Echoes of Wisdom makes an attempt to revisit the black sheep of the franchise

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The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom sits comfortably among the more unique and new entries in Zelda franchise. Although it certainly revolutionizes some parts of Zelda formula, Echo of wisdom is particularly interesting because of how it remixes and iterates on pre-existing mechanics and features, such as cooking off BOTW and TOTKor the cartoonish, chibi-influenced art design of Link's Awakening remake.




It speaks for a broader design trend in modernity Zeldait's the show's willingness to embrace change while still being tied to basics that have been around for decades. For example, the first one The Legend of Zeldas open-ended exploration with minimal hand-holding, while clearly rudimentary compared to today's games, seems to be a clear precursor to the “open-air” world design of Breath of the Wild. A slightly more unexpected parallel between new and old Zelda can be seen in Echo of wisdomwhose side-scrolling sections feel oddly similar The Adventure with Linkthe veritable black sheep of the series' early days.

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What The Legend of Zelda movie could learn from Echoes of Wisdom

The upcoming Legend of Zelda movie could learn from Echoes of Wisdom's effective blend of nostalgia and innovation.


Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom suggests that strong 2D action may be in the series' future

Buried among many classics Zelda mechanics which Echo of wisdom upgrades are multiple side-scrolling sections, often integrated into dungeons or acting as minor excursions into the overworld. Under these shifting perspective dalliances, the core gameplay is virtually unchanged, the only real change being the removal of an axis of movement, making the transition smooth and familiar without losing its sense of variety and surprise.

Often these snippets of 2D side-scrolling can be among the most enjoyable parts of Echo of wisdomrecontextualizes its essential combat and puzzle-solving mechanics, literally providing a different perspective and opening the door to different avenues of experimentation. This success makes one wonder why there aren't more side scrollers Zelda game. Generally speaking, the franchise will either stick to a top-down perspective, like that Echo of wisdomor a more traditional (at least in the AAA space) 3D, third-person format. But countless platformers, Metroidvanias, and adventure games, including many from Nintendo itself, prove that the side-scrolling perspective doesn't have to be a limitation. In fact, it can often lead to powerful gameplay, storytelling, and artistic possibilities.


Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link usually considered one of the worst games in the series. While some fans appreciate its bold departures from its best-selling predecessor, there's also a sense that it may have thrown the baby out with the bathwater, implementing changes at the expense of the core design elements that made the first Zelda the game works so well. The great creative and commercial success of the original Zelda in comparison with Link's Awakening reflected by the series' modus operandi over the following decades; Zelda has moved away from 2D side-scrolling in favor of a more open-world design, only tinkering with the concept of short-lived experimentation and gameplay variety.


But it doesn't have to be this way. The Zelda series has shown consistent improvement over the years, and the side-scrolling aspects of Echo of wisdom is proof of that: Zelda's Echo abilities can gain entirely new functionality and utility in these sections, as can her more watered-down platforming capabilities. Maybe a remake of The Adventure with Link could borrow some of these broad philosophies, learn from Echo of wisdom and utilize its unique presentation for effective combat and puzzle-solving systems. Such a creative decision can serve as a great way to redeem Zelda 2takes its good elements, such as its RPG features, and embeds them in a more mechanically engaging framework.

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