By Zachary Bayers
Welcome back to Nintendo News, where we cover all Nintendo related topics and trends! An amazing way to open this semester is by talking about none other than The Legend of Zelda franchise! The newest addition to this series, titled “The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom,” for the first time in its 38-year long history stars Zelda herself as the main protagonist! As lovable as Link is, it’s refreshing to see that the Princess of Hyrule herself is finally helming a game for a series that’s named directly after her.
The premise takes place in Hyrule (as per usual), where mysterious rifts begin to appear across the land, absorbing anything and everything in its path. Several townsfolk have gone missing due to this catastrophic event, including Link himself. Zelda meets an intriguing, floating companion named Tri who grants Zelda with unimaginable powers from what looks to be a magical rod, leading the conjoined team to work together to save their homeland.
With the power of this rod, gameplay takes a unique twist where instead of fighting and traversing Hyrule with weapons and tools, you must fight with your mind– in a creative way. The rod can copy objects or enemies and recreate them as “echoes,” which can be summoned at will by the hands of Zelda. This can be anything from a bed, a rock, or even simulated copies of enemies to aid you in battle. It seems like the number of different echoes you can create are nearly infinite, allowing you to combine unique objects together to overcome obstacles or defeat foes. Fear not however, for if you prefer a more traditional Zelda gameplay, there is a feature later where you can unlock a swordfighter form. This form allows you to battle with a sword and shield for a brief amount of time, however if used consistently it will run out. Its energy can be recharged in the Still World, a terrifying realm within the rifts full of disfigured terrains and misshapen environments.
Overall, this looks like an incredibly exciting and promising new edition to the series which many seem eager to play upon release on September 26th!
