There’s always a lot of expectation when it comes to a new game in one of Nintendo’s flagship series, but the good news is that The Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom doesn’t disappoint. Or at least, it doesn’t disappoint most players, but there are a few caveats, which we’ll get to later in the review.
Overall, Echoes of Wisdom combines classic top-down Zelda RPG action with a big hit of brilliant Nintendo innovation to create an instant smash just in time for Christmas 2024. If you liked The Legend of Zelda Link’s Awakening remake on the Nintendo Switch or any other top-down instalment then there’s a good chance that you’re going to love this one too.
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Zelda takes center stage
As you probably already know, The Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom springboards Zelda into the role of lead character in the game, which is a first for the series. For us, this works amazingly, but there are bound to be a few old-school gamers that just aren’t ready to lose Link as their main man in the franchise.
For the most part, Zelda plays a lot like Link does and Nintendo has done a good job of passing the baton on to her with moves that at least echo Link’s trademark sword-fighting style. The way that this works is that you get an energy bar to use Link’s sword, and later his bow and bombs, so you can still fight like him whenever you’ve got enough energy.
That being said, there are bound to be times when you just run out and find yourself slightly frustrated that you can’t just use a normal system of sword fighting in the game. The reality is that even in this situation you’ll always have an option to deal damage and take out any enemy in the game because of the brilliant echo ability that Zelda gets when she’s given the Tri Rod early on in Echoes of Wisdom.
With this, you can copy items and enemies as you go and call on them anytime you needs one to get over obstacles or to defeat bigger, stronger enemies. This is a lot of fun and it delivers the kind of creative gaming options that made The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom such a great game.
Sometimes it’s easy and obvious which echoes are good to use in any given situation, but there are some times when you’ll really need to think about which one is right to get the job done. This ties into the puzzles that you’ll face throughout Echoes of Wisdom, which are definitely up there with some of the best in the series.
Echoes of Link’s Awakening
As you can see from the images above and the videos throughout the review, The Legends of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom has a similar art style to the one used in the Link’s Awakening remake. This means that the graphics are far more cartoon-like than in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, and even Skyward Sword for that matter, so if this is not your cup of tea then it could be a deal breaker.
For us, the latest Zelda game is an absolute blast with crisp graphics that the suit the style of game to perfection with great adaptations on much-loved characters and enemies from the series. Visually, Echoes and Awakening are very similar, but with the extra freedom that you get using the echoes makes the latest title more instantly expansive once Zelda gets out into the sandbox environment.
As ever, exploration is a big part of the Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom and while the map isn’t huge – with similar proportions to the Link’s Awakening remake – there’s always something to find just around the corner. This might not be as significant as it was in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, but it’s still prevalent throughout the core campaign and the various side quests that you’ll have to do as you discover new parts of Hyrule.
Packed with action, adventure and great characters
Action, adventures and the characters that you get to know are a big part of any Zelda game and that’s true of Echoes of Wisdom. Battles are fun and engaging, especially when it comes to the big bosses, like the Seismic Thalus below. And with a much-appreciated return to classic dungeons, there’s adventure abound as you make your way through waves of monsters, solve puzzles and slowly uncover the truth behind the rifts overtaking Hyrule.
It’s always fun to bump into a new character and discover more about their part in the story. These are often hilarious and while there isn’t as much dramatic weight to it all as there is in the last two new games in the series, it does more than enough to keep you engaged.
Huge revelations abound
For anyone up on their Zelda lore, you’ll know that’s each game adds a little to the growing library of details relating to the history of Hyrule and its people. Echoes of Wisdom is no different and there are a lot of new revelations to enjoy throughout the main campaign, which will go on to shape the future of the series.
This adds more gravitas to the game and gives it an important part in the evolving landscape of the franchise. However, the biggest table flip is the fact that now we can have Zelda games that star Zelda as the main character and that makes the future of the franchise even more interesting.
What this means for the next Zelda game in the series is up in the air, but it definitely makes the future even more exciting, which is yet another reason why Echoes of Wisdom is, for us, a must-play game for any fans of the series. Maybe we’ll get a duel protagonist adventure one day, or even one starring Midna or Sidon or Impa… the possibilities are now endless and that makes the future very exciting.
The Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom replay-ability review
The longevity of a game is a big part of any of our reviews and there are a few positives when it comes to The Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom. Firstly, even after your first run through the game, you still might be inclined to take it on at least one more time with all the knowledge that you’ve accumulated throughout the game.
This means that you can finish off bosses much faster, solve puzzles in new ways and explore the map with much more freedom than you will have done in your first run. This essentially doubles the playtime, which is in the region of 20 hours for a single run, and then there are a few boss Rush battles that you can take on at the dojo to add a little more.
In addition to this, you might also be inclined to give it a go again to see how quickly you can beat the game. There’s a strong speedrun community for The Legend of Zelda, which has already done a lot of interesting things with the mechanics that you get to play with in Echoes of Wisdom. If you take some of these and try to embed them into your own play through, then that can bring a little additional life to the game beyond your first couple of runs.
However, we still think that Nintendo could have done a little more to make the game slightly longer. An extra dungeon would have gone a long way to boost our review score below and it’s a similar story for post-game content, which is pretty light in Echoes of Wisdom, so this is probably the biggest reason that the game doesn’t absolutely crush it for us.
Overall review
All that said, The Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom is an incredible gem of a game and we 100% recommend that you play it if you’re a Zelda fan – but especially if you like top-down Zelda games. With the lower replay time, you might want to pick up the physical version of the game, so that have options later on after you’ve got everything out of it.
The Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom review: 93%
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