The kingdom of Hyrule has taken many forms over the years, transforming from 8-bit pixels to the 3D creations of today’s landscape. With The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom nearing its 26 September release, Nintendo has dropped a first look at a familiar-yet-different world and its gameplay mechanics.
A five-minute trailer titled “Traversing Hyrule” highlights key locations that fans can expect, including Gerudo Desert, Eldin Volcano, and Faron Wetlands. The Zelda-led adventure will also introduce the new region of Jabul Waters, home to both the Sea Zora and River Zora.
Here’s the full description for each area, per the trailer:
- The Gerudo Desert consists of scorching dunes as far as the eye can see and is prone to frequent sandstorms that’s no problem for the women of the Gerudo Tribe, though. There are many ruins full of mysteries here, and an oasis—a great place to relax.
- Jabul Waters is home to some of Hyrule’s most scenic waterways. It’s also where you can find the Sea Zora and the River Zora, who each reside in their respective villages. Though they don’t always get along. What could they be fighting about?
- Daunting cliffs and lava flows dominate the Eldin Volcano region. Pacarico Village is nestled at the mountain’s base, but you’ll have to brave treacherous trails to reach the home of the Gorons. Those rocks may look delicious—alas, they are not for Hylians.
- The Faron Wetlands are a lush labyrinth of vegetation. As you wander the jungle you might come across a Deku Scrub. Rumor has it these peculiar creatures have a voracious sweet tooth.
To get around the map, players can either use fast travel points called Waypoints — unlocked naturally when they arrive in the region for the first time — or ride horses, available for summon at any time once the carrot echo is unlocked.
The mechanics from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and sequel Tears of the Kingdom have been carried over as well, but with their own twist. Mixing and matching ingredients, for example, is required for creating smoothies instead of cooking, while dressing Zelda up in different outfits grants unique benefits.
Lastly, the trailer shows off Zelda’s skillset and the abilities of her ethereal companion Tri. Where Bind forces objects to follow the princess’ movements, Reverse Bond does the opposite (as its name would suggest). The mighty Tri Rod, described by Nintendo as a staff that can “make imitations (or “echoes”) of certain objects and enemies found in Hyrule”, is the source of this power, encouraging players to unleash their creativity in both combat and puzzle-solving situations.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom hits the Nintendo Switch on 26 September, and will be the first mainline game in the series to explicitly star Zelda as the main protagonist, finally beating the “why is it called Legend of Zelda when Link’s the main character?” allegations.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
