The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Review

This year, Nintendo has given its famous princesses, Peach and Zelda, spotlight in their own games. While Princess Peach’s adventure is fun, the true standout is Zelda’s journey in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. This isn’t just another spin-off; it’s full-fledged Zelda game that brings back classic 2D style we know and love. If you’re a fan of the older Zelda games with their dungeon crawling and item-based progression, you’ll feel right at home. What’s exciting is how this game blend familiar structure of past Zelda titles with the innovative, open-ended problem-solving that made Tears of the Kingdom so brilliant.

Though Echoes of Wisdom introduces new gameplay mechanics and features, the switch in characters from Link to Zelda doesn’t feel drastically different. In fact, during my 23-hour playthrough, there were moments when I almost forgot I wasn’t playing as Link. However, biggest & most surprising change is in the story. Instead of usual narrative where silent hero saves kingdom, Zelda is the focus this time. This shift made me feel more connected to story, as Zelda herself takes on task of exploring Hyrule & sealing strange purple rifts that threaten kingdom.

While Echoes of Wisdom doesn’t always hit every mark with flawless execution, it’s still become one of my favorite Zelda games. The combination of old-school dungeon progression and clever new gameplay elements makes this game a refreshing take on the series, with Zelda as a central and engaging character.

One of biggest reminders that you’re not playing as Link in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is how Zelda interacts with world & fights enemies. Instead of direct combat, Zelda is helped by floating companion named Tri. With Tri’s help you can create “echoes” of any enemy you defeat or objects you find. For example, if you defeat a Moblin you can summon it later to fight for you. You’ll also be able to create things like beds, boxes, and trampolines to help you explore.

While the menu for managing your collection of summonable creatures and items can get a bit cluttered, it’s exciting that the number of echoes you can have active at once is only limited by an upgradeable point system. You start with three and can increase the number as you progress, making it more fun to plan your strategy without feeling too restricted.

Encourages the Same Creative Freedom as Tears of the Kingdom

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom brings the same “break the game” creativity that Nintendo encouraged in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, now in a 2D format. This game borrows the charming, toy-like art style of the Link’s Awakening remake and includes side-scrolling segments. While the art style is delightful, the occasional drops in framerate can be noticeable, especially considering how polished games are expected to be nowadays. It makes you wonder, where’s that next-gen Switch, Nintendo?

The echo system in this game may seem quirky compared to the traditional sword-and-shield combat found in almost every 2D Zelda game since 1986. However, it still feels distinctly like a Zelda game because many of the echoes serve the same purpose as classic items. For example- while there’s no hookshot, a floating floor tile you find in a cave lets you clear large gaps. There’s no shovel either but a mole friend can dig up secrets for you and instead of the Gust Bellows from Skyward Sword, you get Wind Cannon that can blow away piles of sand.

Result is a fresh yet familiar approach to problem-solving, keeping the essence of Zelda while encouraging you to experiment and push game’s limits in creative ways.

In The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, many of the most useful echoes are hidden in optional caves or found in dungeons. Along with key abilities like Tri’s power to lift and move objects (similar to the Ultra Hand in Tears of the Kingdom), this gives the game a sense of progression that I missed in Breath of the Wild and its sequel. You still have freedom to explore and solve puzzles in creative ways but it also brings back classic Zelda feeling of leaving a dungeon with a new ability or item.

Sometimes, you might get a summonable creature that’s not all that useful but other times, you’ll receive something game-changing, like the Water Block. This cube allows you to swim up or along walls, completely transforming how you navigate the world.

The puzzle rooms in Echoes of Wisdom make clever use of the many options you have. When I saw a chest just out of reach, my mind would immediately start thinking of all the different things I could summon to help. It could be as simple as creating a monster to hit a switch or stacking objects in just the right way to let Tri grab something and place it on a button from afar. There’s rarely one right solution, and the game is full of those satisfying “a-ha!” moments.

Exceptional Puzzles Make Great Use of Your Range of Options

The puzzles in Echoes of Wisdom truly shine, letting you experiment with the wide variety of options at your disposal. You’ll often find yourself staring at a chest just out of reach, thinking about what you can summon to help. It could be as simple as calling in a monster to hit a switch or figuring out how to stack objects perfectly so that Tri can lift something onto a button from afar. There’s rarely one correct solution, making those “a-ha!” moments really satisfying.

Combat Doesn’t Benefit as Much from Summons

While the puzzle-solving in Echoes of Wisdom is fantastic, the combat doesn’t fare as well when it’s built entirely around summoning creatures. The focus is more on puzzles this time but there’s still a good amount of combat, and watching your summoned creatures slowly attack an enemy isn’t all that exciting. Even though you get stronger or faster options as you progress (like the spinning Peahat, which was one of my favorites), it doesn’t quite match the thrill of swinging a sword as Link.

Zelda Isn’t a Helpless Damsel

Fortunately, Zelda isn’t helpless and can fight on her own. She has Link’s sword and can switch to “Swordfighter Mode” whenever she needs to, allowing her to attack directly. However, her energy bar drains quickly in this mode, so you can’t rely on it for long. You can upgrade the energy bar but running out during tough battles or boss fights can be tricky if you don’t have energy recovery items. This adds some pressure to your decisions—whether to let your echoes handle fights or take the risk of fighting yourself, knowing your energy is limited.

Combat Gets More Interesting with the Automaton System

Later in the game, combat becomes more engaging thanks to the optional automaton system, though it’s easy to miss. These buildable robots don’t cost any points to summon but you can only use one at a time. They need to be manually wound up before they start working, and you’ll have to pay to repair them if they take too much damage. The payoff is worth it, with options like a Deku Baba that eats enemies whole and a sword-wielding Moblin with a large area-of-effect attack. They offer a fun high-risk, high-reward choice, giving you something to do in combat without using energy.

Side Quests and Mini-Dungeons

To unlock these automatons, you’ll need to complete side quests, and Echoes of Wisdom is packed with them. Although it took about 23 hours to complete the main story, focusing on quests and collectibles can extend that time. Exploring Hyrule is rewarding, whether it’s for the useful echoes, charming characters, or mini-dungeons with unique bosses. A village of Deku Scrubs obsessed with sweets is one example of the delightful side content you’ll encounter.

A Hybrid Map of Old and New

Exploring Hyrule reveals a clever mix of the past and present Zelda games. Some areas are almost exact replicas of A Link to the Past’s map, while others resemble Breath of the Wild’s landmarks. For instance, the Zora are split into two tribes: one with their modern fishtail design and the other with the older, finned faces from more than 30 years ago. This blend of classic and modern elements makes the world feel like a tribute to both Zelda’s history and its new direction.

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Conclusion: The Legend of Zelda

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is more than just a spinoff with Zelda in the lead. Its echo summoning system combines dungeon crawling, puzzle-solving and item progression of traditional 2D Zelda games with the freedom and creativity of Tears of Kingdom. While the menu management can feel clunky and the combat isn’t as thrilling, it’s still successful experiment. It shows how future Zelda games could blend best of both worlds, giving fans taste of the series’ past while embracing its exciting new direction. If this is the future of Zelda, there’s plenty to look forward to.