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

It's not just the newest Zelda game – – it's the newest Pokémon one! I've always wanted a Zelda game starring Princess Zelda since I was a kid, but I think I would have been disappointed if she was just a reskin of Link. As the holder of the Triforce of Wisdom, she should approach things differently and have her own strengths. So I'm glad that for her first adventure, they decided to try something completely different. The echo mechanic, on the surface, is clunky at first. It requires a lot of menuing, and you have to make sure you're facing the correct direction and sometimes retry and readjust. But once things click and you get in the rhythm of things, it becomes incredibly satisfying to summon things at will. The main usage is platforming, and there's a LOT of platforming in this game, and a lot of 2D segments with it as well. And creating your own path using different objects does create some fun scenarios, though the main one is just the "how do I get there?" puzzle. Where the echo mechanic truly shines for me though is in the combat. At its worst, the player can choose to just spawn things and hide, and wait for combat to finish. But at its best? The game becomes an RTS, where you are targeting enemies, repositioning yourself, re-spawning monsters to cancel their cool down or get behind the enemy, and sometimes joining alongside them and fighting as well (Link having a magic meter and Zelda having a sword meter is a really fun concept, btw). The later into the game I got, the more fun I started to have, because the game wasn't just about defeating monsters, it was about COLLECTING them! Hence why I called this the next best Pokémon game. It was so addicting to try and log every monster into my codex for use later, and I definitely had a growing list of favorites I would use for specifics scenarios. Suddenly an annoying enemy isn't just an annoying enemy anymore, it's something I DESPERATELY want to defeat so I can add it to my collection. Dungeons-wise, I don't think these are the strongest in the series, but it feels so good to have classic lock and key dungeons with a map and hidden treasures inside. The majority are fairly linear unfortunately, but my highlights would be the jungle temple and desert temple. Both of them involve going outside the dungeon to look for hidden entryways, so they really encouraged exploration and thinking about the dungeon as a place, and not just a pathway to get through. Luckily, the overworld itself also feels a lot like a dungeon, and in that way I would compare this game to Skyward Sword. There are a lot of areas that require thoughtful planning and platforming to get to, as well as puzzles and challenges to ascend to certain heights in the world map. There were a couple times where I essentially skipped some of those challenges, because the game gave me the freedom to do so, but I don't regret it as it also felt empowering to use my "wisdom" to traverse the land. The final things I'll say is that while the story isn't especially deep, and I didn't expect it to be, it does have some really fun ideas they threw in, such as the trauma of people who fall into the rifts, which I really appreciate them talking about, as well as a backstory for Link that I didn't expect and quite enjoyed. Sidequests are a bit too easy but incredibly charming story-wise. And while I don't mind the visuals, the choppy performance in multiple areas of the overworld was really bothersome. I don't understand why this is an issue, so I hope this game can be experienced on Nintendo's next system with a performance boost. All in all, this is a unique yet still Zelda-feeling experience. It doesn't top the series's greatest hits, but its interesting ideas, puzzle design, and modern conventions still rank it quite highly. If you're willing to experience it on its own terms, I recommend it!