Summary
Following two games that redefined the series' 3D ventures,The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomseems to at least in part bring such innovation to the classic 2D side, though I’m hoping the game embraces tradition with one specific kind of quest. Playable Princess Zelda is clearly the most novel aspect ofEchoes of Wisdom, but its Echo and Bind abilities also position it as a clear extension ofTears of the Kingdom’s design ethos. Simply revisiting the overhead perspective of the 2DZeldagames gives it an inherent retro quality, however, and I expect to feel the influence of games likeA Link to the PastandLink’s Awakening.
The latter will be a particular point of comparison, asEchoes of Wisdomuses the same art style as the2019 Switch remake ofLink’s Awakening, a game that originally released for the Game Boy in 1993. At the time,Link’s Awakeningwas quite a novelty, being the series' first entry to have asetting other than Hyrule. Historically, it’s still an anomaly – the game exists almost entirely within a dream, and enemies from theSuper Mariofranchise make an appearance, perhaps a result of theLink’s Awakeningdevelopers considering it something of aZeldaparody. It did, however, introduce a quest type that became a series staple, one which I hope makes a triumphant return inEchoes of Wisdom.
Trading Sequences Reappeared In 6 More Zelda Games
Link’s Awakeninghas a trading quest that is practically mandatory. If players retrieve the Yoshi Doll from the Trendy Game early on in Mabe Village, the quest cleverly extends across the full game. Link brings the Yoshi Doll to Mamasha, who gives Link a Ribbon, which is eventually traded to CiaoCiao, and so on through 14 different items. Eventually, Link receives a Magnifying Glass that allows him to read theDark Secrets and Mysteries of Koholintbook, which reveals the proper sequence for navigating the maze inside the Wind Fish’s Egg, the final dungeon inLink’s Awakening.
I will admit to having not played through this foundational quest until theLAremake on Switch came out. I was born a couple of years after the game was first released, and when I playedLink’s Awakening DXon the Game Boy Color, I still wasn’t old enough to make any genuine progress. The trading quest concept reappeared inOcarina of Time, though, and my lifelong obsession with it – the first video game I ever played, also unsuccessfully due to my very young age – means I have a very strong fondness for both of its trading sequences.
The side quest raises some serious ethical quandaries regarding child labor laws in Hyrule kingdom.
One doesn’t necessarily follow the traditional format – young Link becomes a middle man forOcarina of Time’s Happy Mask Salesman, buying masks at a reduced rate in order to sell them at a mark-up when a buyer is found. The side quest raises some serious ethical quandaries regarding child labor laws in Hyrule kingdom and the ability for business owners to rope laborers into a pyramid scheme, rather than pay fair wages, but I digress. Despite the slight difference in trading products for Rupees, the gist is still the same:players get an item that matches with a specific NPC somewhere in the game.
FollowingOcarina of Time, theZeldaseries has seen trading quests inMajora’s Mask,Oracle of Ages,Oracle of Seasons,The Wind Waker, andPhantom Hourglass.
The Mask of Truth is a fun reward for becoming the Happy Mask Shop Employee of the Month, letting you chit-chat with Gossip Stones, and the Gerudo, Goron, and Zora Masks provide sufficient entertainment for the unique reactions they elicit from NPCs, butOcarina’s second trading quest has understandably become much more iconic, partly because of its reward: the Biggoron’s Sword. It’s one of those quests felt immense prior to the ubiquity of the internet in gaming discourse, spurred by the novelty of 3D graphics at the time.
First, its setup is brilliant; finding and talking to Medigoron as child Link has him promising a “really cool” item will be available in “five or six years.” The hilarious irony is thatLink returns after spending seven years in the Sacred Realm, pays 200 Rupees for the Giant’s Knife, and it breaks shortly after, becoming worse than even the Kokiri Sword. The quest to actually get a Goron-forged sword is much more complicated, requiring Link to ferry items across Hyrule, sometimes on a tight deadline.
It may be nostalgia painting my memories of first attempting to get the Biggoron’s Sword, but traveling all over the (at the time) vast landscape of Hyrule to deliver disparate items to folks instilled a sort of wonder I still associate with the series' trading quests. Being pedestrian in comparison to the world-shattering stakes of the main quest should make them feel quaint, butthe trading sequences deepen the illusion of Hyrule being filled with living people who necessarily barter items to continue living in defiance of Ganondorf’s rule.
There Hasn’t Been A New Zelda Trading Quest In 17 Years
Since 2007’s Phantom Hourglass
Despite once having prominence in the series,trading sequences haven’t featured in aZeldatitle sincePhantom Hourglasson the DS in 2007, and they arguably never recaptured theheights ofOcarina’s Biggoron’s Sword quest. It’s somewhat understandable that trading sequences weren’t included inBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom, considering the scale of their game worlds, but it’s also a shame.TOTKfeels especially well-suited for such a quest, perhaps requiring Link to build vehicles that can carry fragile cargo. Ultimately, the quest log, minimap, and quest markers inBOTWandTOTKtake away some of the allure.
This could conceivably produce problems forEchoes of Wisdomas well, since it has inherited an Adventure Log and marks quest destinations on a minimap. A trade sequence’s inclusion inEchoes of Wisdommay also partly depend on whether it has its predecessors' vast inventories and item lists. Such a side quest wouldn’t have made much sense inBOTWandTOTKbecause Link is usually carrying an exceptional number of items in both. Sure, there’s a Key Items tab in the inventory menu for special things, butacquiring a prescription for eye drops like inOcarinafeels out of place in the most recent games' sandbox design.
A trade quest could be made all the more meaningful by the Princess herself helping out Hyrule’s denizens collect their eclectic items.
Echoes of Wisdomfeels like an important 2D releasefor the long-running series, the first top-down game since its explosive success going fully open-world. Princess Zelda and her abilities prove it won’t be a rehash of older titles, but I’m still hoping it leans on older tropes like a trade quest. It’s a fun way to engage with NPCs, and can even be a clever through line for the main story, like inLink’s Awakening. It’s taken a long time for a mainlineZeldagame to star its eponymous character, and while I want her to lead a ground-breaking title,it would also be nice to see the Princess make up some of that lost time by engaging with series cornerstones.
There’s a certain charm to Link running around Hyrule on such errands, but a trade quest could be made all the more meaningful by the Princess herself helping out Hyrule’s denizens collect their eclectic items.The Legend of Zeldahas come so far, but still manages to hold onto some signature features (TOTKstill uses the Z-targeting pioneered byOcarina of Time). There hasn’t been a trade sequence in a long time, but it’s something I alwasy keep an eye out for in each new game, and I’m hoping for its return inThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Strange rifts are tearing Hyrule apart, and with Link missing, it’s up to Princess Zelda to save the kingdom. Armed with the Tri Rod and aided by a mysterious fairy, she must solve puzzles, create environmental “echoes,” and battle enemies while navigating new regions and uncovering hidden secrets.
