When The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom was revealed for Switch, fans wondered if Link would be playable in any form. After all, the game’s prologue shows him being captured by Ganon, and the main gameplay loop has Zelda herself as the central protagonist.
So like Luigi’s Mansion before it, Echoes of Wisdom felt like it was going to relegate the usual protagonist to a side character, with no gameplay moments at all.
However, it seems that may not be the case. Why? Because the ESRB rating has now been published online and indicates Link will be playable in some form or another! Here’s the description itself, straight from the organisation in question:
This is an adventure game in which players assume the role of Zelda as she attempts to dispel rifts throughout Hyrule and rescue Link. From a ¾-overhead perspective, players explore various environments while fighting stylized enemies (e.g., humans, creatures). As Link, players use a sword and arrows to defeat enemies; Zelda can use a magic wand to summon creatures (e.g., wind-up knights, pig soldiers, slime) for battle. Some enemies can be defeated by being set on fire; other creatures dissolve into mist when defeated. Battle sequences are somewhat frenetic, with several enemies attacking/fighting at once.
So yeah, Link is indeed going to be playable in the game.
But how will this work? How could Link be a playable character in such a Zelda-focused title?
Well, we have three theories.
The first one is that he’s only playable in the game’s prologue. This presumably takes place before he’s sent to the dark world, and has him facing off against Ganon as per usual.
Hence there’s a good chance that it could be a playable sequence here rather than a cinematic. Similar to how Castlevania: Symphony of the Night made Richter Belmont the main character in the intro, only to replace him with Alucard in the main game.
The second theory is that Link is an echo. That partway through the game, Zelda manages to find a way to get Link as a summonable echo, and can then play as him for a short time.
This would fit nicely into the game’s theme, while still keeping her role as the central character.
Finally, the game could always go the Paper Mario route and have intermissions with other characters. This is unlikely for a Zelda game since they tend not to make sequences set in other locations playable segments…
Could Link have intermissions in Echoes of Wisdom, like how Peach has them in Paper Mario?
But it is technically possible nonetheless. Link probably isn’t dead during the game, and there would be an interesting story to tell with him trapped in the dark world here.
Regardless, Link’s playable in Echoes of Wisdom. We don’t know how it works, but it’s the case here, as per the ESRB’s description.
So what are your thoughts? Do you have any ideas for how Link could be playable here? What do you think about him as a playable character in Echoes of Wisdom?
Leave your opinion in the comments below, on social media, or our Discord server today!
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