With the release of Zelda: Breath of the Wild back in 2017, Nintendo's iconic The Legend of Zelda franchise got a whole new look. The gameplay was very different from what came before, the freedom the studio gave players was unparalleled, and it is still often hailed as one of the best things the open world genre has to offer. That success meant, of course, that Nintendo went full steam ahead with a sequel Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomwhich took the concept even further. While it seemed like this might be the future of the franchise, Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom has revived what came before instead.
Now, The Legend of Zelda fans are treated to an old school Zelda game rather than the huge new approach the studio was using. By Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomthey are taken on another fantastic adventure that doesn't feel limited by its top-down nature. And because of its success, this kind of Zelda the game might not be left aside after all.
The classic Legend of Zelda experience has a bright future ahead of it
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Feels Like a Blast from the Past
Even if Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The tears of the kingdom are great games, they really don't share many similarities with previous games. Instead of being a top-down action adventure filled with dungeons to conquer and treasures to find, these games fully embraced what an open world game can be. Much of that was left behind in favor of a massive open world Hyrule, completely revamped gameplay with brand new mechanics and shorter puzzle-based shrines rather than the dungeons of the past. But instead of expanding it further, Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom has taken a step back.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom feels like how old Zelda games have that modern games sometimes lack. It brought the franchise back to its top-down roots, delivering the classic dungeon-crawler experience and telling a whole new story through the eyes of Princess Zelda. In addition, the studio injected some Breath of the Wild-like mechanics to keep it fresh and unique. And through it all, it has delivered an experience fans may not soon forget.
Zelda's future can juggle both approaches
Zelda: Echoes of WisdomThe success is great to see, as it shows that there is still a place for these classic titles alongside the huge new adventures Nintendo has created. Of course, it would hardly be the first time The Legend of Zelda have explored different styles. In recent years, players have also been offered Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Skyward Sword HDand Link's Awakening remake. But unlike these games, Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is a full-fledged new entry in the mainline series, which makes its approach feel even more special.
There is seemingly no reason titles like Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom should stop, but now players can also be treated to that classic Zelda model too. Not only would that help keep the franchise fresh and diverse, but these top-down adventures by Grezzo could also serve as great ways to bridge the gap between the bigger open-world titles. Plus, with the unique mechanics it has thrown into the mix, these titles would probably never feel inferior to these adventures, even if they are smaller in scale.
It remains to be seen what the future looks like The Legend of Zelda implies. Right now it seems Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom will be the last main title for the Switch unless Nintendo has another surprise up its sleeve. But whatever the future of the franchise looks like, there's seemingly room for both types of adventure within it.
