Échos de Sagesse – Les Aînés Joueurs

It has always been ironic that the iconic series in the gaming world called The Legend of Zelda has never allowed you to play as Zelda in any of the main parts, except for some small spin-offs. This iconic character at Nintendo has always been in Link’s shadow most of the time, waiting for her time to play the lead role and get a big game that suits her. Finally, Nintendo listened to these demands to give Zelda a 2D main game in the series named Echoes of Wisdom, which was previewed earlier this year. Was the game up to the expectations of its fans?

• Game Name: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
• Developer: Grezzo
• Publisher: Nintendo
• Director: Tomoni Sano
• Genre: Action Adventure 2D – Puzzles
• Platform: Nintendo Switch
• Release Date: September 26, 2024
• The game does not support Arabic language
• For more information, visit the official website

Without introductions, the game immerses you directly into its events as soon as you start playing. Initially, it allows you to control Link and all his familiar abilities for a few minutes, to rescue Princess Zelda who has been kidnapped by the iconic villain in the series, Ganon, appearing in his classic design in this part. After defeating him, Link witnesses the earth splitting beneath him, and he quickly throws the arrow towards the crystal containing Zelda before disappearing into the depths. Zelda manages to escape and starts her journey this time to search for Link and save him from the darkness.

What I liked about this game specifically is that its story does not revolve around Ganon and he is not the main villain in it. Instead, it focuses entirely on the dark Rifts that are kidnapping people and innocents across the kingdom of Hyrule. Zelda’s mission begins with trying to unravel the mystery engulfing these depths and who is behind it.

The progression of the story and its events closely resemble the recent Zelda releases, where you are required to visit different regions in Hyrule and rescue those affected by this incident. The small stories that Zelda goes through in each of these regions are pleasant and each carries a unique atmosphere, with the presence of secondary characters that I enjoyed in the game.

The gameplay relies entirely on the « Echoes » system, a ability granted by your new companion in the game named « Tri » where you can summon any tool or ability from an enemy you encounter on your way. This style gives you a great deal of freedom in solving puzzles or defeating enemies, as well as encourages you to defeat any passing enemy to obtain their ability and summon it at any time you want.

Not only that, but you can also temporarily acquire Link’s abilities to help you defeat enemies more easily by using his sword or arrows. You can also develop these abilities further and extend their usage especially when you enter the Rifts.

Despite all this, I was quite frustrated by the limitations of combat when playing as Zelda, and I encountered many situations in the game where I wished Zelda could use her magical abilities as she did in other parts, or even fight like she did in Super Smash Bros. instead of wasting time searching for the Echoes you need. This was a major obstacle to enjoying the combat, as most of the time I ended up just watching the Echoes I summoned, and even when I used Link’s abilities, they were only available for a limited time and required careful searching to find a way to re-fill the gauge of this ability.

One of the marketing statements that accompanied the game before its release was that it is four times larger than the previous 2D part in the series, Link’s Awakening remake. Of course, this statement may raise concerns about world emptiness or lack of content, but I can confirm that the game offers a content-rich world that you can explore for hours without delving into the main story. The side content in the game is very satisfying for a 2D game, and a great effort has been put by the developers to give the kingdom of Hyrule its due and make it feel alive in its various regions.

One of the things that has always distinguished the Zelda series throughout its history is the genius behind the design of its dungeons and the creative puzzles that always accompany them. One of the criticisms that recent Zelda releases faced was abandoning the classic dungeon designs that characterized the series in the past. Well, I am pleased to say that this version is like a love letter to those who grew up with the Zelda series and missed the old dungeon designs. The stage designs focus more on traversal challenges with maintaining the freedom for Zelda by using the « Echoes » system. You’ll find yourself using beds frequently in this game to try to solve the puzzles found in these dungeons. The game does not force you to use a single approach in these stages but always offers multiple and different solutions for you to be creative and innovative in a way that no other game in the industry except Zelda can provide.

Artistic and Musical Aspect

The game takes a very similar artistic approach as Link’s Awakening Remake in its visual direction and character design in Chibi style. In fact, it goes as far as to reuse some tools again in this game, which does not detract from it. However, I personally prefer the artistic direction more in old 2D games like A Link to the Past or A Link Between Worlds, but this remains a personal preference and the game still carries beautiful colors and a vibrant world in its details.

This leads us to one of the strengths of the game in my opinion, which is the music. For all those who missed the classic music in Zelda games and wanted it to be highlighted more in their areas or in the dungeons compared to Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom, the game handles these aspects well and tries to change its direction in this game’s melodies, playing on the nostalgia of Zelda fans and mastering it in the best possible way.

Unfortunately, we cannot talk about the technical aspect without criticizing the game’s performance on the Nintendo Switch these days. The game tries to reach 60 frames per second but fails miserably, especially in open areas that focus on world details. However, the performance is noticeably better inside dungeons and closed areas, although there is still a struggle that appears especially during the battles or against bosses. I wished the game was set at 30 frames and locked at this rate instead of trying to reach 60 frames, which makes the game’s performance fluctuate horribly, significantly affecting the experience. The strange thing about this is that the game is not demanding and is relatively small compared to other Nintendo games, but unfortunately, the performance shows poorly, hoping that the next device will have better performance and present the game in a suitable way.

Moreover, the game had a strange blur on the edges of the screen that bothered me a lot when exploring the game or defending against enemies. It is unfortunate that the game does not offer more options to turn off these elements and prevent them from appearing on the screen.