The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom – this looks pretty awesome (Nintendo)
A new Zelda game is out this year and for once it stars the person it’s named after with a brand new adventure and all-new gameplay.
For anyone that’s never played the games, they probably assume that Zelda is the name of the guy in the funny green hat (or blue tunic) that you usually play as, but of course that’s not the case. Link is the protagonist and Princess Zelda usually has a very passive role as damsel in distress or, at best, extra help during the final battle.
But after decades of fan demand she’s finally getting a proper game all to herself (there were two improper ones, that weren’t made by Nintendo, for the CD-i system in the mid-90s but nobody likes to talk about them).
The new game is called The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom and while it’s a top-down adventure that uses the same graphics as the remake of Link’s Awakening it’s a brand new game with Zelda having very distinct new abilities.
It’s not clear whether the game is canon, but the story seems to start with Link confronting Ganon but being sucked into a mysterious rift, while just having time to release Zelda from imprisonment before he disappears.
Zelda doesn’t use a sword (if she uses any weapon, it’s usually a bow) but wields a new device called the Tri Rod, which can be used to create ‘echoes’ of ordinary objects, like tables, boxes, beds, trampolines, and blocks of waters.
She can then place multiple copies of these echoes anywhere she wants in the world, at any time, which seems to make for some very interesting puzzles, with the most basic form being to create platforms and stairs to clamber over scenery.
Zelda can use echoes to attack enemies, by throwing rocks and the like at them, but she can also create echoes of the monsters themselves, turning them into allies and using their special abilities, such as flying, shooting, and spreading flames.
It all looks and sounds great and it’ll be out on September 26, along with a special Echoes Of Wisdom Switch Lite (Zelda is the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom, if you’re wondering about the name).
Although there had been rumours of a new Zelda game, starring its titular character, the reveal was a very welcome surprise during the June Nintendo Direct, which was full of new announcements, including a new Mario & Luigi, Mario Party, and the first reveal for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
Except for Metroid Prime 4, all of the games will be out this year, which means the Switch will be going out in considerable style, with support continuing well into 2025.
The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom – Zelda takes the leading role (Nintendo)
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