On the 18th of July 2024, viewers from across the world tuning in to the latest Nintendo Direct were met with an announcement that seemingly came out of nowhere. Eiji Aonuma, producer for the Legend of Zelda series, announced the latest entry to the game franchise — a 2D title called The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, releasing this September. Not only is this the first 2D Zelda game since the Link’s Awakening remaster in 2019 and the first original entry since Tri Force Heroes all the way back in 2015, but it also stars Princess Zelda as the playable protagonist for the first time. This raises the question — how will she affect the series moving forward? Will her protagonist debut in a 2D Zelda bring her enough exposure? Will Echoes of Wisdom allow her to finally stand equal to Link or will she be sidelined once again? Will she finally be taken seriously or is this 38 years too late?

While it is true that Princess Zelda has not been the protagonist until today, her prominence in the series has not been overlooked. Over the years, Princess Zelda’s role has shifted from plot device to developed character, gaining more agency and a stronger personality over time. No longer is she the one-dimensional damsel in distress; the Princess Zeldas of more recent titles have multifaceted personalities with strengths, flaws and beliefs. Her presence in the games is always felt, whether it is by the characters or the player. Not to mention the developers of the series have toyed with the idea of a protagonist Zelda for quite a while. While Skyward Sword (2011) was in development, Zelda’s adventure on the surface world was playable as part of the Second Quest challenge, though the idea was eventually scrapped, and her point of view was repurposed for the mid-credits scene. She was even playable in some segments of Spirit Tracks (2009), where players could control her in her Phantom Armour form.

So, why did it take this long for our titular princess to get her own title? “We feel like what takes the most priority is this idea of gameplay,” Eiji Aonuma says when asked if Princess Zelda will ever step into the protagonist role in future games in an interview conducted by Vanity Fair in May of last year. “If it turns out that the particular gameplay, we’re trying to bring to fruition would be best served by having Zelda take that role, then it’s possible that could be a direction we could take.” It appears that the gameplay elements that fit her best have finally come to fruition.

In Echoes of Wisdom, Princess Zelda does not wield a sword, shield or a bow and arrows, but rather, the Tri-Rod — a mysterious, magical object capable of producing clones, or ‘echoes’, of objects and monsters she encounters on her adventures that she can use to her advantage. However, there is some worry about this main mechanic — after all, is giving Zelda what is essentially a duplication glitch nothing more than a gimmick that could get very repetitive very quickly? After all, no one wants a repeat of Princess Peach: Showtime! (2024), where another Nintendo heroine’s anticipated protagonist debut was released with mixed reviews and little to no fanfare due to being too short and easy for even casual gamers. However, as mentioned in the interview, the Zelda development team takes gameplay very seriously, and Echoes of Wisdom is no exception. According to Eiji Aonuma, there is an unquantifiable amount of ‘echoes’ Zelda can make, even joking that he himself has no idea how many there actually are. The reveal of new mechanics, ‘bind’ and ‘reverse bond’ in the ‘Traversing Hyrule’ trailer added the extra depth Echoes of Wisdom’s gameplay needed. Using these mechanics in conjunction together essentially turns the entire world into a giant sandbox puzzle, where each player’s experience will differ, broadening the scope and promising a larger adventure than originally thought. Not to mention, by being able to traverse Hyrule in various ways, use creative solutions to solve puzzles and come up with clever solutions to defeat enemies, players are channelling Zelda’s attribute of wisdom, organically tying gameplay to theme and character.

However, while gameplay appears brilliant and is based on solid concepts, we need to address the elephantine echo in the room. Echoes of Wisdom is a 2D title. If Princess Zelda’s first break in the protagonist role is a ‘silly’ 2D title with a ‘cutesy’ toy-like art style and not a 3D epic with ‘realistic’ graphics and ‘dramatic’ lighting, is anyone in the wider gaming circle going to take it seriously? This is a valid concern to have as 2D Zelda titles have traditionally sold less copies than their 3D counterparts, with a survey conducted in May 2024 looking at the worldwide sales of every Legend of Zelda instalment (including all versions and remakes), revealing some interesting numbers. Out of the top five best-selling games, only one was a 2D title — Link’s Awakening (1993, 1998, 2019), with its 12.68 million copies spread out across its original Game Boy release, its Game Boy Colour re-release, and its Switch remaster. While this looks like a lot, it pales in comparison to the best-selling Zelda title according to the survey, Breath of the Wild (2017), with 33.6 million units sold worldwide. This could be because the 2D entries generally feature smaller stories compared to the 3D titles’ grander adventures and utilise less immersive graphics, such as pixel art or chibi designs. Not to mention, they are also usually more difficult, focusing on puzzle solving and dungeon crawling over exploration and dynamic combat. Some of them don’t even have tutorials. Yet, there is a place for 2D titles in the series.

Besides offering breathing room for dedicated players after experiencing the large, epic, and sometimes overwhelming 3D entries, 2D titles allow the Zelda developers to experiment with new ideas and mechanics on a smaller scale, which could aid the future of 3D titles. The 2D games tend to have more unique mechanics, whether that’s the four-way split of Four Swords (2002), Link’s ability to shrink in The Minish Cap (2004) or Princess Zelda’s echoes in Echoes of Wisdom. Even the prototype for Breath of the Wild was in 2D as revealed by director Hidemaro Fujibayashi during the 2017 Game Developers Conference. The roots of the Legend of Zelda are 2D, and these games, while small, continue to be beloved by old-school and newer fans alike. Echoes of Wisdom being 2D seems fitting in retrospect, easing players into the concept and introducing Zelda the same way Link was all the way back in 1986.

Yet despite everything, there appears to be plenty of hype for Echoes of Wisdom. Many members of the Zelda community have wanted to play as Princess Zelda for a long time and are overjoyed to see her as the leading lady in the reveal trailer, expressing immediate interest in playing the game. Some who were worried about the game being too small relaxed after watching the ‘Traversing Hyrule’ trailer, which featured a large expanded Hyrule full of colourful characters to meet, quests to do, alongside the aforementioned ‘bind’ and ‘reverse bond’ mechanics. However, not everyone is happy with the change. A minority of people do not want to play solely on the basis that Zelda is female, believing Nintendo is pandering to the female market and replacing another traditionally male character with a female just ‘because’. Despite this, Echoes of Wisdom’s reception by players is positive, with fans welcoming the return to 2D after five years and celebrating Princess Zelda’s role as a protagonist.

Echoes of Wisdom is not out yet, and until we play the game for ourselves, we cannot determine how successfully the Zelda developers executed this idea. Not only does it have to deliver a gameplay based on wisdom with a focus on puzzles that can just be as fun and engaging as Link’s usual play style, but also prove it has a size, scope, difficulty and depth as a viable entry to the series. Despite Echoes of Wisdom seeming to have everything going against it, people are excited to play it. Princess Zelda’s debut is welcomed by fans all across the world. No matter what happens, Princess Zelda’s impact will be felt by the entire series going forward, cemented in history as the first time our princess received an entire game of her very own.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom launches on Nintendo Switch on September 26, 2024.

Photo credit: Anabelle Luvena