I still can’t believe Echoes of Wisdom finally lets us play as Zelda

When Nintendo surprised us all by announcing a new Legend of Zelda game with barely three months’ notice, I literally screamed. Then it became clear that this surprise Zelda game would give fans something they’ve been wanting for years but were starting to be afraid they’d never actually receive: playable Zelda. I screamed and cried.

The response from fans was immediate. Fan art of our girl Zelda flooded social media before the day was even over. It all felt so wild that it was coming true, and coming true so soon.

I thought this feeling of novelty might fade a little bit as I’ve played Echoes of Wisdom. But it hasn’t. Maybe it’s because I’m such a weeb for the series, or maybe it’s because the gameplay itself constantly reminds you this isn’t an ordinary Zelda game. But weeks into my play through, I’m still having moments where I feel like a kid playing with a toy on Christmas morning that she wanted so bad all year.

I still have moments where I think, “Holy shit, I’m Zelda!”

What’s Zelda without a sword?

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom doesn’t simply swap character skins. It’s not like you’re going through all the normal Zelda tropes, just while playing as Zelda instead of Link. No, Echoes of Wisdom has fundamentally different gameplay than any other Zelda game.

The cornerstone of the Zelda experience used to be Link swinging his sword. When I’m asked about why I love Zelda, I used to say that the singular experience of Link’s sword swing in particular, the quick and tactile satisfaction of how it feels, is nearly unparalleled in gaming for me. That’s still true to some extent, but beginning with Breath of the Wild and escalating in Tears of the Kingdom, Nintendo has been moving away from its reliance on that sword swing.

In BotW and TotK, the sword still formed the impeachable go-to in your combat. It was your last resort when you ran out of mushrooms to attach to your arrows. But there were so many possible tactics you could try before Link went for his sword.

In that respect, there’s a line to follow to where Echoes of Wisdom removes the sword almost entirely. Sure, Zelda can essentially transform into Link for a brief period of time and use the series’ signature combat. But for the first time in a mainline Zelda history, the sword is not the core of the game. A wand is. And that ties brilliantly into Zelda’s character—and my constant astonishment that we all get to have this experience.

How Echoes leans into the novelty of playing as Zelda

As you likely know, the Triforce is comprised of three individual pieces: the Triforce of Power, the Triforce of Wisdom, and the Triforce of Courage. These are assigned to the three main characters of the series, associating Ganon / Ganondorf with power, Zelda with wisdom, and Link with courage.

From this point of view, it makes perfect sense that all previous Legend of Zelda games have been combat-centric. Valiantly fighting with a sword is what the holder of the Triforce of Courage would do, after all. But how do you fight with wisdom? It seems that Grezzo—the Nintendo subsidiary which made Echoes of Wisdom—took that question really seriously. I deeply appreciate them for that.

While I initially just wanted my girl to swing a dang sword, playing the game has made me think that—for better or worse—that’s not the character Nintendo’s built up over the last three decades. That’s what Link’s for. Zelda’s here to be smart, and she’ll do it by making a bridge of beds and napping on them—I mean, by analyzing and exploiting the environment around her. That’s what the wielder of the Triforce of Wisdom would actually be best equipped to do (and not be afraid to pick up a sword when needed).

The result throws almost every convention we thought characterized Legend of Zelda gameplay and throws it out the window. Which is a valiant experiment and a huge gamble. There are times when I do really want to swing that dang sword and don’t really want to be the captain of a bizarre tactics team. But that same novelty is what keeps me constantly surprised by and in awe of the game. It’s why, hours in, I still have moments where I think: “it’s real, I’m playing as Zelda.” And I love that, for all of us.