The River Zora have been a rare species in recent years, their last mainline appearance being in 2013’s A Link Between Worlds. This time around, in Echoes of Wisdom, they’ve left their role as enemies behind entirely and embraced a peaceful lifestyle. It’s a very welcome change in my book, and not just because I’ve always struggled to dodge their spit attacks. The River Zora Village is one of my favorite locales in the game because of its laid-back inhabitants, beautiful scenery, and for its comforting music.
Spoiler Warning:
The rest of this article may contain spoilers for Echoes of Wisdom about the story, gameplay mechanics, and other details that you might not wish to see. Continue reading at your own risk.
Some woodwinds make a brief appearance in the intro, likely in order to smooth the transition between the lush Jabul Waters theme and the village theme’s more sparse instrumentation. Before long, chief Dradd’s signature horn comes in with an expressive melody. It’s not often that a brass solo feels so full of emotion to me, and it’s supplemented wonderfully by the fingerstyle guitar and hand drums. The guitar part is deceptively complex compared to the melody, full of jazzy chord alterations. The woodwinds come back in between phrases to keep the piece flowing, but the bulk of it relies on Dradd (and whoever’s playing that sweet guitar.)
The chorus comes in with a key change from C# major to A major. Those familiar with music theory would expect such a shift to be jarring, but it flows so naturally that I often forget there’s a change at all. The melody sings with a reassuring warmth, and it’s joined the second time by a pan flute. Many of the game’s town themes feature a melodic doubling by some type of flute (usually an ocarina) near the end, which I interpret as Princess Zelda herself participating in and celebrating each region’s culture. On top of this, the Sea Zora Village theme appears as a countermelody played on a muted string instrument. How fitting is it that Kushara, the rival Zora chief, is secretly playing her own melody over the music she claims to despise? She may have a big ego, but the fact she’s here at all proves that she enjoys Dradd’s “honking” whether she admits it or not.
Both Zora tribes in Echoes of Wisdom have deep connections to their style of music, and both are fantastic in their own right. They each have a unique flavor of relaxation. The Sea Zora opt to serenade your soul with elegant waves of sound, and the River Zora invite you to lie down and enjoy life’s breeze with them. It’s a subtle difference, but the latter feels more personal to me. It’s an important reminder that you’re not alone, even when rifts are tearing apart the world.
