The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Review – Tri To Be Creative Here

As a lifetime fan of The Legend of Zelda, I’ve been amazed by how Nintendo has kept things fresh in recent generations and pushed the gameplay and storytelling forward in many ways so it wouldn’t simply feel like “another LOZ title.” I was curious what they would try next, especially with how well Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom were. Hearing that Princess Zelda was FINALLY getting her own story and would feature unique mechanics just for her? I loved it. As you’ll see in this The Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom Review, the hype was very much worth it.

Game Name: Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch
Publisher(s): Nintendo
Developer(s): Nintendo, Grezzo
Release Date: September 12, 2024

Almost immediately, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom highlights just how different it is by having you jump into the story a bit later than usual. Link has already “powered up” and is ready to take on Ganon, who has captured Princess Zelda. After defeating the dark titan, Link is sucked into a rift, and Zelda is freed. Once she returns home, she soon finds herself accused of causing the rifts and is thrown into prison—how rude! After meeting the spirit Tri, she frees herself and sets out on a mission to save Hyrule from the rifts, find Link and the others taken by the rifts, and learn the truth behind what’s going on.

The Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom: Providing the best non-Link experience

Right off the bat, I have to praise the Echoes system. Everything about it feels innovative and fun. It will take a little while to get used to using them properly, but once you get the hang of it, it’s a blast. The reason I mention this is that creativity is the name of the game—literally. You can tackle obstacles in numerous ways depending on the Echoes you collect over time. This is another key reason to explore this new version of Hyrule, as you never know what you might discover and be able to create an Echo of.

If you give two different players The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom and have them follow the exact same path and dungeon order, they’ll overcome obstacles and bosses in different ways, simply because of how their minds work and the different perspectives they have. I guarantee that some of the ways I used Echoes, especially near the end, were NOT how the game likely expected me to do it. Yet, it allowed me the freedom to approach challenges my way… and it worked!

When you add Tri’s special ability to “Bind” things and even let the Echoes or other objects drag you around to help you reach various places, you have a plethora of ways to tackle challenges if you allow yourself to think outside the box.

The cutest, most game-changing Legend of Zelda yet

Even the boss fights (most of the time) can be creatively conquered through clever use of Echoes. In one instance, I had to defeat an Echo of the legendary Jabu Jabu, who was swimming below me. Instead of resorting to something overly complicated to lure him out, I just dropped a bunch of Gordos on him (yes, I know they’re called something else in the game) until he made his next move. It was very satisfying. Just as important, you can’t merely “spam Echoes” endlessly, as Tri has limits. The more rifts you clear in Hyrule, the more you’ll boost Tri’s powers. It was always a thrill when Tri gained another Echo shard to summon, as it opened up opportunities to unleash clever strategies in-game.

For those who appreciate the more classical style of The Legend of Zelda, the Sword of Might mechanics will give you that nostalgic feel while also restricting you with an energy gauge, so you can’t just spam that instead of using Echoes.

Another key positive of the game is the new version of Hyrule that Zelda inhabits. As you explore the regions, you’ll encounter not only classic references and species but also fresh takes on them. For example, the two previous versions of Zoras are present, each with their own issues to tackle before you can close the rifts. The Gorons are dealing with a new, inexperienced leader, and the Gerudos (who actually accept you right away because, well, Zelda’s female) are fighting a war they can’t win, among other challenges. I enjoyed seeing how all these characters were portrayed, and the stories within their realms were fun and compelling.

We also get new characters to flesh out Zelda’s personal adventure. Conde, for example, is a favorite of mine, along with the new advisors to the king, Left, and Wright. Yes, they did make that joke! There’s even a new version of Tingle called the “Stamp Guy,” who actually provided some comedic moments. However, by and large, my favorite character in the game, aside from Zelda, was Tri.

Less lore, more gameplay choices

When we first meet Tri, the spirit makes it clear that working with Zelda is more of a “means to an end” than anything else. However, as time goes on, Tri learns what it truly means to care about others and witness their growth after tough experiences. By the time we say goodbye at the end of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, you can understand why Zelda is so sad to see Tri go. Tri is definitely a top-tier LOZ assistant character—only behind Midna in my book.

A curious element from the developer interviews about the game was that the team almost didn’t include deep Hyrule lore in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, as they wanted to focus more on gameplay and avoid adding “new layers” to the mix. Thank goodness that changed! I loved hearing about the new origins of Hyrule, how the goddesses were involved, and the birth of Null (not to be confused with Marvel’s Knull), who was causing all the rifts. The Legend of Zelda series is built on stories, and it should never shy away from that.

Even discovering what Tri really was felt pretty cool, as it helped tie the entire storyline together. When you add that to the numerous side quests you can undertake, it truly feels like Hyrule is alive, which I loved. They even give Link a deep backstory, despite him being a “side character” here, which makes you connect with him even more.

More like The Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom – Echoes of Bed Bed Bed

All that being said, this *The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom* review wouldn’t be complete without addressing a few negatives, and there were a few worth mentioning. First off, let’s talk about the Echoes.

Easily the biggest drawback is that there are SO MANY to use! With over 100 in the game, sometimes they stack on top of each other. Just an hour in, I had over two dozen! I don’t even know how many I had by the end, but it was a lot! In theory, that’s not a problem, as “each one has its use.” Yet, it didn’t feel that way at times, as I know I didn’t use certain Echoes because they never felt relevant or important. This led to another issue: certain bosses or obstacles can only be overcome using specific Echoes or powers, and if you forget which ones have those abilities, you might find yourself in trouble. Plus, some Echoes are just REALLY finicky to use if you don’t have perfect timing—I’m looking at you, Cloud Echo.

Second, while the Echoes weren’t the only “new element” in the game, other additions didn’t match up in terms of quality. For example, there were Smoothies that Zelda could blend together. It was cool! However, after discovering the recipe that healed all my hearts and gave me full energy for Swordfighter Form—plus it was easy to make because I had the ingredients in abundance—the other recipes didn’t seem to matter. I’m pretty sure you can get by with just four types of smoothies without much issue.

That brings me to Dante’s Automatons. You can unlock certain ones depending on the Echoes you show him for inspiration. However, when I met him, I didn’t have the necessary Echoes, so I left and never returned. It didn’t affect my experience at all.

Another smaller issue I noticed was the inconsistent difficulty with the dungeons and bosses. In the latter half of *The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom*, you visit three temples blessed by the goddesses. The Faron Temple was quite challenging due to its dim lighting, twisting paths, and tough boss fights. Yet, the other two temples were incredibly straightforward, with the Eldin Temple being the easiest in the game!

This Princess Needs No Link

Finally, while the Sword of Might and the additional equipment you receive as Link are meant to be used “sparingly,” the game makes it clear that they WANT you to use them frequently when fighting bosses in the Still World. There were certain boss fights with such a pace that I couldn’t comprehend how I would use anything BUT the Swordfighter form.

To its credit, in the game’s final stages, Zelda returns Link’s weapons so they can team up against Null, creating a true battle with your Echoes. However, that doesn’t stop those earlier fights from feeling almost tailored to that form over the Echoes.

Even still, as I wrap up this The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom review, I highly praise Nintendo for all that it achieved here. Zelda is a fantastic protagonist, and the Echoes system truly felt like something special. Sure, not everything worked perfectly or was equally significant, but when you finish The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, you’ll find yourself hoping for another game featuring Zelda so she can continue to be the great Princess of Hyrule we all know her to be.

Review Disclosure Statement: A copy of The Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom was purchased by The Outerhaven for review purposes. For more information on how we review video games and other media/technology, please review our Review Guideline/Scoring Policy.

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