10 Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom Details You Might've Missed

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is far from the first game in the franchise. However, it might be the first game in the series that some players play, and as a standalone game, there's no prior knowledge needed. But for players who are veterans when it comes to playing Zelda titles, there are a lot of little details and Easter Eggs that reference previous games.

For the first time in the series' history, Zelda takes the role of protagonist and playable character in Echoes of Wisdom. Without the swordsmanship skills that Link uses to save Hyrule, she finds her own way to battle and solve puzzles with the help of Echoes. During her journey, she comes across familiar people, places, and uncovers information that answers some of the smaller questions about the game's world.

10 Link's House Can Be Found In Echoes Of Wisdom

Echoes of the past: Exploring Link's humble beginnings

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Link doesn't always have a house to explore in Zelda games. However, Link's house in Echoes of Wisdom is located early in the game and rather easy to find. Zelda comes across it in Suthorn Forest, but the house itself isn't a location she needs to visit to continue on with the game's quests.

In fact, Link's house isn't connected to any quests in Echoes of Wisdom, making it little more than a fun detail to explore.

The village where Link lives sheds a bit of insight into his disappearance. Zelda learns that the villagers see him as somebody reliable, and they're sad that he's been affected by recent events, with some saying he's dead and others claiming that he's fallen into a rift. While Zelda might not know this version of Link personally, the descriptions of him line up perfectly with every other variation.

9 The Goddess Hylia Appears As A Statue

A divine presence: Hylia's statue in Echoes of Wisdom

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This is one of many hidden details found by AbsurdZeldaTheories on YouTube, but it has some of the most interesting implications behind it. The Statue of the Goddess isn't an unusual item to come across in Zelda games, especially in more recent ones, like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Even if Echoes of Wisdom isn't directly connected to other entries, this statue ties it into the greater universe created by the games.

Hidden in the areas beneath Hyrule Castle, the Statue of the Goddess looks incredibly similar to its variations in BOTW and TOTK. However, the existence of the Goddess Hylia in the game's universe implies that Zelda is still her mortal incarnation in this world. While her possible identity as the goddess reborn doesn't play a role in the story this time, it certainly doesn't hurt her odds of saving Hyrule.

8 Impa Returns To Protect The Royal Family

A loyal guardian: Impa's role in protecting Zelda

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This is another detail that pops up when Zelda is beneath Hyrule Castle. When she's about to end up fighting a set of guards, Impa takes over and proves that age hasn't reduced her combat prowess in the slightest. Then, when her back turns to the screen, the unmistakable eye symbol of the Sheikah is seen on her cape, a group dedicated to protecting the Hylian royals through games.

She's also seen at various points in her life, with a younger Impa showing up in Ocarina of Time and Skyward Sword.

Impa appears in multiple games, and she's almost always found beside Zelda, ready to protect her from any threats that might pop up. She's also seen at various points in her life, with a younger Impa showing up in Ocarina of Time and Skyward Sword. However, it's an older Impa that's seen in Echoes of Wisdom, still ready to fight if the occasion calls for it.

7 Kakariko Village Returns With Its Well

A well of memories: The significance of Kakariko's well

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In Ocarina of Time, Kakariko Village plays an important role, and eventually leads to the Shadow Temple. A few memorable details about the village include its windmill, graveyard, and a well that's been used to seal away evil. As a result, the version of Kakariko Village in Echoes of Wisdom might look incredibly familiar to players who've gone through Ocarina of Time.

Game Well Significance Exploration Ocarina of Time Sealed evil; crucial to the Shadow Temple Limited to sealing evil Echoes of Wisdom Covered, no apparent reason Can be explored (Easter egg)

The Kakariko Village of Echoes of Wisdom has the iconic windmill, a graveyard, and a well that's covered. Of those details, the well is the most interesting, because there's not exactly any reason that it needs to be covered, unlike the well in OoT where the evil is sealed away. Zelda is actually able to head into the well in EoW and explore it, although there's not much to find in it. As a result, it seems like the well is covered simply for the sake of being an Easter Egg.

6 The Primary Spirits Of Ocarina Of Time Return

Timeless guardians: The spirits' enduring role in Hyrule

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This is another detail pointed out in AbsurdZeldaTheories' video on YouTube. Just like in Ocarina of Time, The Great Deku Tree, Volvagia, and Jabu-Jabu all make an appearance in Echoes of Wisdom. Not only that, but they seem to have similar roles that have them in positions to watch over the races in the game who revere them. This is the first time since OoT that they all appear in the same game.

AbsurdZeldaTheories suggests that this could mean that EoW is connected to OoT, and possibly even set before it in the timeline. Of course, these details could also be nothing more than references to OoT, which might be the most beloved game in the series. Although, it would be interesting if EoW was confirmed to be related to the story of OoT, or a loose prequel to it.

