4.5/5 ★ – LocalMilk's review of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.

(Includes vague discussion of plot elements and gameplay features) Echoes of Wisdom feels like classic 2D Zelda blended with the new age, open-ended approach to puzzle solving, previously embraced by Tears of the Kingdom. This pairing of styles gave me a feeling of pure joy for the majority of my playthrough. The emphasis on individualization within puzzle-solving is something I deeply appreciated about Breath of the Wild and it’s sequel, and I’m happy to see that the same element remains important to the Zelda teams here, even as they play with the IP’s more formulaic roots. This version of Hyrule is much bigger than the worlds from the series’ earliest titles. But much of its towns and biomes will feel familiar to existing fans of the series, as they often seem like remixed versions of the settings from prior Zelda games. I don’t feel this is a bad quality — I personally enjoyed pointing out things here and there that felt like nods to features that originated in various prior entries. There are plenty of items, accessories, and side quests to find throughout the map — allowing its bigger size (compared to other 2D Zeldas) to feel just as fully realized, and rich with life, as most games in the series’ history. I didn’t feel any of the optional content was daunting to complete. Much of it I even completed without the direct intention of checking things off a list — I was just naturally exploring where my interests were piqued. For reference, it took me a little more than 40 hours to complete Echoes of Wisdom’s main story and all of its side content. The dungeons present along the main adventure take inspiration, in the way of structure, from classic Zelda formatting, yet they still feel inspired by the new gameplay mechanics at this game’s focus. Many individual rooms from Echoes of Wisdom’s dungeons have stuck in my mind. They captured a great balance in providing definite obstacles that can be solved in a number of ways. If anything, when looking at the dungeons overall as groups of interconnected puzzles, most of the experiences here felt a bit too linear. Only one dungeon made me scratch my head for a bit — while trying to piece out where to go next. I wish more of the dungeons here acted like puzzle boxes on a larger scale. When starting out, one of my main concerns regarded how the game would encourage the use of its central mechanic — the echoes. I knew the game featured a lengthy list of objects and enemies that could be echoed, but I feared that much of the choice in the matter would feel superficial. Before experiencing too much of the game, it was easy for me to imagine the outcome of obtaining a few, clearly superior echoes — which would make the long list of options unnecessary. I’m a bit sad to say that this did in fact end up being the case, at least in my perception. I feel as though I only utilized 15% or less of the echoes at my disposal throughout the game. I could have experimented more, but I didn’t feel compelled to, as I found that a relatively short list of echoes could be manipulated to solve most puzzles in the game. Out of 125+ echoes, I only used about 15 consistently. My desire to branch out from usual routines was often hindered further by the layout of the echoes select screen. Pressing right on the d-pad displays a single-file line of all your echoes. There are a few sorting options, but none of which allow you to personalize an order of your own. I kept it sorted to my most recently used at the front of the line, and didn’t stray too far out of my comfort zone. A few times, I even found myself being stubborn when attempting to solve puzzles — trying to make it work with a less ideal echo for the given situation because I didn’t want to go through the process of scrolling through a line of 60 or so options to select the echo that would’ve been more clearly suited for the scenario. The pacing between obtaining new echoes is consistently great through the game, but every time I collected one, I was both excited about its potential, and a little annoyed that its inclusion would make scrolling through the select screen more tedious. Ultimately, the select screen that they decided on here slows the game’s pacing down, even if minimally in the grand scheme of the experience. I recognize, though, that the brief list of echoes that I used most consistently were personal to my own experience. Others are going to have their own tried-and true-echoes. No one is going to be using all echoes to meaningful extents. But, by having so many choices, each player is able to carve out their own play style — calling back to that positive element of individualization. There is also the direct benefit of a massive enemy variety in the game, that stems from the developers’ interests in giving the player access to such a large amount of gameplay options. Again, the world here is super rich with enemy and NPC types. Though I’ve expressed some complaints about the game’s menus, I feel that the actual execution of using echoes in moment-to-moment gameplay is near perfect. The acts of summoning platforms to reach new ledges, or calling in troops to fight for me in combat, rarely felt stale. Another aspect unique to this entry in the series is the protagonist herself. When Echoes of Wisdom was announced, I was excited to see Link taking a backseat, so Zelda could get more of the spotlight. And, as I started the game myself, it felt refreshing to experience the usual Legend of Zelda mold being shaken up a little bit. However, the more hours that passed in my playthrough, the more things seemed to go par for the course. Playing as Zelda ended up feeling like playing as Link with different cosmetics. She’s utilized here as a silent protagonist, just as Link is in his adventures. One of her primary abilities, turns her into the spirit of Link — for all intents and purposes — wielding his sword, and other unlockable weapons belonging to the Hero. The first portion of the game even has Zelda locked to wearing a cloak, ridding her of identification and personality. It just kind of made me wonder, “what’s special about playing as Zelda here, then?” It’s not as though Link hasn’t had magic-oriented abilities before. I don’t believe it would’ve felt out-of-place to see him casting echoes instead of Zelda. I’m a fan of the choice to use her as a protagonist, but I feel such a choice was only fulfilled partially. I wish she was represented with more of an identifiable, unique personality. I don’t think the playable protagonist has to be a blank slate in order for players to feel agency through individualization. Though Echoes of Wisdom could have expanded on its ideas in some places, and refined them in others, it is still an amazing, joyful experience on the whole — worthy of standing alongside other games in the series. I’m excited to see how the Zelda teams refine and iterate on these general themes of individualization going forward. —————————————— Included in “My Favorite Games — Ranked”: #60