The Legend of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom’s Still World breaks a certainZeldatradition, but it may be for the worse. It’s no secret howEchoes of Wisdomsets itself apart from previousZeldaentries, as it ignores many of the series' conventions. From Princess Zelda herself becoming the protagonist to the new Echo mechanic that’s introduced,Echoes of Wisdomgoes out of its way to carve a new pathforward for the series to follow.
Many ofEchoes of Wisdom’s new implementations elevate the overall experience, as theyshake up the traditionalZeldaformulain an intriguing way. The Echo mechanic, for example, forces the player to change how they may approach puzzles or combat scenarios, which makes them far more engaging than previous titles' more typical approach. However, not all changes are made equally. The introduction ofthe Still World breaks a common tradition of alternate worlds inZeldagamesin a way that ends up leaving a lot to be desired.
Echoes of Wisdom’s Still World Was Heavily Segmented
Each Segment Felt Repetitive And Tedious As A Result
The concept ofthe Still World is quite intimidating when it’s first introduced.Null’s ability to strip large parts of Hyruleresults in them forming a disjointed, barely strung-together home that feels weirdly unsettling. The half-destroyed monuments, alongside the floating bodies of Hyrule citizens, do a fantastic job of creating a sense of fear when Zelda first steps foot in the Still World.
The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom - How To Beat Null
Null is the final boss of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. This fight is broken up into three phases and you should properly prepare.
However, that fear quickly vanishes as Zelda begins to traverse the world. Despite the Still World being seemingly big enough to consume large parts of Hyrule, the player’s own perspective comes in small segmented areas that are separated from one another.Each segment of the Still World gives the player one of two simple objectives: save Tri’s trapped friends or clear a dungeon. Because of the linear structure that comes from these restrictive areas, the path forward is made fairly obvious, removing any sense of mystery the Still World is trying to elicit.
Echoes of Wisdom’s biggest fault with the Still World is the adoption of this linear, restrictive structure that makes each area feel very repetitive. The usual obstacles that appear in the Still World, from the combat encounters to large gaps that must be overcome, are often recycled with little variation, removing any potential for challenge.Any sense of danger quickly vanishesas the player is fully aware of what awaits them, causing traversal of the Still World to feel far more tedious than intended.
These Titles Gave Players Much More Freedom
Echoes of Wisdomis not the firstZeldaentry to utilize the concept of alternate worlds for the player to explore. Multiple titles, includingTears of the Kingdom,A Link To The Past, andA Link Between Worldsall includea darker, more dangerous world for the player to traverse, and all of these options end up being far more memorable than the Still World.
Majora’s Maskalso features an alternate dimension, but the entire game takes place within the strange world of Termina rather than flipping back and forth.
Rather than adopting the Still World’s more segmented layout, these otherZeldatitles providefully interconnected alternate worldsthat essentially double the size of each game. Not only does the sheer size exceed that ofEchoes of Wisdom, butthe open structure also lends itself to the more intimidating atmosphere these darker worlds evoke. The freedom offered upon entering these new locations is actually made more daunting as the path forward is made less clear, resulting in a far more cautious trek through these unfamiliar worlds for those unsure of where to go and what dangers might lie ahead.
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TheseZeldatitles also exceedEchoes of Wisdomthanks to more involved challenges in these unfamiliar worlds. Many puzzles or challenges often require the player to consider both the light and dark world and the connections between them. For example,A Link Between Worldsoften forces the player to compare the layouts of both Hyrule and Lorule, identifying key differences and entry points in order to reach areas that would otherwise be inaccessible. These more involved challenges make for a far more engaging experience than the Still World offers.
Zelda Works Best When Players Are Free To Explore
The Still World Is Counter-Intuitive To The Core Of The Zelda Series
The contrast in quality ofEchoes of Wisdom’s Still World compared to previousZeldatitles shows how its biggest issue lies in the lack of freedom given to the player. Part of theZeldaseries' appeal comes in the player’s ability to explore new worlds to their heart’s content. By taking away said exploration, players lose that sense of discovery and excitement that comes from trying to find everything the game has to offer.The Still World is counter-intuitive to theZeldaseries' focus on freedom, making its inclusion feel lackluster as a result.
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Outside the Still World,Echoes of Wisdomsucceeds in creating that freedomthat’s core to theZeldaseries. As previously mentioned, the implementation of the Echo mechanic gives players the ability to approach puzzles, enemies, and traversal in their own way,experimenting with the Echoes at their disposalin order to craft their own path forward. Many ofEchoes of Wisdom’s new inclusions work towards allowing the player to tailor this newZeldaexperience to themselves and how they want to play, making the Still World’s rigid structure all the more confusing.
Echoes of Wisdom’s departure from multiple series staples ultimately improves the experience. These changes result in aZeldaentry that feels fresh and exciting while staying true to the core of the series. The Still World fails precisely because its inclusion goes against these core components ofThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, and an attempt to improve on the traditionalZeldaformula resulted in an inclusion that feels empty and leaves a lot to be desired.
