Highlights

  • A shocking reveal from the recent Nintendo Direct was The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, where players control Princess Zelda.
  • Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom adopts a bright, toy-like art style similar to Link's Awakening, possibly marking a new trend for top-down Zelda games.
  • This art style shift could signal a new direction for the franchise, but also aligns with the tradition of brighter art styles in top-down Zelda adventures.

A long-awaited showcase that many fans had built high expectations for, the recent Nintendo Direct actually managed to deliver quite a few major announcements, a surprising number of which were completely unexpected. By far the most shocking reveal from the recent Nintendo Direct was The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, an upcoming Nintendo Switch game that finally sees players take control of the titular Princess for the first time in a mainline franchise entry.

With only one brief teaser trailer and a short gameplay demonstration to go off, not much is currently known about The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, but it already looks like it's going to offer just about everything fans would want from a Zelda-led entry. That being said, there is one element of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom's announcement that might be viewed as a bit controversial, and it could just be the start of a new trend for the Legend of Zelda franchise going forward.

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Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Could Confirm a New Trend for Top-Down Zelda Games

Back when the 2019 Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening remake was first announced, its art style was an immediate point of division among fans. Unlike the original Game Boy version's pixelated art style, the 2019 Zelda: Link's Awakening Switch remake went for a more HD look, though it was far from realistic. Link's Awakening on Switch replaced the original's pixel sprites with high-res toy-like character models, which, along with some exceptionally bright and colorful environmental design, really pushed the game further into its dream-like narrative and setting.

But while this colorful art style fit with Zelda: Link's Awakening's setting and themes, that didn't stop some fans from disliking the new direction, believing the character models to look overly cutesy, and the world to look a little flat and lifeless. Unfortunately for these fans, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom seems to be using this same art style, but again, the brighter nature of the environmental design and character models seems like a good fit for this more light-hearted Zelda adventure.

This Art Style Could Be The New Norm for Top-Down Zelda

While it might not mean anything in the long run, it does seem likely that Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom will be the start of a new trend for top-down Zelda games, now being the second top-down entry to use the brighter art style introduced in Link's Awakening. Though fans won't know until the next top-down Zelda is announced, it does seem likely that this art direction will be the new norm for this specific type of Zelda experience. At the very least, this could be a positive thing for Nintendo's marketing, as more casual fans would be able to instantly recognize the type of Zelda game they're picking up just based on the cover's art style.

If this is the start of a new Legend of Zelda trend, then it's certain to be a controversial decision. But this decision feels like a natural evolution of what The Legend of Zelda franchise has been doing for decades. For years, 3D Zelda games have gone for a more grounded, sometimes dark art style, while the top-down games have often had brighter, more welcoming art styles, and Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom just seems to be carrying that tradition forward.