One Year Ago, Zelda Showed Going Smaller Can Still Mean Going Bigger

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Today, September 26, 2025, marks the one-year anniversary of *The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom*. The game was praised for blending the open-ended gameplay of newer *Zelda* titles with the classic top-down perspective of older games.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, released in 2017, completely changed the Zelda formula. Unlike previous games that focused on completing dungeons one after another, this installment put players in a huge, immersive world with the freedom to explore, survive, and uncover its secrets on their own.

Six years after the first game, Tears of the Kingdom built upon its success by adding vast new areas both high above and deep below Hyrule. These two games together redefined what open-world adventures could be.

With The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Nintendo has successfully taken the sense of exploration and freedom from previous Zelda games and created a more focused experience. While developed by Grezzo, a frequent Nintendo collaborator, this new installment may be smaller in scope than past titles, it still delivers that core Zelda feeling of open-ended adventure.

Echoes of Wisdom initially looks similar to Grezzo’s remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, with its charming, miniature-like visual style and overhead camera. However, the game’s core design is actually inspired by the innovative gameplay of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.

For the first time in a major Zelda game, you play as Zelda herself! She uses a special tool called the Echo Rod, which lets her record the abilities of objects and enemies, then instantly recreate them. Need a bridge? Copy a rock and make one! Want help in battle? Capture an enemy and turn them to your side.

This new gameplay feature isn’t just copying ideas from games like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom; it takes the freedom those games offered and adapts it for a more focused experience. Instead of combining weapons or items like Link did, Zelda gathers and uses ‘echoes’ to overcome challenges in creative ways. This encourages players to come up with their own solutions in a beautiful, miniature-like world, rather than relying on pre-designed answers from the game developers.

According to Eiji Aonuma, producer of the Legend of Zelda series, the development team focused on two core elements and then prioritized giving players more freedom. Having worked on Zelda games for years, they realized the franchise needed to evolve to keep fans engaged. Players should be able to explore, experiment, and solve puzzles in their own way, rather than being limited to a single solution. This sense of independent discovery is what defines a ‘Legend of Zelda’ game. Aonuma asked the development team at Grezzo to build the gameplay around these core elements, adding as much freedom as possible to create that unique Zelda experience.

Aonuma explained that Echoes of Wisdom focuses on capturing the fun of exploring and experimenting that made Breath of the Wild so popular, but in a more focused experience – it’s not about a huge world or endless gameplay. When the game came out in 2024, this approach was generally well-received.

I was reading TopMob’s review of Echoes of Wisdom, and Steven Petite really hit the nail on the head. He said the way the game connects the past and present with its ‘echoes’ system is amazing. Basically, it shows that they can add these cool, open-ended gameplay elements while still keeping the feel of the older games we all love. It’s a really smart design choice!

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Dungeons aren’t just about following a set path anymore. They’re now open spaces where you can solve problems in creative ways. For example, if you need to get across a gap, you could magically create a bridge out of furniture. Or, instead of fighting a boss directly, you could summon copies of its enemies to battle for you while you stay safe. These puzzles aren’t about finding one ‘right’ solution – they’re about finding *your* solution.

This flexibility makes the game flow really well. Echoes of Wisdom understands players are busy, offering quick challenges that are fun to complete even in short bursts, while still keeping the sense of adventure alive. It’s perfect for the Nintendo Switch – you can easily pick it up and play whenever you have a moment, and still feel like you’re making a difference in the game world.

Making Zelda the main character really highlights the game’s fresh approach. Instead of relying on Link’s usual fighting style, battles now feel like puzzles you need to figure out. The Echo Rod is a smart way to connect the story and gameplay, emphasizing that Zelda isn’t a fighter – she’s a thinker and planner. Her strength comes from carefully observing and being resourceful, encouraging players to approach challenges in new ways.

Echoes of Wisdom takes the best parts of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom and shrinks them down, reminding us what made those games so special. They weren’t just big open worlds; they were about freedom. You could climb any mountain you saw, build crazy inventions to solve problems, and discover hidden secrets just by exploring. This new game asks whether you can still feel that same sense of freedom and discovery in a smaller Hyrule.

Echoes of Wisdom beautifully demonstrates that true freedom isn’t about how far you can travel, but about the choices you have and the excitement of figuring things out as you go. Like the best Zelda games on the Switch, it encourages players to be creative and try new things – qualities that make those games so beloved.

Nintendo and Grezzo haven’t just made a smaller Zelda story; they’ve proven the core of what makes Zelda special-the joy of discovery and creative problem-solving-can work in any game, no matter its scale. Whether you’re building massive robots in Tears of the Kingdom or cleverly using items to reach secrets in Echoes of Wisdom, the experience is consistently liberating and truly captures the essence of Hyrule.

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2025-09-26 18:10