Summary
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 therecent Nintendo DirectwasThe 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 aboutThe 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 ofZelda: 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 theLegend of Zeldafranchise going forward.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Could Confirm a New Trend for Top-Down Zelda Games
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Is Using Link’s Awakening’s Art Style
Back when the 2019Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakeningremake was first announced, its art style was an immediate point of division among fans. Unlike the original Game Boy version’s pixelated art style, the2019Zelda: Link’s AwakeningSwitch remakewent for a more HD look, though it was far from realistic.Link’s Awakeningon 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 withZelda: 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 Wisdomseems 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-heartedZeldaadventure.
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 thatZelda: Echoes of Wisdomwill be the start of a new trend fortop-downZeldagames, now being the second top-down entry to use the brighter art style introduced inLink’s Awakening. Though fans won’t know until the next top-downZeldais announced, it does seem likely that this art direction will be the new norm for this specific type ofZeldaexperience. 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 ofZeldagame they’re picking up just based on the cover’s art style.
If this is the start of a newLegend of Zeldatrend, then it’s certain to be a controversial decision. But this decision feels like a natural evolution of whatThe Legend of Zeldafranchise has been doing for decades. For years,3DZeldagameshave gone for a more grounded, sometimes dark art style, while the top-down games have often had brighter, more welcoming art styles, andZelda: Echoes of Wisdomjust seems to be carrying that tradition forward.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
WHERE TO PLAY
Save Hyrule—this time with the wisdom of Princess Zelda!The people of Hyrule are being stolen away by strange rifts—and with a certain swordsman among the missing, it’s up to Princess Zelda to save her kingdom in the latest adventure in The Legend of Zelda™ series!Team up with the ethereal creature Tri and use the Tri Rod to create “echoes,” which are imitations of things you find in the environment—then recreate those echoes whenever you like to solve puzzles and defeat enemies. Use echoes like water blocks to reach new heights, make bridges out of old beds, throw rocks at foes, or find your own combination of echoes to do things your way. You can even make echoes of monsters to fight at your side in combat!
