Region names! Zora instruments! A cat!
Image credit: Nintendo
Earlier this week, Nintendo released a fresh trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, that’s due out next month.
The game stars the titular princess in the leading role for the first time and includes a new Echo mechanic, where Zelda can essentially copy and paste elements from the world to explore and solve puzzles.
The new trailer focused on giving a tour of Hyrule, showing off its various regions, and the new power Bind that allows Zelda to attach herself to (and move with) objects and enemies.
But there are some extra details in the trailer you may have missed. Check out the new trailer below first.
Horse riding
Ok, it’s not exactly a missable detail that Echoes of Wisdom will include horse riding. But it is significant, in part because it’s usually associated with the more expansive 3D Zelda games (though it was included in Four Swords Adventures). Zelda will be able to summon a horse once she (appropriately) learns the Echo for a carrot, but in the trailer we see both a brown and white horse suggesting there’s no set Epona equivalent but multiple horses available. Horses can run and jump through the world, and she appears to arrive at what could be Lon Lon Ranch. The inclusion of horses, ultimately, hints towards the size of this world that seems larger than any other top-down Zelda before.
Region names
When Echoes of Wisdom was first revealed earlier this year, fans speculated the map appeared similar to that of A Link to the Past. Yet now we have confirmed region names, which are taken from more recent Zelda games. There’s the Gerudo Desert for instance, which causes the princess to break out in a sweat, and its Gerudo tribe women look like chibi versions of their Breath of the Wild counterparts. The Faron Wetlands (Twilight Princess, Breath of the Wild) is where we meet the Deku, while the game’s mountainous region is called Eldin Volcano – this parallels Skyward Sword when usually Death Mountain is the iconic volcano. Lastly, the Zora reside in Jabul Waters, perhaps relating back to Ocarina of Time’s giant fish Jabu Jabu.
Water regions
Speaking of water, we’ve seen already the game will include both sea and river Zora who appear to be feuding. Jabul Waters features pillars with the Water Medallion design from Ocarina of Time, while the River Zora village curiously includes musical instruments like a lute, maracas, and a horn. Could this hint at Majora’s Mask’s band The Indigo-Go’s?
Links to Breath of the Wild
Echoes of Wisdom certainly appears to be marrying the adorable top-down visuals of the Link’s Awakening remake with the creativity and experimental vibe of the more recent Zelda games. Bind, in particular, feels analogous to Tears of the Kingdom‘s Ultrahand. More specifically, the UI and text font are the same and this new trailer provides a look at Zelda’s Adventure Log. It’s here players will prioritise quests, split between Side Quests and Main Quests. Interestingly, Zelda has multiple Main Quests available, suggesting a more open player-led structure more akin to the Switch Zelda games.
Japanese artwork
Outside of the trailer, Nintendo has released official artwork for Echoes of Wisdom. However, the Japanese version (as on the game’s Japanese website) is zoomed out slightly further and includes some extra details. The top left corner includes a small man on a paraglider – could he be a new postman perhaps? There’s also a snake enemy in the bottom right, as well as what looks like a Wanted poster for Zelda. The previous trailer showed Zelda meeting new companion Tri in a jail cell before embarking on her adventure while cloaked, so it seems she could spend part of her adventure on the run.
The Japanese version of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom key art includes a seemingly important key character that Nintendo hasn’t talked about yet.
If you look in the upper left hand corner, you’ll see him paragliding! pic.twitter.com/mi7UeroeS3
— Stealth (@Stealth40k) August 6, 2024
Other bits
A few other small details from the trailer include a tiny cat and parrot in a hat in Gerudo town; a Goron leader named Darston, following the usual naming convention of the series (Darunia and Daruk, for example); and a map screen divided into sections, though it’s unclear if map pieces will be acquired or if it will simply be unveiled by exploring.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is set for release on 26th September and is shaping up to be a particularly unique entry in the long-running Nintendo series.
