Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom Can Bring Back A Forgotten Feature From The Series

Summary Zelda as a playable character in Echoes of Wisdom marks a significant step toward her getting her own game.

Magic as a gameplay mechanic in Zelda games has untapped potential that can be revitalized in future titles.

Echoes of Wisdom has the opportunity to bring back and enhance the magic system, offering unique puzzle styles and fostering creativity.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is making changes to the series' standard formula by including Zelda as a playable character for the first time in a main series game. It's since been revealed that she won't be the only playable character, meaning that Echoes of Wisdom won't be quite as revolutionary as previously believed, but Zelda being playable at all is a big step toward her getting her own game. In the meantime, Echoes of Wisdom has the perfect set-up and characters to bring back a forgotten feature, and revamp it for use in future games.

There are still a few months left before Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is released, so not too much is known about its story yet. As far as combat and gameplay features go, however, it looks like there will be two styles of combat, with each one tailored to suit the character being played. Link, of course, has the traditional sword and shield to use for fighting enemies. But Zelda usually isn't a melee combatant, and when she needs to fight alongside Link during boss fights, she tends to use either a bow and arrows, or magic, depending on what abilities she has access to in that title.

Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom Can Bring Magic Back

Magic As A Gameplay Mechanic Should Return

Magic as a gameplay mechanic has been seen in Zelda games previously, with Ocarina of Time perhaps being the most notable example of magic being used by Link for both combat and solving puzzles. However, recent titles like BOTW and TOTK instead have limited abilities like magic to the Champion and Sage abilities that Link can access throughout the game once they're unlocked. Once these abilities are unlocked and dungeons are completed, Link is able to use them for combat or exploring. The problem is that there's more potential for magic in Zelda, and it's time to revamp the system.

Related Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom Is The Series’ Most Important 2D Release Ever Echoes of Wisdom inherits the Zelda series’ 2D legacy, needing to balance tradition with modern gameplay innovations for what Nintendo hopes is a hit.

Given Zelda's weapon in Echoes of Wisdom, it's more likely than not that she'll be relying on magic for her gameplay sections. Since Zelda often includes both combat and puzzle elements in games, magic will probably be key to both of those elements when playing as Zelda. As a result, puzzles can be designed in ways that force Zelda to be creative with her use of magic, much like Link had to be when he used magic in Ocarina of Time, where he could light multiple torches at once to open doors. With how creative some puzzles in Zelda's history are without magic, adding it opens up even more potential.

Zelda Games Are Overdue For A New Magic System

Echoes Of Wisdom Can Fix What TOTK Forgot

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Although its use has been spotty throughout the franchise's life, magic fits perfectly in the Zelda universe, and there have been multiple ways that Link has gained access to magic during his journey. In Ocarina of Time, he gains magic through the great fairies, and the spells are based on the goddesses. Other times, such as in Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, Link uses items that have magic properties, which tends to happen more often than Link having spells to use. TOTK's Fuse and Ultrahand abilities are close to magic, and necessary for puzzles, but there's still room for improvement.

Given the improvements in technology and gaming, a more standardized magic system that Link or Zelda can use in-game is far from impossible. The potential is shown through Link's abilities in TOTK, but it wouldn't necessarily make sense from a story standpoint to have Link use Rauru's arm in every game moving forward, and he's already been shown to not have it in Echoes of Wisdom. However, magical abilities that mimic Rauru's arm, or are adjusted for other settings, allow for developers to add unique puzzle styles while fostering creativity in finding solutions.

Despite having been around for decades, Zelda continues to find new ways to keep making games feel fresh and interesting. However, it might be time to also look at features from the past and rework them to fit in modern games, bringing a new twist on familiar elements from some of the most beloved games. This is a series that isn't afraid of innovation, and that's shown through Zelda becoming playable. But if there was ever a time to revisit the series' magic system, it's in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.