Echoes of Wisdom’s Still World breaks a Zelda tradition and leaves a lot to be desired

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom‘s Still World breaks a certain Zelda tradition, but it could be for the worse. It’s no secret how Echoes of Wisdom differs from previous ones Zelda entries, as it ignores many of the series’ conventions. From Princess Zelda herself becoming the protagonist to the new Echo mechanic that was introduced, Echoes of Wisdom goes out of his way to make a new path forward to the series that follows.

Many of Echoes of Wisdomthe company’s new implementations elevate the overall experience as they shake up the traditional Zelda formula in an intriguing way. The Echo mechanic, for example, forces the player to change the way they approach puzzles or combat scenarios, which makes them much more engaging than the more typical approach of previous titles. However, not all changes are made equally. The introduction of Still World breaks a common tradition of alternative worlds in Zelda games in a way that ends up leaving a lot to be desired.

The echoes of the still world of wisdom were heavily segmented

As a result, each segment felt repetitive and tedious

The concept of Still World is quite intimidating when first introduced. Null’s ability to despoil large parts of Hyrule causes them to form a disjointed, barely knit house that feels strangely unsettling. The half-destroyed monuments, alongside the floating bodies of Hyrule’s citizens, do a fantastic job of creating a sense of dread when Zelda first steps into the Still World.

However, this fear quickly disappears when Zelda begins roaming the world. Despite the Still World being seemingly large enough to consume large portions of Hyrule, the player’s perspective comes in small, segmented areas that are separate from one another. Each segment of Still World gives the player one of two simple objectives: Save Tri’s trapped friends or clear a dungeon. Due to the linear structure that emerges from these restrictive areas, the path to follow becomes quite obvious, eliminating any sense of mystery that Still World is trying to evoke.

Echoes of WisdomStill World’s biggest flaw is its adoption of this linear, restrictive structure that makes each area feel very repetitive. The usual obstacles that appear in Still World, from combat encounters to large gaps that must be overcome, are often recycled with little variation, eliminating any potential for challenge. Any sense of danger quickly disappears as the player is fully aware of what awaits them, making traversing the Still World feel much more tedious than intended.

Other Zelda games had much better alternate worlds

These titles gave players a lot more freedom

Echoes of Wisdom not the first Zelda input to utilize the concept of alternative worlds for the player to explore. Various titles including Tears of the Kingdom, A link to the pastand A connection between worlds all include a darker and more dangerous world for the player to traverseand all of these options end up being much more memorable than Still World.

Instead of adopting Still World’s more segmented layout, these other Zelda The titles provide fully interconnected alternate worlds that essentially double the size of each game. Not only does the size exceed that of Echoes of Wisdombut the open structure also lends itself to the more intimidating atmosphere these darker worlds evoke. The freedom offered by entering these new locations actually becomes more daunting as the path forward becomes less clear, resulting in a much more cautious journey through these unknown worlds for those who are unsure of where to go and what dangers may lie ahead.

Those Zelda titles also exceed Echoes of Wisdom thanks to more immersive challenges in these unknown worlds. Many puzzles or challenges often require the player to consider the light world and the dark world and the connections between them. For example, A connection between worlds often forces the player to compare the layouts of Hyrule and Loruleidentifying key differences and entry points to reach areas that would otherwise be inaccessible. These more involved challenges provide a much more immersive experience than Still World offers.

Zelda works best when players are free to explore

The Still World is counterintuitive to the core of the Zelda series

The contrast in the quality of Echoes of WisdomStill World compared to the previous one Zelda titles shows how its biggest problem is the lack of freedom given to the player. Part of Zelda The appeal of the series lies in the player’s ability to explore new worlds to their heart’s content. By eliminating this exploration, players lose the sense of discovery and excitement that comes with trying to find everything the game has to offer. The still world is counterintuitive to the Zelda series focus on freedommaking its inclusion seem lackluster.

Outside the motionless world, Echoes of Wisdom can create this freedom This is fundamental for the Zelda series. As previously mentioned, the implementation of the Echo mechanic gives players the ability to approach puzzles, enemies, and traversals in their own way, experimenting with the Echoes at their disposal to create their own path forward. Many of Echoes of WisdomThe job’s new inclusions allow the player to customize this new Zelda experience for themselves and how they want to play, making Still World’s rigid structure even more confusing.

Echoes of WisdomDropping several core sets ultimately improves the experience. These changes result in a Zelda entry that feels fresh and exciting while also staying true to the core of the series. Still World fails precisely because its inclusion goes against these core components of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomand an attempt to improve the traditional Zelda formula has resulted in an inclusion that feels empty and leaves a lot to be desired.