The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is an excellent spin on the Zelda formula that combines the best parts of the series’ 2D entries with the puzzle style of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. The performance is a bit all over the place, but everything else about the game is top-notch.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Developer: Nintendo
Price: $90
Platforms: Nintendo Switch (reviewed)
MonsterVine was provided with a Switch code for review
Given the series is called The Legend of Zelda, it’s surprising that there have been so few games where the titular princess is a playable character. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom seeks to change that, and it certainly does so better than past attempts like Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon. This is one of the most unique games in the entire long-running series.
Given you’re playing as Zelda instead of Link, the gameplay of Echoes of Wisdom is suitably different from The Legend of Zelda’s usual fare. Rather than slashing foes, you use “echoes” of different items from around you to solve puzzles and beat enemies. There’s a limit to how much you can create at one time, so you have to learn to manage your echoes accordingly. Doing dungeons and optional smaller rift areas can increase your number of items, allowing for further creativity.
The dungeons have a uniquely more puzzle-oriented gameplay slant, with combat being a rather small part of the experience. Like in Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom, I spent a good deal of time crossing gaps or solving puzzles using unique item combinations. One gap might have me stacking beds into a bridge, while another has me using water blocks to swim up a wall. There are so many ways to deal with roadblocks and puzzles that I never felt bored, even if you tend to rely on a few tried-and-true methods you discover while playing.
“I loved fighting bosses and monsters with items, as I had to totally rewire my thought process from the way I usually approach Zelda games.“
Combat is neat in its own way, as you can approach it in all sorts of ways with echoes. You can briefly gain Link’s abilities to fight using his sword and other items, but the more fun way is to summon echoes of monsters or to tactically mess with enemies using regular objects. You can drown foes in water blocks, interrupt their sword swings with boulders, and so much more. I loved fighting bosses and monsters with items, as I had to totally rewire my thought process from the way I usually approach Zelda games.
As can be expected from the series, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom has lots to do outside of dungeons. You can find Heart Pieces and ingredients to make handy stat-boosting smoothies by using echoes to navigate all sorts of areas. You can also take on sidequests from charming NPCs that help fill out the world with their stories and quirks.
Speaking of the world, I think the narrative and setting of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is one of its strongest attributes. This is a world where Link hasn’t finished his quest yet, but his presence is felt throughout each area. Townspeople love him and recognize you as their brilliant princess, providing new perspectives to the well-known aspects of a Zelda story. The main villain also adds a new amount of lore to the proceedings, creating a rather fresh story for the series.
The only issue I have with The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom comes from the performance. The frame rate seemed to randomly sway, leading to times when it was inconsistent at best. It doesn’t strike me as an especially demanding art style, though I recall the Link’s Awakening remake in this style also had issues with its frame rate.
The Final Word
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is an exciting new take on the series formula that takes some big swings and largely succeeds. It has some performance issues, but everything else about Echoes of Wisdom is so fresh and fun that you can’t help but love it.
MonsterVine Rating: 4.5 out of 5 – Great
