Image: Nintendo
The next Legend of Zelda game makes Princess Zelda the star of the show.
This week’s Nintendo Direct saw the announcement of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, an all-new Nintendo Switch game that finally makes Princess Zelda a playable hero. The game follows the visual style of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (2019), but has a very different take on combat and exploration to reflect its new protagonist.
Here’s the trailer:
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom makes Zelda the playable star
Zelda fans, it’s your time to shine. While most Legend of Zelda games have Link set out to rescue the eponymous Princess of Hyrule, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom finally turns the tables by having Zelda go on an adventure to rescue Link. Princess Zelda will be the playable protagonist of Echoes of Wisdom, with new abilities that make for a rather unorthodox Legend of Zelda title.
In the words of series producer Eiji Aonuma, Echoes of Wisdom has, “a new gameplay style that breaks conventions.” Unlike Link, Zelda won’t use a sword and shield to fight enemies in Hyrule. Instead, she’ll make use of a new magical item called the Tri Rod, which allows her to duplicate all sorts of objects found in the world. The world itself seems to reuse assets from the Link’s Awakening remake, bringing back its tilt-shifted visuals.
Zelda can create copies of random items, which are referred to as Echoes. This allows her to stack up crates to get to higher positions in the environment, use beds as bridges and create stones to throw at enemies in combat. She can even create Echoes of enemies, which fight alongside her during battle. Can she also create Echoes of enemy weapons? Time will tell.
Princess Zelda hasn’t been the sole playable star of a Legend of Zelda game in a very long time, which makes this a pretty exciting entry in the franchise for her fans. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom launches on the Nintendo Switch on September 26, 2024. This week's Nintendo Direct also gave us reveals for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Mario & Luigi: Brothership.