For years, fans of the Legend of Zelda have clamored for the titular princess to star in her own game, but even as she’s become a more prominent character in recent entries, the Zelda-led Zelda game has yet to appear on store shelves. In today’s Nintendo Direct, that wish was finally granted; in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, it’s up to Princess Zelda to save Hyrule when Link is captured.
While the game takes its art style from 2019’s Link’s Awakening remake, this title is not a remake of any kind, and there’s no clear indication that it is connected to Link’s Awakening. In this adventure, Zelda uses a new magic item called the Tri Rod to journey across Hyrule. The Tri Rod can create “echoes” of items, like tables, beds, or boxes, to climb and explore the overworld and its dungeons, but it doesn’t stop there. Echoes of water blocks can be used to swim up and over certain obstacles, while trampolines allow players to easily leap across gaps.
Throughout the gameplay demonstration, Series producer Eiji Aonuma explains that players can also make echoes of enemies, and that these enemies can be used in combat on your side. Zelda captures a moblin to fight some slimes, then uses meat to lure in some bird enemies and summons a deku baba to snap them up. Aonuma goes on to say that there are so many echoes in the game and that he hasn’t even counted them all – we’ll have to learn what the limits of echoes are, if any, some other time.
As the trailer continues we get more glimpses into who Zelda will be interacting with throughout the game, and it includes two kinds of Zoras, some Deku shrubs, a Sheikah person (potentially Impa) and the Great Deku Tree. It also features some 2D platforming and underwater sections, as well as Zelda using birds and plants with helicopter-like leaves to glide.
The game launches alongside a golden Hyrule-themed Switch lite, which you can view in the gallery of images above. Luckily, you won’t have to wait long for either of them: the handheld and The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom will be available later this year, on September 26.