The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomis a pioneering game for the iconic series, being the first to feature the eponymous princess in a playable role, but it’s still set to inherit manyZeldastaples. Alongside its dungeons and Rupee-giving destructible pottery,the series has long been known to feature a variety of recurring characters. From humble merchants to the physical manifestation of deities, eachZeldagame is packed with familiar faces, and even characters who bear a striking resemblance to others, even if they ultimately don’t share a name.
There isn’t really an in-universe explanation for why characters appear mostly unchanged in Hyrule’s different eras. Direct sequels with familiar casts, likeBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom, aren’t especially common, and there’s never any justification for why Beedle, for instance, operates an airborne shop inSkyward Sword, then reappears almost identically, running a similar business on a boat inThe Wind Waker.Echoes of Wisdomhas a handful who almost seem to qualify as recurring – an unnamed king of Hyrule, a Gerudo Chief who looks a lot like Riju, Great Fairies, and a dojo master that looks like a combination ofWind Waker’s Sturgeon and Orca – but they aren’t quite as definitively recurring as the ones below.
8Business Scrub Runs The Smoothie Shop In Echoes Of Wisdom
First Appeared In Ocarina Of Time
Business Scrub is a bit of an edge case, asit’s difficult to call the leafy woodland creature a singular character in its previous appearances. They first appeared inOcarina of Time, mostly in underground grottos, where Link would have to deflect a projectile back at them to subdue them into bartering condition. The same mechanic is used in theGame Boy Advance’sThe Minish Cap, but more friendly incarnations of the Business Scrub can be seen inMajora’s Maskand theOraclegames.
Business Scrubs have typically sold relatively insignificant wares, though their peddling of shields has certainly helped Link in a pinch. InEchoes of Wisdom, however,at least one Business Scrub is the proprietor of a smoothie shop. It appears that smoothies will be a concerted part of the game, letting players combine ingredients they find around Hyrule into consumables that provide a wide range of benefits, like replenishing hearts or boosting resistance to certain damage types.
7Volvagia Makes Its Second Ever Appearance In A Zelda Game
Volvagia makes a fiery and indomitable reappearance inEchoes of Wisdom, marking the dragon’s return after a25-year absence from theZeldaseries. InNintendo of America’s “Into The Still World, A Journey Continues” trailer (via YouTube),Zelda is seen in a boss lair battling the unmistakably slender form of Volvagia. The dragon emerges from the ground and circles menacingly above, dropping boulders on the princess as she hops between platforms floating in a pool of lava. It’s likely that Volvagia resides within Eldin Volcano (not to be confused withZelda’s more frequently featured Death Mountain), but this has yet to be confirmed.
Volvagia’s original and only appearance prior toEchoes of Wisdomwas inOcarina of Timeas the boss of the Fire Temple. The terrifying creature is said to consume Gorons, and isan ancient evil brought back by Ganondorf to eventually lay waste to Hyrule. The Hero of Time, armed with the Megaton Hammer, is the only one that manages to stop the monster. In a fascinating, non-canonical adaption, though,Volvagia has a tragic past in theOcarina of Timemanga, once being Link’s pet, turned against him by Ganondorf’s magic. It remains to be seen what the extent of Volvagia’s role inEchoes of Wisdomis.
6Dark Link May Be A Boss Or Recurring Villain In Echoes Of Wisdom
On a technicality, Dark Link first appeared inOcarina of Timeas the mini-boss of theinfamous Water Temple. It’s not uncommon to considerZelda 2: The Adventure of LinkDark Link’s first appearance, though, where a similar entity officially known as Link’s Shadow serves as the game’s final boss.
Dark Link is often considered one of the more difficult bosses inOcarina of Time, and is even harder than the Water Temple’s main boss, Morpha, because Dark Link is programmed to react directly to the player’s attacks, and gets more aggressive as the battle wears on.
Regardless,Dark Link has become a fan-favorite mirror of the iconic hero that is sadly underutilized, despite featuring in numerous games, includingOracle of Agesas a phase in a larger fight,Twilight Princessas a cutscene stand-in for the Interlopers,Spirit Tracksduring a mini-game,A Link to the Past’s Game Boy Advance remake in the bonus Palace of the Four Sword dungeon, and evenBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomas an acquirable outfit.
The red eyes and the textbook glowering makes a convincing case forEchoes of Wisdomseeing a true return of Dark Link.
Much like Link’s Shadow,Dark Link’s appearance inEchoes of Wisdommay ultimately prove to bear another title. He turns to face Zelda and appears much like Link, just with red eyes and a purple miasma swirling around him, rather than the dark monochrome version usually associated with Dark Link. It’s possible this is actually the real Link, somehow corrupted by the Still World, but the red eyes and the textbook glowering makes a convincing case forEchoes of Wisdomseeing a true return of Dark Link.
5Dampé Provides Zelda With Useful Automatons In Echoes Of Wisdom
Dampé has somber and downright creepy origins inThe Legend of Zeldaas the grave digger inOcarina of Time’s Kakariko Village. Link acquires the Hook Shot by beating Dampé’s ghost – Dampé having passed away while Link was trapped in the Sacred Realm for seven years – in a race, but the Kakariko Village Graveyard hosts a couple other important fixtures: the tomb of the royal family where Link learns the Sun Song, and the Shadow Temple hidden above. Dampé reappeared inMajora’s Maskas one of many reusedOcarinacharacters, and also inFour Swords Adventures,A Link Between Worlds, and in the Switch remake ofLink’s Awakening.
