Zelda finally takes the lead

Zelda finally becomes a playable character after 38 years of bearing the video game series’ name. Yesterday saw the release of the very first Legend of Zelda installment where Zelda takes the lead: Echoes of Wisdom. Even though Zelda’s character had slowly developed over the decades from damsel in distress to a capable leader with abilities of her own, this marks the first time the princess has to save the day — and she does so without combat.

The story begins where most LoZ games end. You enter Ganon’s fortress with an arsenal of weapons and a row of twenty hearts, Zelda one hit away from rescue. But instead of shifting into a stronger second phase the way he does in every iteration of the game, a cosmic rift supersedes him. As it swallows Link whole, he shoots an arrow, freeing Zelda, who escapes the rift.

Instead of putting on Link’s cowl and becoming a gender-bent version of the beloved hero, Zelda does what she does best. Accompanied by Tri, an archetypal LoZ companion, Zelda employs a menagerie of echoes — simulacrums of various traditional Zelda enemies or objects that you can deploy at the time of need — to solve her way through Hyrule and save the day. With 50 or so echoes in your arsenal, you’ll find yourself gravitating to just a handful, which will more than do the job. And if that doesn’t work, try telekinesis.

? Rating: 9/10 on IGN, 95% audience rating.

⌛ Hours of gameplay: 17 hours for the main story, 35 hours for completionists.

? Replay value: 3/10.

? Platforms: Nintendo Switch.

? Price: USD 59.99.