5 Hyrule Castle Shows A Painting Of Zelda's Mother

A glimpse into the past: The painting's historical significance

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Before her dad is swallowed by a rift and replaced with an evil version of himself, Zelda arrives in the throne room of Echoes of Wisdom where there are barely visible paintings on either side of the room, as pointed out by Zeltik on YouTube. Considering the one painting appears to be the king when he was younger, it stands to reason that the opposite painting would be Zelda's mother. The interesting part is that Zelda's mother is rarely even mentioned in games.

If any member of Zelda's family appears in a game, it's usually her dad. So far, her mom hasn't appeared in any game, and she rarely even gets a mention, but it's generally assumed that she's died in some way. Because of this, it's neat to finally have a glimpse at what Zelda's mom might've looked like, and maybe one day, she'll appear in a game still alive.

4 Zelda's Signposts Have Random Phrases

A mysterious message: Zelda's cryptic signposts

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This is another detail pointed out by Zeltik on YouTube, and it's more for fun than a reference to anything serious. One of the early Echoes Zelda picks up is the signpost. However, the developers added a little detail to these Echoes that makes them a bit more entertaining than they would be otherwise.

One sign even reminds Zelda that it's flammable, so maybe don't put it near a fire, which is amusing at best, considering a sign wouldn't be the first option when it came to making a torch or campfire.

When Zelda summons a signpost as an Echo, she can read them. Each one has one of several random phrases on it, and while a few of them are somewhat helpful and might tell her that lying in a bed will make her feel better, since it restores her hearts, most of them aren't too useful. One sign even reminds Zelda that it's flammable, so maybe don't put it near a fire, which is amusing at best, considering a sign wouldn't be the first option when it came to making a torch or campfire.

3 There's A Possible Explanation For Link Going To Termina

A parallel world: The connection between Hyrule and Termina

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Zeltik in their video points out that falling into a rift is a terrible fate, which is said when the king of Hyrule is talking with his advisors, which is a possible reference to Majora's Mask, where the Happy Mask Salesman says that Link has met with a terrible fate. However, this detail could be taken a step further and seen as a possible explanation for what happened to Link in Majora's Mask. If rifts are connected to alternate worlds filled with different versions of the same people, then Termina being in a rift makes perfect sense.

Related Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom Finally Brought Back This Small Link Detail The main cast in Zelda games have received various design changes depending on the setting for each game, and a small Link detail has returned.

Additionally, it's said by Lueberry that everybody who falls into a rift loses something. While Navi leaves before Link leaves the Temple of Time, it's possible that what he lost on his journey to Termina is the possibility of finding her. His entire quest started with the desire to find her again, so it would be a precious opportunity that he lost to the rift, and it paints Majora's Mask in a new light.

2 Echoes Of Wisdom Includes The Creation Myth

A divine tale: The creation myth in Echoes of Wisdom

The creation of Hyrule is fairly standard across games, and it doesn't change much between iterations. However, Echoes of Wisdom's version of this myth is particularly interesting, because it's rather detailed. Most games keep the myth vague, which could be done for several reasons, and it might not be relevant to the story of the current game. EoW, on the other hand, has the most detailed version of the myth next to Ocarina of Time, nearly copying it from the older game.

Like the other nods to OoT, this might be nothing more than a fun Easter Egg to notice. However, when looking at all these details that line up, it starts to seem like EoW and OoT were designed to be connected in some way in the timeline. The nods to Majora's Mask certainly add to that theory as well.

1 Link Is Silent For A Reason

A symbolic journey: The significance of Link's mute state

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Recent Zelda games have started providing reasons as to why Link doesn’t speak. In Breath of the Wild, and Tears of the Kingdom by extension, Zelda writes in her journal that Link is silent because he chooses to bear his burdens in silence. However, the reason that Link is silent in Echoes of Wisdom is a bit more horrifying, and definitely not due to his own decisions.

Lueberry's diary can be found and read by Zelda, where she learns not only about the rifts, but about Link. The entries mention that everybody who falls into a rift returns having lost something. What they lose isn't uniform and changes from person to person. However, in Link's case, he lost the ability to speak, which turns him into the silent protagonist he's known to be, but for reasons beyond his control.

With a series as large as Zelda, it's not surprising to find small references to other games when playing. These references are often nothing more than that, but they have a tendency to spark the creation of new theories. Given details like the way the rifts work and how similar some areas are to their OoT counterparts, it's easy to see how new theories are being created because of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.

Source: AbsurdZeldaTheories/YouTube, Zeltik/YouTube