3.0 out of 5 star rating
If you were to combine the charm of a classic Game Boy game like Link’s Awakening with the expansive features of contemporary Zelda titles such as Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, the result would be called Echoes of Wisdom.
In a departure from earlier games, Echoes of Wisdom marks the debut of Princess Zelda as a playable character (with the exception of the 1993 Wand of Gamelon for Philips CD-i). Essentially, this game combines concepts and elements from various prior adventures featuring Link.
The game features a charming Chibi art style, similar to the reimagined Link’s Awakening released in 2019. Regarding its gameplay, it appears to draw significant inspiration from the player autonomy and creativity that garnered widespread acclaim for Tears of the Kingdom last year.
At certain moments, this blend can be surprisingly endearing. As you traverse quaint little homes and interact with adorable characters, it seems as though you’re immersed in an old-school handheld video game from the Game Boy era.
As you progress, you’ll come to understand that the landscape around you is not just a simple setting; it’s an expansive, contemporary open-world filled with additional missions and concealed riches to discover. It’s a captivating fusion of the classic and the innovative.
Previously, I thought the game was going to be a straightforward children’s game not appealing to me.
The preview event exceeded my expectations, particularly during the initial few hours that captivated me with their unexpected layers and freedom of choice.
While Zelda momentarily adopts ‘Swordfighter’ mode to wield Link’s sword, shield, bow, and arrow during the game, you primarily focus on honing a distinct set of abilities. These skills are geared towards strategic thinking, enabling you to navigate challenges more thoughtfully instead of relying solely on brute force.
Using her yellow, hovering companion called Tri, Zelda can call forth ‘reflections’ or duplicates of nearly anything – this includes furniture like tables and beds, as well as adversaries like piranhas and birds, which can seemingly materialize out of nowhere to lend a hand when needed.
As I delve into the heart of this labyrinth, whether it’s constructing a path across its treacherous chasms or rallying my past adversaries to face the looming menace ahead, I find myself increasingly dependent on this echo system.
Additionally, you possess the ability to manipulate specific objects by moving them or linking yourself to them. For instance, you could connect with a mobile platform and traverse along its route throughout the room.
During the initial demonstration, I found these systems quite impressive (as you can see in my video report embedded above). However, upon playing the complete game for this review, some of that initial luster seemed to fade a bit.
Regardless of how satisfying it is to solve problems (similar to navigating a spider’s web to advance in a space), it always remains tricky to choose the exact echo you intend to utilize.
As you gather more options (echoes), navigating the menus becomes increasingly time-consuming, making it less instinctive. Unfortunately, the basic menu design takes you away from the experience momentarily and disrupts your immersion to some extent.
A concern arises as the puzzles can become somewhat monotonous at points – if you’ve constructed one bridge from beds once, brace yourself, as you might find yourself constructing many more identical structures.
In simpler terms, it seems that Echoes of Wisdom doesn’t offer the same degree of flexibility in solving problems as Tears of the Kingdom did. At times, Echoes of Wisdom can feel like it has a more standard approach, rather than allowing for multiple solutions.
I wasn’t too fond of the management either. It’s enjoyable employing reflections to subdue minor adversaries, as I adore the concept of flinging serpents at them, but the hassle involved in overcoming colossal bosses without relying on any weapons can become slightly tedious.
Without a doubt, Echoes of Wisdom managed to reel me in again and again. Its vibrant, endearing art design captivated me, while the music, varying across distinct map regions, was consistently excellent. Additionally, the dungeons offered an engaging level of difficulty.
There’s also a cool feature where you can move the camera round using the right stick, allowing you to see a little bit more of the map at any given point. I’d love to see more games given this treatment, with Pokémon seeming like a really natural fit for this presentation style.
One uncool feature is the lack of proper voice acting. This is rarely a priority for Zelda, but it does result in a lot of reading and/or skipping through dialogue. Again, this breaks the immersion a bit, distancing the player from the (fairly light) story at hand.
It’s still unclear to me who this game is intended for. If it’s designed for younger enthusiasts, they may prefer games with more explicit action. On the other hand, if it’s aimed at adult fans who are veterans of the series, they might appreciate a more open-ended and creative approach.
In this scenario, neither side will find complete contentment. However, considering it’s a blend of two distinct periods in the Zelda series, and finally offering the main character a significant role, Echoes of Wisdom seems to be successful at achieving its goal.
Today, the game “The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom” is now available for purchase and play on the Nintendo Switch! Go ahead and grab your own copy right away.
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2024-09-26 16:41