The Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom came out in 2024 and surprised everyone by featuring a quest that starred Princess Zelda herself. This made it the first Nintendo-made Zelda game to do so, and the third overall if you count the infamous Philips CDi games. I am not sure why I skipped it originally, but on Black Friday there was a sale where I picked it up for 30 dollars, which felt like an absolute steal. The question is, how well does it hold up compared to other games in the series? Also worth noting is I played this on the Nintendo Switch 2 console which has an updated download, which improves the graphics.

The game begins with Link fighting Ganon in a battle very similar to the ending of A Link to the Past. During the fight, Link falls into a mysterious purple-black rift, and with one final arrow, he manages to free Princess Zelda from her pink crystal prison.

With Link now missing in action, Princess Zelda becomes the hero of the game. She is quickly befriended by a small yellow creature named Tri. This little being gives her a magical staff that allows her to copy objects and even enemies, letting Zelda use them however she wants.

Everything in the game revolves around these copied objects, which are called Echoes. Various furniture pieces, environmental objects, and enemies can be permanently added to your collection. Some Echoes include beds to rest in, barriers to shield you from hazards, and eventually every standard enemy in the game. As long as you defeat an enemy once and capture its essence, it becomes available for Zelda to summon whenever she needs it.

There is actually a brief option of the game where you can feel like Link instead of Zelda, even though you are still playing as the Hylian princess. For a short time, Zelda can use a sword and shield and directly attack enemies the way Link normally does. This does not last very long, though, so you have to adapt to relying on Echoes and keeping your distance from enemies until it is safe.

The overworld reminds me a lot of the Nintendo Switch Zelda titles Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. The map is nowhere near as massive, but there is still a strong sense of freedom and exploration. You can tackle many objectives in almost any order you choose. It ends up feeling like a blend of classic Zelda design mixed with ideas from the more revolutionary 3D entries.

The dungeons are very traditional Zelda dungeons and are not especially radical in design, particularly when compared to Breath of the Wild’s controversial approach. Interestingly, the learning curve feels a bit strange. The hardest part of the game for me was figuring out how to reach the first dungeons in the first place. The later dungeons are technically more complex, but I actually found them easier. As you upgrade your Echoes and abilities, you can bypass or shortcut many obstacles and puzzles.

One of my favorite features of the game is the rifts. These strange voids where time and space seem broken are scattered throughout Hyrule. At first, I found them intimidating, but over time I actively sought them out. Entering them, rescuing the little companions inside, and permanently sealing the rifts became one of the most satisfying parts of the experience.

The Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom is not the greatest game in the series, nor is it the best 2D Zelda. That said, Nintendo clearly knew they had something special with the engine created for the Link’s Awakening remake, and Echoes of Wisdom improves on it in my opinion. While some fans were disappointed by Princess Zelda’s unconventional combat style, I personally enjoyed my 20+ hours with the game. I would rank it somewhere in the middle of the series. It is definitely not the best, but it is far from the worst.