying.
For the most part, you can use whatever echoes you want to fight an enemy or solve a puzzle. There are occasionally certain puzzles that need a specific solution though, and they took a bit more work and could be a slight issue for younger players. These puzzles can be frustrating at times because the game doesn’t hold your hand at all. In fact, any clues given to you in this game are very subtle. Echoes of Wisdom is not an easy game (even on normal mode, as there is a harder mode too), with puzzles or with bosses, but it is a ton of fun.
Zelda gets other abilities to use as well, including the bind ability. This again opens up the game to a wide variety of play styles. Don’t want to fight that enemy? No worries, just bind it and drop it off a cliff! Need to climb a tree? Bind yourself to a spider and get moving! Need to clear a few enemies away? Bind to something with spikes and move it around the area. The uses of the bind ability, sometimes in collaboration with Echoes, is phenomenal, and most importantly, really fun!
The Hyrule presented in this game is big and there’s so much to do. From exploring dungeons to random caves and unique areas and side quests! Zelda also gets a few other ways to defend herself, though echoes are always at the forefront and they are awesome. There is a sword fighting mode for Zelda – and you will also get access to a bow and bombs as well – but this only lasts for a few seconds. While very powerful, choosing when to use it can be a critical decision making point as you play. This ability can be levelled up, and for a moment, you will fell like you are playing a traditional Legend of Zelda experience! That being said, I’m glad to see it as a minor addition to Zelda’s abilities since the game should focus on our new hero. And to that end, the gameplay feels fresh while still offering plenty of familiar things to do.
Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is a beautiful game too. The characters, echoes, and wonderful places you visit all look great. The sheer variety here isn’t anything new to Legend of Zelda fans. You will visit Gorons in the mountains, the Zora in their domains, and more. Each area, however, has its own unique feel, and the way you will traverse and tackle each of these regions is drastically different. But one thing is consistent – it all looks absolutely beautiful.
The game looks similar to the Link’s Awakening remake, but it is so much more detailed. Honestly, I think Nintendo probably could have gotten away with reusing assets from Link’s Awakening, but in true Nintendo fashion you knew this wasn’t going to happen. Everything has that extra level of detail we didn’t see in Link’s Awakening, and it is evident throughout the world of Hyrule. Link’s Awakening was a great looking game in its own way. This one is fantastic.
And as always with Zelda games, the music in Echoes of Wisdom is wonderful. The various tunes, both old and new, blend well together to create a soundtrack that never seemingly gets old. Familiar rifts can be heard throughout the games various tracks, which is a nice touch for those who have played many Legend of Zelda titles in the past. I’m never generally worried about the quality of a Nintendo soundtrack, but I think it’s still worth pointing out when it’s magnificent!
Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is a unique, fresh take on the franchise, while also feeling like coming back to a familiar friend. It takes stuff from 3D and 2D Zelda and creates a fun new experience. There are some kinks – we haven’t touched in length on the frame rate issues in the over world, but they do exist frequently – especially puzzles that should have more clues, but for the most part, this is a great game that fans and newcomers will love. Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is a must play game in the franchise.
Thanks to Nintendo of Canada for providing a digital copy of this game for review. Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom will release on September 26th, 2024
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Article By Daniel Fugate
Daniel Fugate has wanted to be a writer since he was seven years old. He has a bachelor's degree in English and he's a huge Animal Crossing fan. The Wii U and 3DS are currently his favorite video game systems!
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