The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomis a fun experience from start to finish, but it might be an even more fun time going back to the start to do it again.Zeldagames have always featured a decent amount of replayability, largely in the rich worlds that remain a joy to explore even after the first pass. AlthoughEchoes of Wisdomgoes back to the top-down series basics in some regards, it’s not a traditionalZeldagame overall, and the way it does things differently might make it even more replayable than the rest.
As joyous asEchoes of Wisdomcan be, most series veterans are likely to have a moment of thinking “that’s it?” while playing. It’s not a response that comes to mind due to any lack of creativity on the game’s behalf, but one that emerges in the absence of much difficulty. With so many echoes to help her, Zelda has free rein to break the game from start to finish, andit rarely offers puzzles or combat encounters that scale up to match how much easier things areon her end.
Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom Is Great For Challenge Runs
One obvious way to scale up the difficulty is by turning on Hero Mode, which makes Zelda take twice as much damage and takes away some recovery options, but there’s a more interesting way to go about makingEchoes of Wisdomharder. With the ease of the game coming down to how many tools are at Zelda’s disposal,it’s possible to crank up the challenge by simply limiting that toolbox. Making specific choices about which echoes, accessories, and upgrades to use while declaring others off-limits can completely change the way the game plays and introduce unique twists on its trials.
Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom’s Best Accessory Saves So Much Time
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom offers a nice variety of helpful accessories, but efficient players should all be relying on exactly one.
While it’s perfectly possible to do this on a first playthrough ofEchoes of Wisdom,it’s probably better to initially experience the full scope of the game’s offerings. There are a lot of fundiscoveries to be had in experimentingwith every echo, and attempting to impose arbitrary restrictions might require foreknowledge that could spoil those surprises. It’s not a huge deal that the game isn’t hard, and Hero Mode still works well enough as a way to patch that up without radically overhauling the experience.
Ideas For Challenge Runs In Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom
Taking a look at the most iconic echoes in the game quickly showcases how easy it would be to radically alter the experience.Restricting key echoes used for movement, like beds, water blocks, and Flatbooms, could force plenty of additional creativity in traversal. Combat can also end up relying on a similarly slim number of echoes, and ruling out the most powerful fighters could restore some challenge to late-game areas that Zelda can breeze through with a Lynel, Wizzrobe, or Darknut Lv.3 by her side.
It’s easy to beatEchoes of Wisdomwithout everacquiring the Lynel echo, but it’s a powerful option for those who seek it out.
The regional nature ofZeldaworld design also opens up a lot of options for more specific challenges. Venturing onto Hebra Mountain without using any flaming echoes might make some puzzles completely impossible, butchoosing only one fiery option and sticking to it could be fun. Many of theaccessories that Zelda can equipare similarly targeted at specific areas, and choosing not to employ them retains the relevance of problems that can easily be bypassed.
Echoes Provide An Endless Amount Of Replayability
TheZeldacommunity will likely end up cementing a number of interesting concepts for challenge runs as popular options, and it’s not hard to see the potential for something similar to theNuzlocke approach to upping the challengeof Pokémon games. Although the game doesn’t have quite the same potential for handing over the boundaries for a run to the whims of luck by its own rules,using tools outside the game to determine random echoes for use could be a fun approach.
Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom’s Hardest Challenge Isn’t Even Worth The Trouble
One side activity proves much tougher than most of the game’s trials, and the offering that Zelda receives in return really isn’t that exciting.
Regardless of which method sounds the most appealing, there’s no shortage of ways to experienceZelda: Echoes of Wisdomdifferently in the second playthrough. It’s already a substantial title, so jumping back in right after the credits roll may not seem that appealing. Once the itch to play returns, however, restartingThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomwith some new rules in place could lead to an even better experience than the standard parameters do.
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.
