The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is easily one of the most fun RPGs I've played in a long, long while on my Nintendo Switch. The title is a callback to those old times when games didn't stress themselves with having a cinematic story, robust combat system, or multifaceted characters. Instead, they just wanted to be a "fun" and entertaining experience.
It's been an incredibly long time since we got a top-down Zelda game. The last one that I remember playing is The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, which I bought with a Switch Lite, and ended up pouring hundreds of hours into. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, in many regards, is almost identical to Link's Awakening.
And much like the latter, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom isn't a perfect game, far from it. However, despite its flaws, of which there are only a handful, Echoes of Wisdom is an incredibly fun time. The game can be aptly described as a relic of the past, that comes with a modern coat of paint.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom - Classic Zelda experience, through and through
Visuals, presentation, and audio
One thing that I can seldom fault any Nintendo first-party release is presentation, and The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is not an exception to this trend. If you've played Link's Awakening on the Nintendo Switch, you'll find the general art style and presentation of Echoes of Wisdom to be roughly identical, albeit with a few minor changes.
For those who have yet to play Link's Awakening, the art style of both that and Echoes of Wisdom can be described as a modernized version of the classic Zelda games. Imagine those 2D The Legend of Zelda games for the NES, and just apply a modern filter to it.
I really like the art style approach here as it keeps the charm of the classic Zelda titles while giving it a modern makeover that doesn't compromise the game's "retro" theme. As someone who grew up playing on the NES, I couldn't have asked for more. Apart from art style and presentation, audio is also a major highlight of Echoes of Wisdom.
I wouldn't put its soundtrack above those of earlier Zelda titles like Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, or even Link's Awakening. However, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom's OST is still quite good, especially the ambient soundtrack(s) that plays in the background as you explore Hyrule.
Gameplay and progression
The best part of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is that it's not a story about Link. Although he's still present in the game and plays a part in the main story, the green tunic-wearing elf isn't the hero this time around. Instead, for the first time in the series (discounting the Hyrule Warriors games), we get to step into the shoes of Princess Zelda herself.
Thankfully, this change is something I really enjoyed. Not only is Zelda a completely different character, but her "arsenal of weapons" (if you can call it that) is a far cry from that of Link's. You can no longer wave your Maser Sword at anyone who dares cross your path and expect them to disintegrate.
Instead, Zelda's way of tackling obstacles and adversaries is much more, well, nuanced. Instead of swinging a sword, Zelda opts to use magical means using her Tri Rod Staff. This Staff is used to acquire Echoes, which are essentially clones of various items and even enemies that Zelda comes across during her adventure in Hyrule.
The Echoes are used not only in combat but also to solve the various puzzles across Hyrule. Also, Echoes of Wisdom finally sees the return of the "classic Zelda" dungeons that fans like me have been clamoring for, for a long time. The dungeons also feature some really fun puzzles that can be solved in multiple ways via Echoes.
Now, to be fair, the Echoes aren't on the same level as Link's Ultrahand or the general physics-based abilities in Tears of the Kingdom. However, they are still quite an excellent addition to a style of game that doesn't necessarily lend itself to such player-driven gameplay systems.
Also, the Echoes mechanic pairs well with a character as nimble as Zelda. I mean, you wouldn't really expect Princess Zelda to go all out, guns-blazing, on the Bokoblins and Moblins now, would you? My favorite moments from the game are when I just summon multiple NPC Echoes to ensue chaos against a group of Moblins, while Princess Zelda is busy picking flowers.
Also, if you so desire to fight your way through hordes of adversaries, the old-fashioned way, there's the "Swordfighter form" which helps you do just that. However, it's an ability that runs on a cooldown, and Zelda can only maintain the Swordfighter form for a few seconds. This form is mostly meant for boss fights and certain dungeons.
The story, or lack thereof
To be fair, you won't be picking up The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom for its story. However, considering it's an RPG, and also a spiritual follow-up to titles like Link's Awakening, I did expect a mildly compelling story, at least enough to drive the characters and the various gameplay systems. Sadly, I was left a bit underwhelmed in that regard.
In terms of story, I'd say The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom has more in common with something like Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe. You essentially get a small story snippet at the start of the game, that drops Zelda at the center of her adventures in Hyrule, and from there, you're free to make your own stories.
While I didn't expect a Red Dead Redemption or God of War level of storytelling here, I did hope for Echoes of Wisdom to take some notes from Tears of the Kingdom when it comes to its narrative. Regardless, it's a very minor issue, and the lack of proper storytelling didn't really bother me all that much past the opening hours of the game.
Few technical issues
I'll preface this section by saying, that The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is a near-flawless experience in Nintendo Switch's handheld mode. Furthermore, due to the game's color palette, it really pops when playing on the Switch's OLED screen (granted you're playing on the OLED model of the console). However, the docked mode is a different story.
I usually play my Switch OLED in handheld mode, and that's how I spent the majority of my time playing The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. However, I did try out the docked mode as well, just to see how well the game scales on a larger screen. Unfortunately, the experience was far from ideal.
In docked mode, the game constantly drops frames, which is quite noticeable. If you've played Tears of the Kingdom on the Switch, expect a similar level of performance variation across different regions of Hyrule in Echoes of Wisdom. Furthermore, the game crashed on two separate occasions in the docked mode, costing me a bit of progress.
There was a post-launch update that did address some performance issues, but it didn't completely eliminate them. As much as I like my Nintendo Switch, I think in 2024, the console has finally started showing its age. While it still works "fine" as a handheld system, I think asking for a stable 1080p-30fps docked performance is a bit too much from the Switch.
In conclusion
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is an excellent RPG that perfectly encapsulates the look and feel of a "classic Zelda" experience. While it does have a handful of shortcomings, owing to lackluster storytelling and poor technical performance, it still is an excellent Legend of Zelda game that should satisfy both long-term fans as well as newcomers to the series.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Reviewed on: Nintendo Switch (Review copy provided by Nintendo)
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch
Developer(s): Nintendo
Publisher(s): Nintendo
Release date: September 26, 2024
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