Sweet toothed Deku Scrubs, Zora turf wars, trident-wielding Gerudo, and glimpses of what could be the biggest top-down map of Hyrule we’ve seen yet – welcome to Echoes of Wisdom, the newest 2D Zelda title that’s full of surprises. While the twenty-first entry into our beloved series is certainly making a splash with Princess Zelda as the main playable character, fans expressed mixed feelings over the return of Link’s Awakening’s toy-like art style for the title. Some were delighted in its adorable aesthetic, while others interpreted it as an indicator that the game’s content would not be as lore heavy as its more epic console cousins.
That all changed when Nintendo released the second trailer of the game, however.
Suddenly, a big wide world of Hyrule is shown off, with Princess Zelda galavanting across the countryside on horseback. (And in fashionable taste, we may add.) Like watching the curtain pull back to reveal a riveting show of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, fans’ eyes are being dazzled to a colorful kingdom rich with life. We witness the long-awaited return of the jungle Deku civilization who apparently can’t get enough of sweet-tasting cotton candy made from spiderwebs. We explore the Jabul Waters, home to two clashing Zora tribes we have seen in part for decades but in Echoes, they are finally given their own distinct identities. We also get to see Gorons for the first time in the game, who make their home in Eldin Volcano this time around, which has not appeared since Skyward Sword until now.
Though it’s not entirely clear what they will be up to this time, the Sheikah also return in Echoes of Wisdom. They seem to help Zelda overcome some Hyrule Castle guards with certain tasks related to stealth, but who knows what that may lead to. And then there’s the Gerudo Desert, which some fans have pointed out is not named the Desert of Mystery as in A Link to the Past. This is clearly the Gerudo Desert through and through. Hilariously enough, Princess Zelda won’t have any trouble getting into Gerudo Town! Viewers of the trailer are introduced to new faces in the Gerudo Tribe which include a short-haired Gerudo warrior armed with a large scimitar and dressed curiously in white. A mysterious robed figure who may be Hylian is seen talking to a striking Gerudo who appears to be the Chief. And the surmised Chief is holding a trident that looks awfully familiar to the one Ganon has that created rifts at the beginning of the game!
All this juicy information is enough to tantalize any Zelda theorist as it is, but one look at the map in the trailer indicates there may be even more to come in Echoes of Wisdom. From balmy beaches to distant mountains and even a coastal village that looks like Lurelin from Breath of the Wild, there is undoubtedly more for our fair Princess to discover. Stay tuned as we keep you posted as the latest information comes out!
