Echoes of Wisdom, Part Five

Last night I finished my third playthrough of Echoes of Wisdom. I really love this game!

I think it’s super fun to be able to treat each enemy encounter like a puzzle. Though Zelda not having a sword of her own can be difficult during the first hour or so, I appreciate that the game's primary verb isn’t “kill,” especially because it’s such a joy to follow Zelda around Hyrule in the company of all sorts of creatures. It’s neat that defeating Ganon doesn’t really solve anything in the larger cosmology of this world, whose magical nature necessitates constant small acts of maintenance from countless unsung heroes.

Echoes of Wisdom is a simple game for kids, but I feel like director Tomomi Sano was able to get directly at the heart of what makes the lore and gameplay of the Zelda series so compelling.

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