More than 35 years after the first Legend of Zelda, one of video gaming’s most recognisable names will finally front an adventure of her own. Fans have clamoured to play as Zelda for years, of course, and yet Nintendo has previously resisted, keeping Link as the silent avatar of players’ adventures.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of WisdomDeveloper: NintendoPublisher: NintendoPlatform: Played on SwitchAvailability: Out 26th September on Switch
That all changes in the upcoming The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom – the reveal of which this year was one of Nintendo’s biggest surprises for some time. Why has it taken so long for Zelda to be the star? The answer, I think, lies in something I find even more remarkable than simply controlling the series’ princess, and something which guarantees this isn’t just another Zelda with an alternate silent hero – the game-changing Echo ability.
Early on, as Zelda attempts to escape the dungeons of Hyrule Castle, she dons a cloak previously worn by Link and is briefly mistaken for him. At any second, I was expecting her to produce the Master Sword from a hidden pocket and start swinging. But Echoes of Wisdom is not that kind of game – and is all the better for it.
Where Link’s most common starting item is typically something to start hitting enemies with, Zelda’s fancy new Tri Rod tool allows you to conjure up Echoes of objects you have seen previously. In video game terms, you don’t have a weapon per se, but a toolkit with which to solve a problem – a puzzle or group of enemies that need clearing – through other means. And what means! You quickly amass a library of in-game assets available to spawn and despawn into and out of being, from garden variety objects such as barrels and boulders to every kind of enemy you encounter.