New info on Echoes of Wisdom: Zelda can really annoy enemies

In a few weeks’ time, Echoes of Wisdom, the latest release in the Legend of Zelda series, will be released. The game sports a look you may already recognise from the remake of Link’s Awakening (2019). Nintendo released a new trailer on Monday. The video is almost six minutes long, providing some insights into the game world.

In the first trailer from June, Nintendo already showed that saving the kingdom of Hyrule this time will depend on Zelda herself. Zelda’s weapon, the Tri Rod, was also on display. She uses it to create copies of objects and monsters. Zelda can use these so-called Echoes to overcome obstacles and traps, battling monsters in creative ways.

Zelda’s abilities: Echoes and Binding

The new trailer now introduces Zelda’s second important ability, Bind, in more detail. It’s similar to Link’s Magnesis Rune in Breath of the Wild and his Ultrahand in Tears of the Kingdom. Zelda can use it to tie objects and monsters to herself and move them in the same way as she does. The trailer shows Zelda using her new ability to clear a large rock out of the way. This also works the other way round: if Zelda attaches herself to a moving object, she’s pulled along by it and can overcome chasms or steep slopes.

The first trailer already presents some ingenious ways of using Echoes, such as creating a tower of water blocks which Zelda can swim through. Echoes and Bind can also be combined, as can be seen in the new video. You can really annoy your enemies with that. For example, you can see how Zelda first uses Echoes to summon a mole that digs a hole in the ground. She then uses this hole to dispose of an enemy she tied up. Ingenious!

Echoes of Wisdom isn’t an open-world game like Breath of the Wild (2017) and Tears of the Kingdom (2023). Still, Nintendo also relies on mechanics that offer players plenty of freedom in mastering challenges.

The Return of Epona?

The new trailer introduces a fast travel feature, nothing new to the Zelda universe. Zelda can use it to teleport to previously visited statues. Apart from that, she also gets a horse that allows her to move faster. In addition to this brown steed, which looks very much like Epona from Ocarina of Time (1998), there’s also a white horse. Maybe you can collect several horses like in the last open-world games. In any case, you’ll learn to create the echo of a carrot with the Tri Rod – and use it to lure your horse to you at any time. The Echoes must be quite tasty then.

By chugging smoothies mixed from collected ingredients, Zelda receives temporary boosts – the trailer doesn’t reveal whether she can cook like Link. However, it shows accessories that Zelda can put on, permanently improving her abilities while she wears the item.

These include Zora’s Flippers for faster swimming, familiar from A Link to the Past (1992), and the Zora Scale for longer diving, known from Ocarina of Time. In the older games, Link was permanently given this equipment and could use their passive effects at any time. In Echoes of Wisdom, you obviously have to decide which accessories you want to use, as your number of slots is limited. However, this can obviously be increased.

Regions and their inhabitants

In Echoes of Wisdom, you return to Hyrule and encounter familiar regions. We can already see parts of the kingdom in the first trailer. For example, the castle with its massive walls, surrounded by a moat. A Link to the Past fans, listen up: this take on Hyrule looks like a remake of the classic from the early nineties. You can also see a volcano, a lake and a snowy mountain range.

The new trailer takes a closer look at some of the regions. Most of them are already familiar from previous Zelda games. Take Gerudo Desert, which has had a permanent place in Hyrule since Ocarina of Time. Zelda should have fewer problems with the female Gerudo warriors than Link. As a male character, he was always met with rude rejection.

Jabul Waters are a new area in the Zelda series. It’s a water region with two villages where the Sea and River Zoras live. This division into two Zora tribes has never been so obvious in a Zelda game. However, the Zoras as such have been around since the beginning of time, i.e. The Legend of Zelda (1986). According to the trailer, the two tribes don’t always get along well. Sounds like Zelda will have to act as a mediator and reunite the tribes.

I wonder if the term Jabul is derived from Lord Jabu-Jabu, who lives at the source of the Zora River in Ocarina of Time. The trailer also reveals that the Jabul waters are waterways – something Link is already familiar with. He quickly travelled between regions via waterways in earlier games.

The Eldin Volcano is another location in the game. Eldin first appeared as a region in Twilight Princess (2006), last seen in Tears of the Kingdom. Eldin Volcano is home to the stone-eating Gorons, who, like the Gerudo, have been one of the main races in Hyrule since Ocarina of Time. The trailer suggests that tasty stone fillets will play a role again. The trailer doesn’t reveal what happened to the familiar Death Mountain for Zelda fans. Kakariko Village is also back in the game, lying at the foot of Eldin Volcano. Numerous quests can be expected here.

The Faron region in Echoes of Wisdom is a swamp area dotted with lush vegetation, so it isn’t surprising that the Deku people also live here. The Deku first appeared as nut-spitting enemies in Ocarina of Time. Apparently, in Echoes of Wisdom you have the opportunity to interact more with these plant people.

The trailer doesn’t mention any other regions, so we don’t know any more about the snowy mountains that can be seen in the Hyrule overview. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom will be released on Nintendo Switch on 26 September. If you’re a big Zelda fan, you might also be interested in the Switch with a golden Hyrule theme. It’ll be available at the same time as the game.