The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is less than two months away. Based on all the marketing, which consists of two fairly lengthy trailers right now, suggests that it’s going to be Nintendo’s first real attempt at bridging the modern with the classic Zelda. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are two distinct games that fit into their own separate category of Zelda games. Even among the 3D and 2D divide, those two stand by themselves. Modern Zelda is one thing and classic Zelda is almost another entirely. Echoes of Wisdom looks like it will ultimately bring the two sides together.
Echoes of Wisdom is Both Modern and Classic Zelda
There are two sides to the Zelda fanbase right now. The first side consists of players who miss the linear, dungeon-focused gameplay. That is how the franchise began and how it was ultimately designed all the way from 1986 to 2017. The other side loves the open-world design and the freedom they have. While both have their reasons for the way they feel and their beliefs that their preferred style is both better and the way to go moving forward, Echoes of Wisdom seems to be the shocking reply from Nintendo that we can have our cake and eat it, too.
The Newest Zelda is Classic Zelda
In many ways, the newest iteration of the Zelda franchise is absolutely a return to its roots. The Legend of Zelda was top-down for the first 10 years of its existence. Even today, there are just six mainline games that don’t have that camera style. Going from the fully 3D Tears of the Kingdom to Echoes of Wisdom‘s style is a stark departure and a return to the olden days. It looks just like the 2019 remake of Link’s Awakening which is a remake of classic Zelda.
The second trailer gives us a little more insight into how this return to glory will work. It showcases a few instances where there are what appear to be entrances to classic dungeons. Nintendo hasn’t explicitly stated that dungeons are back and better than ever, but the trailer seems to indicate that they might be. In particular, there’s an underwater entrance to a dungeon in Jabul Waters, the home of the Zora.
Echoes May Be A Response To Past Games
In many ways, each new game is a response to the one before it. Skyward Sword’s overbearing dungeons were criticized, so Nintendo course corrected by making the dungeons a little bit of an afterthought to exploring in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. It’s still early, but Echoes of Wisdom looks like it’s a response to the one criticism fans had for those games: the lack of focus on classic dungeons. There are dungeons, but they’re smaller and much less complex than previous Zelda entries. Perhaps the developers listened again.
Echoes of Wisdom is Modern Zelda Still
Just as Echoes of Wisdom marks a possible return to the olden days, it’s not a total reversal. After all, the development team said they wouldn’t go back to linear, restrictive gameplay that was present in older games. Just because the trailer looks a certain way doesn’t make it so, and it’s reasonable to assume that the world will be open and players can play this new game in any order they want.
Furthermore, some in-game mechanics certainly suggest that the new era of The Legend of Zelda is still around. Bind is an ability in Echoes and it looks exactly like Ultrahand. The abilities in both BOTW and TOTK are brand new and unique. Instead of getting items to do things, the players were given complete control as Link. It looks like Zelda’s unique abilities will function in the same way once the game drops in September. While different tunics were available in some old games, the modern Zelda redefined how the player could look. Based on the trailer, EOW will keep that mechanic as well.
Closing Thoughts
Despite the fact that The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom does not follow the typical gameplay of having Link save Zelda or Hyrule or some other location from great evil, it is going to bridge the gap between the two sides of the community. Those who like the old will likely appreciate this game. Those who prefer the new will undoubtedly have a good time. Not playing as Link primarily is going to make or break the game, but Nintendo has at least tried to bring everyone back together again.
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