Game review: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Nintendo Switch)

Even though the game franchise is known as The Legend of Zelda, you hardly ever play as Zelda in the video games. As most people already know, Link is the main character of the Zelda franchise, even though his name is missing from the title. 

Well, Nintendo decided to change up the formula with The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom because Zelda is the main playable character this time around. Zelda has been playable in the past, but she hasn't been a controllable character as many times as Link has.

At the very start of the game, Zelda is actually captured by the evil pig boss Ganon, and she's trapped inside a crystal. In the beginning, players are able to control Link for a brief time, and he's really powerful, wielding his Master Sword and trusty shield to fight off Ganon and his allies.

Unfortunately, after saving Zelda from Ganon, a mysterious rift opens and swallows up Link. Zelda is thankfully able to escape the rift, but this time she has to save Link and Hyrule from this new mysterious entity popping all over the land. 

What I like most about Zelda games, in general, is that all of them play differently from one another. For example, Skyward Sword on the original Wii plays much differently compared to Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom on the Nintendo Switch. 

The same is true when you are comparing both The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening and The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. Nintendo could have easily armed Zelda with a sword and shield like Link, but in Echoes of Wisdom, she has unique abilities of her own. 

Zelda gains new abilities when she meets a fairy named Tri who wants to assist her in fixing Hyrule. Tri gives Zelda something called the Tri Rod, and this object can mimic both monsters and objects. When a monster is defeated, Zelda can use the Tri Rod to "learn" the monster and then copy it so that it can fight on her side. Objects like tables, beds, and more can also be copied by the rod too. 

This new unique ability forces players to be very creative when it comes to combat, exploration, and puzzle-solving. Instead of using a sword, Zelda will need to conjure up the right monster to help fight for her. There are tons of monsters available in this game, so players will need to accurately choose the one that can aid Zelda best. 

My favourite monster to conjure up are the Darknuts because they are like knights and can attack with lots of different weapons. They also have armour on them, so they don't die as easily as the other monsters. Another favourite of mine is the bombfish because it can explode rocks and enemies with ease.

Objects that you find in the environment are also helpful in Zelda's adventure to save Link. There are many scenarios in the game where Zelda cannot reach high platforms and cliffs, but she can use objects to help her climb. The objects I used the most to reach higher places were actually beds!

I also loved using beds because Zelda can use them to recover her health. You can use the bed anytime, and sleeping makes sure you don't need to always find your hearts to recover health. I have to say, the beds were the items I used the most in the entire game. 

Another ability that Tri gives Zelda is to 'bind' with other objects. This basically means she can move objects in the environment and choose where to place them. Again, this is useful for solving puzzles or even moving monsters around. I liked using the 'bind' ability to move the aforementioned bombfish so that it explodes close to the game's many enemies. 

Lastly, Zelda eventually finds the ability to use Link's sword and shield, but she is limited by its energy. Players can only become in 'Swordfighter' form for a limited amount of time before it runs out. You need to find blue orbs floating around the levels to replenish this ability. Swordfighter mode is crucial during boss fights, and the game is generous in giving you orbs during these encounters. 

One other thing I liked about The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is the large open-world environment. The game is pretty much full of towns and useful people to talk to. Not to mention, there are lots of dungeons and rifts to explore in the game, too. 

The game also allows you to touch 'Waypoints', and these can be used to fast travel to any location that you have visited before. This is really helpful if you want to go back to a specific town to make smoothies for buffs or to upgrade your sword to make it more powerful.

One negative thing I can say about the game is that I would have improved the UI when it comes to choosing the monsters and items you want to choose. There's a whole list of things to choose from, and scrolling through them all can be cumbersome sometimes. 

The second minor nitpick is that sometimes the game doesn't tell you exactly where you need to go at all times. It sometimes will only give you the general vicinity of where to go next, but most of the time you will need to explore on your own to get keys to locked doors and more. 

Aside from some minuscule flaws, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is easily one of the best games I have played in 2024. I don't care if the game doesn't have high-tech 4K graphics because the innovative gameplay is more than enough to make me happy. This game is a must-have for all Nintendo Switch owners. 

Verdict: 9.5/10