On a testé «The legend of Zelda : Echoes of the Wisdom»

The legend of Zelda: Echoes of the Wisdom is the final installment of the saga launched 38 years ago and the first in which you play Princess Zelda. The game was released this Thursday, September 26 on Nintendo Switch.

Calypsoy / jvmag

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of the Wisdom is the latest gem from Nintendo which is only being released on Nintendo Switch. This new adventure finally allows us to become… Zelda. It was about time!

Here, no more sword and bow, we play a magician in the world of Hyrule. Small announcement from the outset, the gameplay has been completely changed. And this renewal is welcome. This new title is both extremely refreshing and at the same time, it feels like home.

Here is my opinion on this game to absolutely put under the tree.

Zelda thinks outside the box

In Echoes of the Wisdom, we will have to free Hyrule from a completely new evil. Namely: the appearance of faults that devour the world. A fairy, named Tri, will help us with her magical powers to close these gaps. The story itself is quite pleasant to follow with several twists and turns that will please the player. For once, the scenario is not that predictable and it’s a very good thing to see Nintendo thinking outside the box.

The structure of the game is quite interesting. Indeed, each region will have its own story, its own quests and 2 to 3 mini-dungeons before arriving at the big dungeon of the area. Once completed, the region is liberated, which then unlocks new locations to explore as well as hidden dungeons. Without giving too much away, know that there is plenty to do.

Still so much freedom

Dans Legend of Zelda: Echoes of the Wisdom, j’ai aimé la semi-liberty left to the player. The regions are unlocked by group and we can explore them in the desired order. It actually reminded me of a certain Assassin’s Creed Valhalla in terms of structure.

The world of Hyrule is full of secrets and hidden chests. Take your time, exploration is always rewarded.

Think instead of hit

As said during the introduction, not only does the main character change, but the gameplay has totally changed too. Here, when you want to hit your enemy with the staff, Zelda will just do a pirouette. Enemies will not receive any damage (from you). In other words, hand-to-hand combat has almost disappeared.

Instead, you’re going to have to think. Legend of Zelda: Echoes of the Wisdom is a puzzle game from start to finish. In each fight, you will, for example, have the choice of summoning a goblin who will attack in your place, or you can summon, for example, a rock to throw at your enemy. You will be able to use your special power to become a swordsman and thus fight him as you would have done with Link. Important information: this transformation only lasts a few seconds and it is complicated to then harvest the energy to be able to transform again. You have understood, combat is anything but recommended here otherwise you will find yourself out of breath.

Unexpected events

Combat isn’t the only time your brain will have to work. For example, while walking, you may come face to face with a tree with a cat on it that can’t get down.

How are you going to go about it? Are you going to summon tables and a trampoline to get up there? Or rather climb the cliff and then paraglide down using a summoned bat to land on the tree? While this may almost seem complicated at times, have no fear, the construction of the puzzles allows such freedom in the choice of problem solving that it adapts to any type of player. This is, in my opinion, the greatest strength of the game.

Apart from the main adventure, there are several mini-games and side activities. To avoid any spoilers, I’m not going to talk about it here. Just know that they are very fun to make, and even difficult for some. The rewards are always very useful, and sometimes even improve gameplay.

Let’s briefly talk about outfits and accessories. Regarding outfits, you will unlock them throughout the adventure, which will change the appearance of your character and even occasionally give you powers. For accessories, these will systematically improve your skills. For example, you will swim faster, jump higher, resist cold/hot, etc. So don’t neglect these little assets.

Not very intelligent companions

In the game you will have the ability to summon companions, except that their artificial intelligence is, like in many games, terribly bad. If an enemy is behind a rock, your “soldier” will stupidly hit the rock. It will therefore be up to you to get around the stone to summon a new minion, while avoiding enemy hits. Damage.

I end this passage on gameplay by talking about the difficulty. The game has only one difficulty. Ultimately, it’s how the player plays that will decide the difficulty of the overall experience. For example, during a boss fight, if you never transform into a swordsman, the encounter may be long and tedious. Conversely, if you transform at the right time, the fight will end more quickly.

A somewhat weak technique, but quality sound

Concerning the musical atmosphere, this one, like all the games in the series, is sublime. Each region, each scene has its own pretty epic music, which promotes immersion even more. As for its graphics, they are very similar to the latest The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. However, there are some slowdowns, especially at the start of the adventure. To try to avoid these setbacks, Nintendo has chosen to place a slight cloudy strip at the bottom of the screen, which is a clever choice, but not very aesthetically pleasing, especially when the player realizes it. However, after several hours of play, I ended up not paying attention to it at all and I got caught up in the universe, regardless of these few flaws.

To put under the tree

To conclude this test, I will simply say that this game is a pure success! What a pleasure to play Zelda in a video game! Being a magician who can’t fight directly, but has to think of ways to defeat enemies in other ways, has been more than enjoyable. The legend of Zelda: Echoes of the Wisdom has some flaws, notably the AI ​​and the technical part, but I was still enchanted by our princess throughout the adventure. Source magic!