Link’s Awakeningwas Dampé’s first appearance where he wasn’t a gravekeeper, andEchoes of Wisdomappears to be continuing this trend, making him something of a tinkerer. Zelda will be able to visit Dampé and acquire Automatons from him.Each Automaton appears to have a specialized function, but they can only take a limited amount of damage before they are destroyed. They’ll seemingly join Zelda’s arsenal alongside her Echoes, providing powerful benefits as long as players can keep them from falling apart.
4The Great Deku Tree Stands Guard Over A Pedestal Once Again
Most newerZeldafans will easily recognize the Great Deku Tree’s circumstances inEchoes of Wisdom, presiding over a pedestal in the woods much like he did in bothBOTWandTOTK. In addition to protecting Korok Forest in those games, the Great Deku Tree seemingly watched over the Master Sword while it rested in its pedestal.The Triforce-bearing pedestal inEchoes of Wisdomdoesn’t appear to house the Master Sword, and clips from trailers featuring the tree are notably short, so his role remains a mystery.
The Great Deku Tree debuted inOcarina of Time, and is in fact the first character featured in the game, his voice beginning the opening cutscenes with an introduction to the fairy-less Link. His role in each appearance is quite consistent: the Deku Tree acts as the guardian spirit to the childlike entities that inhabit the surrounding forest – the Kokiri inOcarina, and the Koroks inThe Wind Waker,BOTW, andTOTK. Each iteration is implied to hold profound magical influence in Hyrule, and is often a target of Ganondorf’s plans.
The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia, a companion text to the series, confirmed a long-held belief thatThe Wind Waker’s Deku Tree is the same entity as the Deku Tree Sprout inOcarina of Time.
3Ganon May Have Created The Rifts Dragging Hyrule Into The Still World
First Appeared In The Legend Of Zelda
Perhaps unsurprisingly,Ganon is confirmed to appear inEchoes of Wisdom, potentially as the main villain once again. Ganon is present in the opening scene of theEchoes of Wisdomannouncement trailer (viaNintendo of America’s YouTube channel), where he’s seemingly defeated by Link. Ganon’s spear, however, lodges itself in the ground, where a Rift to the Still World subsequently opens up. These scenes are presumably from the very beginning of the game, and it remains unclear what role Ganon will play throughout.
Ganon has long been the primary villain ofThe Legend of Zelda, appearing in a majority of the series' games since the 1986 original. Ganon is the more bestial form of theGerudo king Ganondorf, who is himselfthe manifestation of malice born from Demise, the Demon King that rose up to challenge the Goddess Hyliaprior toSkyward Sword. Ganon is inextricable from Hyrule’s recurring conflict, destined by Demise’s curse to confront the descendants of Hylia (Zelda) and those who possess the Spirit of the Hero (Link).
2Link Is Lost Somewhere In The Still World During Echoes Of Wisdom
It would appear that inEchoes of Wisdom, Ganon has at least subdued the one most commonly responsible for thwarting his plans: Link. As previously mentioned,Link is one-third ofZelda’s central three, his various incarnations destined to face Ganon and save Hyrule. Usually a boy or young adult, theHylian Linkis the silent but stalwart hero in every singleZeldagame prior toEchoes of Wisdom. He appears to be trapped in the Still World for at least the majority ofEchoes of Wisdom, though, cleverly breaking Zelda out of a crystallized prison with an arrow right before he sinks into a Rift.
Nintendo has arguably the most recognizable character in the world in Mario, but Link isn’t far behind.
Link has appeared in everyZeldagame, from the original on the NES, to the Switch’sTears of the Kingdom. Oddly, he even has moreZeldacredentials than Zelda herself, who is notably absent fromgames that take place outside Hyrule, likeLink’s AwakeningandMajora’s Mask(even in the latter she appears in a flashback). Nintendo has arguably the most recognizable character in the world in Mario, but Link isn’t far behind. Every inch of his design is iconic, from his green tunic and hat to his penchant for vandalizing people’s property in search of Rupees.
1Zelda Has To Save Hyrule With Tri’s Help In Echoes Of Wisdom
It’s been a long time since Zelda could genuinely be considered a terminal damsel in distress.The Legend of Zeldahas given her heroic roles for years, but always in a supportive capacity, largely working in the background. From years spent disguised as Shiek inOcarina of Time, to countless millennia as the Light Dragon inTears of the Kingdom,Zelda is almost always instrumental in saving Hyrule from Ganon’s treachery– players just happen to spend much more time with Link.
Her name is on the building, so to speak, andEchoes of Wisdomfeels like it’s finally giving Zelda her due. With Link the one in trouble, Zelda teams up with a fairy called Tri to solve the mystery of the Rifts. Building on the creative struts that propped upBOTWandTOTK, Zelda’s new adventure has her solving puzzles in an open-ended manner, with the Tri Rod letting players summon Echoes of items and enemies. Zelda isn’t toothless inThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, though, as the Swordfighter Form will allow her to engage in the series' classic hack-and-slash combat, at least for limited amounts of time.
Sources: Nintendo of America/YouTube (1,2)
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.
