It isn’t that we haven’t seen Zelda in an energetic position in The Legend of Zelda sequence or video games earlier than. She’s an achieved fighter within the Hyrule Warriors titles. The iteration of her in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom is a researcher and scholar who explores the world. She’s robust out and in of disguise in Ocarina of Time. She’s a fearless chief in The Wind Waker. However she’s by no means the first star of the present. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Knowledge provides her that chance, and it’s an extremely robust sport with a pleasant story, loads of options to issues, and makes it really feel like dealing with each state of affairs is like fixing a puzzle.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Knowledge begins by throwing us off a bit. We all know that that is the “Zelda” sport. Nonetheless, it begins with Hyperlink going to rescue the captured princess. Issues go awry. Whereas the younger man saves her, he finally ends up captured in her place. She returns house with new perception into the rifts. Nonetheless, circumstances result in her changing into a fugitive. Fortuitously, she additionally has a brand new ally within the type of Tri, a being who provides her the power to enter the Nonetheless World inside rifts to repair them make echoes of sure objects and enemies with the Tri Rod to combat foes and remedy puzzles. It’s now as much as her to avoid wasting Hyperlink and the dominion.
Whereas the opening of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Knowledge is pretty linear, sending you thru a tutorial and setup, it shortly opens up. A lot so, that it appears like an open-world journey alongside the traces of Breath of the Wild with a Hyperlink’s Awakening artwork path. It’s extremely straightforward, early on, to amass combos of echoes that may assist you discover primarily the entire map. There are specific monster echoes I acquired within the first three hours that I used to be nonetheless utilizing continuously by means of the endgame. Extra main rifts open up because the marketing campaign progresses and also you full the dungeons inside previous ones, with gamers in a position to decide on the order by which opened ones are tackled. Likewise, you possibly can select which Swordfighter kind upgrades you improve. (Somebody might choose to skip them, for a higher problem.) Sidequests proceed to seem because the story advances, that means you will discover additional experiences and rewards as you proceed.
Given Zelda is understood for “knowledge,” the majority of the sport revolves across the utilization of echoes. This makes The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Knowledge really feel extra like a puzzle journey or real-time technique sport at occasions, regardless that you possibly can swap to Swordfighter kind when you may have the vitality to for conventional action-RPG moments. There are sometimes a number of options to issues posed by marketing campaign quests or facet missions. For instance, I ended up turning to a trusty “previous mattress staircase” for a lot of platforming issues. Attain new heights and often take a nap within the sky to revive well being!
As for preventing, it might probably change into about choosing the right echo for the present state of affairs. You could be going through opponents who’re within the air, and thus tough to achieve with Swordfighter kind or in any other case. Summoning airborne enemy echoes takes care of that situation. There are some foes who’re very quick and continuously transfer round. Selecting equally swift or evasive echoes is critical. Electrical energy may be extra harmful in rain, and water can stop hearth enemies from being of any use. As Tri ranges up, you acquire entry to new echo talents, can summon extra, or could discover some price lower than the initially did. So it’s essential to work throughout the confines of your capacity and the state of affairs at any second.
In fact, this does deliver me to a draw back. In reality, it would simply be the one situation I’ve with The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Knowledge. You’ll be able to’t “favourite” echoes. There are sorting choices, to be clear. You’ll be able to select to undergo them with a click on of a set off by price, most not too long ago discovered, most used, and most not too long ago used. These are advantageous, however I completely had about 10-20 echoes I known as upon most continuously for my wants. A few of them didn’t come up sufficient to seem in most used or had been too situational for many not too long ago used. So it might be irritating to have to drag up the pocket book or undergo all of the issues I’d copied to my assortment to get what I wanted. This finally ends up being extra of a passing annoyance and pertains to particular conditions. If it occurs in one of many rifts you enter, odds are it’s then in “most not too long ago used” and can come up usually in there.
Talking of which, the dungeons in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Knowledge are expertly dealt with. Whereas I really feel this does really feel like extra of an journey crammed with puzzles, they nonetheless really feel true to conventional dungeon design for the sequence. There may be totally different options in some conditions, which is enjoyable, since you possibly can depend upon your favourite echoes to succeed. Each matches the theme for the area nicely and implements novel concepts. I additionally appreciated how the bosses really feel like they play nicely with Zelda’s new talents. So we’re utilizing the entire methods from Tri to deal with these larger baddies. It feels actually satisfying and totally different from extra conventional The Legend of Zelda video games, whereas additionally one way or the other feeling the identical.
I suppose this type of applies to the entire nature of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Knowledge. The sidequests are nice enjoyable, and there’s fairly a little bit of range. The answer isn’t going to at all times be “summon this echo you already discovered someplace.” You would possibly must discover, undergo some puzzles, and even end up trying to find Tri’s buddies to restore a smaller rift. They really feel totally different, however fall in keeping with every little thing we count on from the sequence. It has the identical improbable graphical method as The Legend of Zelda: Hyperlink’s Awakening, constructing on that to make it really feel much more like a diorama made from distinctive supplies. However every little thing is recognizable and ties along with previous entries within the sequence.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Knowledge options the entire superb hallmarks of the sequence, but feels utterly progressive, distinctive, and recent. I completely beloved the thought of summoning echoes to resolve all of my issues, and the vary of choices accessible provides somebody taking part in the liberty to do deal with conditions in numerous methods. It feels open as nicely, with folks in a position to method the marketing campaign and discover at their leisure. It’s a very particular entry, and I’m so happy Zelda’s flip at being the star and hero labored out so completely.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Knowledge will launch on the Nintendo Swap on September 26, 2024.
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The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Knowledge
The folks of Hyrule are being stolen away by unusual rifts which have appeared—and with a sure swordsman among the many lacking, it’s as much as Princess Zelda to avoid wasting her kingdom in a brand-new The Legend of Zelda story! Swap model reviewed. Overview copy supplied by firm for testing functions.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Knowledge options the entire superb hallmarks of the sequence, but feels utterly progressive, distinctive, and recent.
