The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Reviews
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is a very successful debut outing for the titular princess. The game does still suffer the frame rate issues of Link’s Awakening and at times, felt as if the story became too centered around Link so that it became less about the character we play, but the ideas, mechanics, feel, look and style of the game are an absolute treat. Alongside Another Code, it’s my favourite Nintendo release of 2024 so far and gives an exciting glimpse into what Nintendo may be cooking for 2025 and beyond.
A game that gives you freedom to play it as you want to is probably something more games should aspire to. That The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom gives you all that freedom without ever feeling unfocused or overwhelming is evidence that it lives up to its iconic lineage.
Playing The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom has reignited my desire to play through some of the other older Zelda games. It has been an absolute joy to play through and honestly I really hope that we get to play as Zelda more often because that Princess can slay! Sorry, couldn’t resist. Yass Queen (Princess) The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom gets the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom has a lot to recommend - a unique mechanic, classic dungeons, and a decent OST. While it’s a worthy entry into the hallowed series, for Zelda fans who love action and playing with Link’s many toys, Echoes of Wisdom will be an overpriced slog.
While the world and story of Echoes of Wisdom are a lot like what you're used to seeing when playing as Link, Zelda's distinct abilities make for a fairly different experience. Selecting an Echo is clunky at times, but each can be used creatively as a solution to a myriad of clever puzzles. Performance leaves something to be desired, but the princess' first outing as protagonist is a strong one.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is an impressive title and as big as you risk exploring it. It is full of unique moments and your imagination will be your best tool. A great game of Princess Zelda.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom deviates entirely from the most recent installments and delivers one of the most fun and entertaining adventures in the franchise. Also, we can finally play with the princess of Hyrule, who, alongside Tri, gives it an even more whimsical and charming touch.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom defies expectations, offering a fresh take on the series by giving Princess Zelda the spotlight in a captivating adventure, making it one of Nintendo's best surprises this year.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom makes an excellent return as the first original 2D Zelda game in over a decade. It's not without its issues, with the UI being just okay and the performance being a little off the mark, but as a game, it's a lot of fun. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom has one of the best 2D open worlds in Zelda games to date. I absolutely loved taking threats on from the shoes of Princess Zelda, who has proved not just to be a damsel in distress.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom will be most remembered as the first mainline entry that lets us step into the shoes of Princess Zelda, which is a significant shift from the traditional gameplay. But it also introduces plenty of new gameplay twists that fundamentally shake up the Zelda formula in fresh and exciting ways.
If you are a fan of Zelda games or old-school RPGs you will love Echoes of Wisdom. It’s one of my favourite games of the year and just shows that even if you change the core mechanics of a fan-favourite franchise, as long as it’s done with love and care, it can be a great success. Echoes is a perfect blend of old-school Zelda with sprinklings of open-ended puzzle-solving seen in more recent entries in the series.
The latest Legend of Zelda game on the Switch puts the titular princess in the lead role for the first time for an experience that’s both refreshing and familiar.
With The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Nintendo's long-running saga masterfully combines the most classic gameplay style with the freedom of action of the latest installments. It offers many hours of fun for the whole family in a highly finished product that will be a pleasure to play and enjoy from start to finish.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is a bold and largely successful experiment in evolving the 2D Zelda formula in a charming and refreshing way. Here’s to hoping we get more entries with our titular heroine in the limelight!
Everything else about 'Echoes of Wisdom' rules. Its aesthetic and music are endearing, the echo system creates tons of really clever puzzle solutions, and it harkens back to old Zelda games without abandoning what makes the newer ones special. There are a couple of areas in which Echoes of Wisdom is a slight disappointment, but it is a mostly delectable late-in-life treat for Switch owners.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom encourages creativity and freedom of choice within the more limited scope of 2D games, with Zelda taking the lead role. It's a great fusion of what works and what's new, highlighting the franchise's ability to reinvent itself without ignoring its past. Here's to praying for the future that this will be just the first of many adventures in which the princess is the titular and true owner of the legend.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Echoes of Wisdom is yet another stellar release that not only continues to redefine the series through experimenting with gameplay mechanics and creative storytelling, but we finally got Princess Zelda as a playable protagonist.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom blends puzzle-solving, platforming and combat with brilliant creativity in a game that feels both nostalgic and wholly innovative for the franchise.
Echoes of Wisdom is a top-down Zelda adventure rich in character where the player must use echoes creatively to defeat enemies and solve puzzles. While the lack of combat may be a disadvantage and handicap to some, to others it allows more creative and interesting tactics to be used, and the lack of focus on combat may have encouraged the developers to create a rich, detailed overworld with numerous side quests.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom marks the first time that Princess Zelda takes center stage, as she must flee and prove her innocence after a sinister copy of the king falsely accuses her. The adventure introduces a novel system where Zelda can summon “echoes” of objects and enemies to solve puzzles, offering players creative freedom similar to recent Zelda titles like Breath of the Wild but within a more classic gameplay structure. The visual design builds on the charming style of Link’s Awakening (2019), with a colorful 2.5D look. While the game is fun and innovative, it does suffer from a few drawbacks, such as a cumbersome menu for selecting echoes and occasional technical issues including framerate drops. Despite this, it remains a bold and fresh step for the series, appealing to newcomers and veterans alike, with a focus on strategy and puzzles over action.
Review in Dutch | Read full review