Even though I love this franchise a lot, innovation is always welcome. The echo system is a fascinating blend of new ideas and established concepts. Using random objects and enemies isn’t totally new, but making them the main form of offense is. Transplanting 3D ideas into a 2D plain is a tough challenge, but the devs have handled it nicely. I wish the echoes were easier to scroll through, and the combat could have been harder. But I loved exploring every inch of this world. Even after the credits rolled, I still went back for more. If you’re looking for something charming and unusual, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is right on the money.

Cerealkillerz - Steve Brieller - German - 9.3 / 10

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom blends classic Zelda gameplay with innovative mechanics, allowing players creative approaches. Zeldas ability to summon Echoes adds depth and variety to exploration and problem-solving and for the first time ever steals the showlight from our hero Link. This may be the first time an isometric Zelda comes close to the classic A Link to the past.

Checkpoint Gaming - David McNamara - 9 / 10

A perfectly-paced, delightful twist on the classic 2D Zelda formula, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom takes everything Nintendo has learned from the Switch era and condenses it into a tight adventure jam-packed with heart. Through its wonderfully magical Echoes mechanic, satisfyingly diverse dungeon design, and unique blend of modern and classic design elements, this is both a celebration of the franchise's history and a bold first offering for Zelda as protagonist. Performance issues aside, Echoes of Wisdom is impossible not to love for newcomers and series veterans alike.

Dexerto - James Busby - 5 / 5

While Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom successfully brought exciting new concepts to Nintendo's iconic series and helped revolutionize open-world games – Echoes of Wisdom feels like a big step forward for classic Zelda.

The game is a punchy cocktail of old school Zelda, expertly blended with modern mechanics from the series’ two open-world giants. As a result, Nintendo has created something that feels both nostalgic and uniquely fresh.

It may have taken 38 years for the series's titular princess to finally get her own game, but boy was it worth waiting for. Echoes of Wisdom not only demonstrates that Nintendo is capable of wowing Zelda fans, but it can breathe new life into its legendary series.

Echoes of Wisdom is a resounding success, a masterclass in creativity, and a worthy debut title for the series’ legendary princess.

Digitec Magazine - Domagoj Belancic - German - 4 / 5

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom turns the tried and tested Zelda-formula on its head with its magic wand and 'Echo' clones. The daring gameplay experiment works for the most part. It's fun to find new monsters and items and experiment with them — both in combat and when solving puzzles. Every now and then I wish I could take a more active part in the battles. The limited “swordfighter mode” only partially satisfies my appetite.

Unfortunately, the otherwise expertly crafted game is somewhat marred by a cumbersome menu navigation and annoying stutters. Despite these shortcomings, fans of the series can look forward to an excellent 2D-spin-off that does a lot of things differently and yet still feels familiar.

Eurogamer.pt - Vítor Alexandre - Portuguese - 4 / 5

Zelda takes the lead in the adventure and uses all the creative tools at her disposal to explore, fight and solve puzzles.

GAMES.CH - Benjamin Braun - German - 86%

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GRYOnline.pl - Adam Celarek - Polish - 8.5 / 10

Echoes of Wisdom is a fantastic game that skillfully redefines the classic 2D Zelda formula, while taking inspiration from other games in the series. These changes will be noticed mostly by veterans, but even new players will find lots of fun here.

GamePro - Tobias Veltin - German - 88 / 100

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom combina la tradición y modernidad de Zelda en un paquete completo, coherente y hermoso.

God is a Geek - Adam Cook - 9 / 10

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is a gorgeous, brilliantly clever game in a series that continues to be unique and innovative.

IGN Italy - Andrea Peduzzi - Italian - 9 / 10

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom proves that a classic approach to the series is still possible as long as it only partially negates the evolutions of recent years. The new gameplay mechanics blend perfectly with the old-school structure and are fun, while the art direction takes your breath away.

IGN Spain - Mario Seijas - Spanish - 9 / 10

Echoes of Wisdom is a marvel both visually and gameplay-wise. It's riddled with clever puzzles and gives you total freedom to choose to save Hyrule in your own way. An outstanding experience marred only by a few usability issues.

Nintendo Life - Alana Hagues - 9 / 10

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom should be the new standard for top-down Zelda going forward. Rather than abandoning the classic formula, Zelda has shown that the old and the new can come together and produce wonderful results that reward experimentation and reinforce the joy of play. This is easily in contention with A Link to the Past and A Link Between Worlds as one of the best top-down adventures in the series, and we hope we don't need to wait another 35 years for Zelda to take a starring role again.

