There are fewZeldaentries that are as interesting asThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. The game marks the first full story told from the perspective of the titular princess, and introduces a host of new, rewarding game mechanics, the most significant beingZelda’s ability to summon all manner of objectsand even living beings to assist her during combat and puzzle scenarios.
This system is rather engaging and impressive, which is no small feat:Echoes of Wisdomwas the chaser forTears of the Kingdom, one of the most innovative and experimentalZeldagames to date. While most would considerTears of the Kingdomto be far more seminal and inventive, especially with respect to its Ultrahand and Fuse abilities, it’s not controversial to considerEchoes of Wisdomsomething of a companion piece to the more big-budget, flagship adventure, presenting a more quaint spin on many of its core ideas. One such idea is the quasi-companion system ofTears of the Kingdom, manifested through its various Sage summons:Echoes of Wisdom’s Echoes mechanic serves a markedly similar function, and the continuation of this concept suggests a burgeoning trend for futureZeldagames.
Tears of the Kingdom and Echoes of Wisdom Indicate More Companion Features in Zelda Games
Link and Zelda Are Never Truly Alone in Tears of the Kingdom and Echoes of Wisdom
InTears of the Kingdom, Link gradually collects the spirits of his Sage allies, which can then assist him in various ways during gameplay. This system isn’tcopied inEchoes of Wisdomverbatim, but the Zelda-helmed adventure does have an equivalent in the form of Echo summons and Automatons, which serve as assistants.
In a sense, this is a natural progression of old-schoolZeldaconventions. Games likeOcarina of Time,Majora’s Mask, andTwilight Princessmight feel like solo adventures, but Link always has company in the form of Navi, Tael, and Midna, respectively. While companions like Navi, Tael, and Fi mostly serve as exposition machines and anthropomorphized tutorials, others, like Midna, can be far more practical, assisting Link in combat, traversal, and puzzle-solving. It’s in this second category that thecompanions ofTears of the KingdomandEchoes of Wisdomfall.
Giving bothLink and Zelda practical and materially useful allies, which can be manipulated by the player’s actions, makes for far more interesting gameplay at many points. They also serve a narrative purpose, being reminders that these heroes are never truly alone, and that they have the support and recognition of the people, even when faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
What Zelda’s Ostensible Commitment to Companion Systems Could Mean for the Future
Right now, the future ofZeldais rather uncertain. Nintendo has been transparent about its plans tomove forward from theBOTW/TOTKformula, and while there could be some successors forEchoes of Wisdom, its formula is unlikely to evolve into that of the mainline series. That said, some of these games' high-level features and trends could offer hints about the future of the franchise. A companion system is among these high-level features.
Nintendo’s tendency to give both Zelda and Link in-game allies could indicate a willingness to embrace more party-based gameplay in futureZeldareleases. Maybe an embracing of traditional RPG mechanics or social-sim features could be in the cards forZelda, asTOTKandEOWmay set the stage for more in-depth companion systems. Naturally,Zeldagames are always about Link’s journey, so the series shouldn’t jump the shark in this respect, but further developing the NPC mechanics of the previous two games certainly has great potential.
