The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Reviews
Aside from a few gripes, I thoroughly enjoyed helping out in the land of Hyrule. The Legend of Zelda is all about the essence of adventure. It is about seeking, solving, and conquering. Putting your might and wit to the test and coming out victorious! All of that is present here in Echoes of Wisdom. Just this time around, instead of playing as the hero of time, we finally earn an adventure where we save the world as Zelda. And Echoes of Wisdom lives up to the excellent standards of the series' prior entries.
... In the end, I finally got to experience a full, proper, no-asterisk Zelda adventure without having to explain, “Actually, you play as Link,” and I am grateful for the experience.
It’s a colourful, accessible epic that pushes its console to the limit, with all of the mechanical depth and invention, artistic design, whimsy, and spirit of adventure that you expect from a first-party Nintendo adventure.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is a brave twist in the series and a true Breath of Innovation. It has fun dungeons and mechanics, an amazing soundtrack, and amazing graphics. However, a muddy performance is keeping this title from reaching its absolute heights.
Review in Czech | Read full review
In some aspects, it’s probably the best 2D Zelda ever made. It has some of the best dungeons in the series, and it’s full of creative ideas. I just feel like some of its main gameplay features actively hinder it more than make it stand out. It’s just a flawed game, something you rarely see coming from this franchise. Still, if you can put up with an admittedly disappointing combat system, I wholeheartedly recommend giving Echoes of Wisdom a go. It’s the return to a traditional formula you’ve been asking for, and it’s one of the most charming Zelda adventures to date.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom offers a unique and engaging experience by placing Princess Zelda at the forefront. Its emphasis on creative problem-solving, combined with classic dungeon design, provides a refreshing take on the franchise. Despite some performance and AI issues, the game's innovative mechanics and nostalgic elements make it a noteworthy addition to the Zelda series.
Overall, I think The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is a pretty fun game. I don’t believe it’s the most memorable or outstanding entry in the series ever, nor do I think it has as much as replay value as some other titles. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it for what it was, and if you want some new gameplay outside the norm for Zelda, or you want to check out some brand new traditional Zelda dungeons, then I do highly recommend the game for fans of the franchise. I also think it’s a great game for anyone who likes adventure games which are relatively simple and easy to pick-up and play on a whim. I spent over 30 hours on this one and I’m glad I had a chance to play it.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is an extremely lacking Nintendo debut for the titular Princess Zelda. While the experimentation is often engaging, the menu system to explore that creativity is an utter annoyance. That said, you’ll often use the same tools over and over again to get the results you want due to them working well enough that newly discovered items will either cost more to summon or lack the flow you already have working for you. Monster AI is awful when it comes to using them in battle, and Zelda’s inability to even fight or defend herself with the Tri-rod is disappointing, especially since she has to rely on an unsurprising ally to engage in combat. Echoes of Wisdom can be charming and look the part, but it’s evidently clear that Miyamoto wasn’t evolved as it lacks that typical Zelda magic.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is no Tears of the Kingdom. But it still enjoys experimenting with the game formula, this time in the form of the titular echoes. It's less of an action-adventure and more of a successful action-puzzler. Unfortunately, the enemy AI leaves a lot to be desired, the echo bar quickly becomes confusing, and blending smoothies isn't exactly exciting. Nevertheless, I highly recommend the game.
Review in German | Read full review
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom has managed to combine both the old and new generations of Zelda. Zelda also plays the role of the main character in the best way in this game and solidifies her position to the point where we can expect more versions with the presence of Zelda. Nintendo's trust in this relatively new group without the presence of the original fathers and creators of Zelda has paid off and they have managed to preserve the legacy of the past. They have created another masterpiece of Zelda and it is recommended that you definitely experience this version if you have a Switch.
Review in Persian | Read full review
If you’ve been hankering for a more classic Zelda experience, Echoes of Wisdom should do the trick. That said, with its unique Echoes mechanic in tow, this adventure feels like something new and old at the same time. Its gorgeous graphics and engaging soundtrack are a treat for the senses, brought down a peg only by some shaky performance woes. Still, the technical problems that Echoes of Wisdom has aren’t enough to dissuade me from recommending fans give this one a shot. Echoes of Wisdom is a wonderful, worthwhile addition to the Zelda library of games.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is the first brand-new top-down adventure in almost a decade. Fans might be used to long pauses between outings, but Echoes was worth the wait. It not only introduces Zelda's first canonical solo adventure, but merges familiar and new to create an incredibly creative and beautiful experience. Despite some graphical load issues, let's just say Zelda's first adventure presents a strong contender for 2024's Switch game of the year.
Overall, Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is a good game but not a great one. The echoes setup is certainly cerebral, but the lack of basic combat moves outside of the Swordfighter Form is jarring and only emphasized further at the end of the game. Here’s hoping that the next time Zelda ventures out into the wild world of Hyrule, someone remembers to give her a sword.
“The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom” is a modern reimagination of the series’ classic formula. Having Zelda instead of Link in the starring role, however, makes for a fresh experience that is arguably long overdue. The game, admittedly, has some niggles with regard to its combat and summoning system. The game, however, oozes with charm while boasting Nintendo’s trademark polish. It’s recommended for Zelda fans young and old alike.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom strikes a fantastic balance between player agency and rigid game design. The Hyrulian heroine’s first proper foray into the spotlight avoids feeling like a cheap spin-off of the main title and instead feels like an evolution of it, although at times it does come across uncommitted to this new transformation. While minor inconveniences such as poor menu navigation and frame rate drops are prevalent throughout the game, Echoes’ positives heftily outweigh its negatives.
By marrying the expectations of a typical top-down 2D entry with the improvisational, do-it-yourself gameplay from Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, Grezzo has arrived at a winning formula that mixes old and new. That said, not everything is perfect: the echo system isn't great in combat situations and the game's dungeons demand more complexity.
Echoes of Wisdom brings back 2D Zelda while infusing it with the spirit of Echoes of Wisdom. The creativity to which its puzzles are both created and solved are superb, and I hope to see more of this going forward.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
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.