Highlights

  • Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom finally fulfills fans' long-standing wish of Zelda being a playable protagonist in a mainline Zelda installment.
  • The game is set to shake up the series' combat, offering a new and exciting approach to the well-established Zelda formula.
  • With Zelda as the playable hero, players can expect a major shift in the gameplay and combat dynamics of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.

The Legend of Zelda is almost forty years old now, having released twenty mainline installments, over a dozen spin-off titles, and several remakes since it began in 1986. By and large, the overarching story has followed the hero and playable protagonist Link on his adventures to rid Hyrule of evil, whether that evil be caused by The Legend of Zelda's iconic antagonist, Ganondorf, or by another, otherworldly force. Link has become one of gaming's most recognizable faces, even to the point that some mistake him for the titular princess Zelda, as he is featured far more often than she is. Now, the recently announced The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is arriving on the scene with aims to change that.

There are plenty of things fans look forward to in a new Legend of Zelda game like Echoes of Wisdom, including an original story, new and evolved weapons, tools, and gameplay mechanics, and many of the franchise's beloved recurring characters. Aside from the drastic changes that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and its sequel, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, brought to the series, The Legend of Zelda has stayed true to an established formula and has therefore catered to the expectations of its fans. However, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is shaking things up to an arguably even greater degree than the Zelda: Breath of the Wild era did, and checking off one of the biggest items on fans' wish lists in the process.

Tears of the Kingdom Link with the Master Sword
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The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Features Zelda as a Playable Protagonist

Fans Have Long Requested That Zelda Be Made a Playable Protagonist

At long last, Zelda has been made a playable protagonist in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. The game's announcement, which happened during the recent Nintendo Direct showcase, came as a huge surprise, as there had previously only been rumors of a game featuring a playable Zelda. Its announcement was an even bigger surprise considering there have also been rumors of Zelda: Wind Waker and Zelda: Twilight Princess Switch ports on the horizon, both of which were not included in the showcase. However, despite their absence, the announcement of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is a welcome one, as fans have requested Zelda replace Link as the playable protagonist for many years now.

While playing as Link has been a fulfilling adventure for the last four decades, fans have been curious about how Nintendo would approach a mainline Legend of Zelda game with Zelda as its playable character. Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom isn't the first game to allow players to control Zelda, as spin-off titles like Hyrule Warriors have allowed it in the past. Even so, never before has a mainline Zelda installment featured Zelda as its main protagonist until Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. This means the next Legend of Zelda game is in for quite a drastic shift in gameplay.

Zelda as a Playable Protagonist Is One of the Series' Most Drastic Shifts Yet

There is simply no way of ignoring the fact that Zelda as a mainline playable protagonist is one of the series' most drastic shifts yet. Yes, Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom transformed the world of Hyrule and presented an entirely different take on the franchise's familiar gameplay, but they, like past Zelda games, still featured Link as the main playable hero. With Zelda now filling the role of the playable protagonist, this means players can expect a major adjustment to the franchise's combat in Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom to fit the bill.

Now that Zelda is the playable protagonist of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, it may attract newcomers to the franchise, simply on account of it providing a wildly different approach to the series' well-established formula. At the very least, it has fulfilled the wish of fans who have requested to play as Zelda for many years now.