Press Start - James Mitchell - 9.5 / 10

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom elegantly bridges old and new Zelda with grace and gusto. The Echoes system is inventive, the dungeon designs are strong and the whole experience feels like everything a classic Zelda experience should be. While minor performance issues hold Echoes of Wisdom back from being everything it could be, they're only minor blemishes on an otherwise stellar adventure fit for a princess.

SECTOR.sk - Matúš Štrba - Slovak - 9 / 10

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom may not be a game for everyone. Maybe not even a game for every Zelda fan. It does things differently, turns the traditional formula on its head and asks you to do something other than traditional combat. But that's what impressed me about it. It's not trying to do the same thing that worked five years ago. It's building on that, but it's doing something new, something fresh and something interesting that's hard to tear yourself away from.

Saudi Gamer - Arabic - 7 / 10

A light-hearted game for those who are tired after work for a nice adventure with innovative multiplayer gameplay

Spaziogames - Valentino Cinefra - Italian - 8.7 / 10

Echoes of Wisdom lays the groundwork for the future of the Zelda series, offering a beautiful and exhilarating experience that blends classic elements with forward-thinking design.

Stevivor - Matt Gosper - 9 / 10

The Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom is a unique new addition to the Zelda family. It’s wonderful to see the same boundless creativity celebrated in a smaller-scale title.

The Games Machine - Danilo Dellafrana - Italian - 9.3 / 10

Anarchic, exciting and at times ingenious: The Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom is an adventure that will test your brains without overstressing your fingertips. It doesn't last long and hardcore gamers will perhaps complete it too quickly, but the journey is sensational and enveloped in the usual 'made in Nintendo' magic that makes it a must-have in any case.

TheGamer - Jade King - 4 / 5

Despite how much joy I mined conquering its temples and delving into its many rifts, at times it doesn’t push its ambition far enough. That never stops Echoes from being a warm hug of a video game that enraptured me from start to finish, but it does leave me infinitely more curious about what the future holds. Now Zelda has helmed her first epic outing, it’s only a matter of time until she goes onto bigger and better things.

TheSixthAxis - Stefan L - 8 / 10

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is a charming delight, an adventure for Zelda herself that embraces a wholly different style of gameplay to Link's tales, allowing for player expression and creativity throughout.

TrueGaming - Arabic - 9 / 10

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is a great adventure; its world is vast and its content is rich. The main idea behind the game is very inventive as it gives players unparalleled freedom to tackle challenges in their preferred way, and at the same time it re-introduces beloved, classic dungeons that many did miss from the latest 3D adventures.

TrustedReviews - Thomas Deehan - 4.5 / 5

The Nintendo Switch isn’t lacking in charming titles, but The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom takes the cake. From a thriving take on Hyrule that’s a joy to explore and interact with, to a whimsical gameplay loop that encourages thinking outside the box, Zelda’s long-awaited time in the spotlight also happens to be one of the series’ best games yet.

VGC - Andy Robinson - 3 / 5

Despite some ambitious ideas, beneath the surface Echoes of Wisdom is surprisingly uneven Zelda adventure. Few of its headline mechanics are utilised to their potential which means that, while enjoyable and charming, it ultimately feels less essential than other modern 2D entries.

Video Chums - Alex Legard - 8 / 10

Although it's a mostly great experience, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is a clear step below the S-tier Zelda games like Twilight Princess, Tears of the Kingdom, and so forth. There's still plenty of fun to be had if you're a fan of the classic Zelda games and perhaps this return to that formula is the shake-up that the series needed following Tears of the Kingdom.

Wccftech - Nathan Birch - 9 / 10

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom brings some new ideas to the table, but in the end, the game is more about modernizing the classic 2D Zelda experience. The attention-grabbing echo copying mechanic has its pros and cons, but where Echoes of Wisdom consistently hits is in the tried-and-true design of its world and dungeons, which are as good as any the franchise has delivered in the past. This may be Zelda's first starring adventure, but past Legends still echo strongly here.

WellPlayed - Nathan Hennessy - 9 / 10

Princess Zelda finally takes the stage in this magnificent farewell to the series' best generation, giving the top-down adventure a serving of the latest 3D entries' innovations.

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[–] miseducator@lemmy.world 18 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It may have taken 38 years the series's titular princess to finally get her own game

Ahem...

[–] Carighan@lemmy.world 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

They said to get her own game. Not her own interactive nightmare.

[–] Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 month ago

SQUADILLAH!

[–] Carighan@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

Sounds positive. Not quite a BotW/TotK-banger, but I didn't expect such a quirky concept to score big on the first outing. Only spotted one truly critical review in there, and even that was more "It's a neat idea, but doesn't truly pan out all that well".

Definitely getting this. Exciting!