Tyler Dinuzzo || Issue 10 || December 3rd, 2024
The Legend of Zelda is a video game franchise that has been around for about as long as video games themselves. Each new entry proved to be an incredible accomplishment in the video game industry, with revolutionary scope unlike anything seen before. Ironically, despite the name of the franchise, these incredible adventures were actually undertaken by a green fairy boy named Link, not the princess Zelda. That is, until now. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, the newest entry in this renowned franchise, finally allows the princess Zelda to be the protagonist of a Legend of Zelda
game. Echoes of Wisdom does a fantastic job handling Zelda’s character. It would have been quite easy to simply have it play like any other Zelda game, forcing Zelda to uncharacteristically swing a sword around maniacally like Link would. However, the developers cleverly chose against this, instead opting to give Zelda a unique play style unlike anything else in the series, in the form of “echo game play”. This unique style of gameplay allows Zelda’s more magical side to show. The player, instead of slashing a sword around, can now “echo” enemies they defeat and objects they discover. As a result of this, the game tends to be far more puzzle based, fitting for the “wisdom” element of the title. You might think that this mechanic would get old fast, but thankfully the game is always giving you new
enemies and objects to take down and echo, all with shockingly clever uses that you really have to use your brain to figure out. Once the solution to a certain puzzle click, the satisfaction is unmatched.
The story has always been a key element to a Zelda game, and while it may not seem like it at first, this game has some of the more unique and heavier story elements in a Zelda game yet. This is not just a filler game, and I greatly appreciate that. It would have been easy to diminish Zelda’s debut as a playable character by making her adventure some unimportant side journey, but this adventure pits you against one of the most lore-heavy enemies in series history–no spoilers though! The game does occasionally suffer from bad performance, likely due to running on a console that is now on its way out, but despite the occasional lag, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is a blast from start to finish that continues to innovate like the Zelda series always has. Hopefully this will open the door to future entries starring the titular princess. Only time will tell.
The Hudsonian 