Although it gives its name to one of the most famous video game sagas, it has always been secondary in its own story. At least, until now, because Zelda has finally become an absolute protagonist thanks to the recently released game The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. Even though it took 38 years for a woman to take the reins of the franchise, her debut as a heroine in her own right comes at a time when princesses have shown they can – and should – to be much more than a stereotype.
Before the planned launch in May Tears of the Kingdommany fans believed that the Monarch would succeed Link as the driving force of the story. However, as much as Breath of the Wild As in his sequel he is entirely relevant and what happens to him is essential for the development of events, at a playable level it is the silent swordsman who is the only one to have significant weight. It is in this new opus where the roles are completely reversed and Zelda goes from being kidnapped, transformed into stone or simple support to being the only one capable of saving her kingdom.
From damsel in distress to pirate queen
The name of the princess comes from the novelist and dancer Zelda Fitzgerald, although Shigeru Miyamoto, co-creator of the franchise and father of the plumber Mario, assured that it was chosen for its sound. From the start, the young woman is a paradigm of the damsel in distress, an archetype unfortunately common in the industry. Already in the first title of the saga, she is locked up by the evil Ganon, and in the sequel Zelda II: Link’s Adventure He even kisses his savior as a reward, falling into all the traits associated with said cliché early on.
But it is with A link to the past when it sneaks into the collective imagination like a McGuffin with a small entity, which initially limits itself to communicating telepathically with Link so that he can go and rescue her. However, as is the case with Princess Leia in Star Warsit would be unfair to limit Zelda’s impact to such a passive role, as she has adopted different roles over time. So, in Ocarina of time It is revealed that the mysterious character Sheik, who has his face covered and helped Link on his journey, is Zelda in disguise. Despite everything, the hero who ends up triumphing is him, with her as a simple ally, who is kidnapped as soon as he regains his normal appearance.
And it seems that the princess can only demonstrate this agency when she doesn’t know, or the player doesn’t know, who she is. This also occurs in Wind alarm clockwhere Tetra, before discovering that she is actually the heir to the throne, leads a band of pirates who save the protagonist. It’s true that even as captain she is kidnapped at one point, but it’s when her true personality is revealed that her attitude changes. In video games like this, she appears in the final confrontation collaborating with her magical abilities, but it is striking that despite the fact that it is established that Zelda is powerful – after all, as she explain Sword to the skyis the reincarnation of the goddess Hylia: her power never allows her to defend herself.
In fact, in many titles, her magic is either coveted by villains or she decides to use it to give her life for the kingdom. Their heroic qualities pass through more feminized aspects, such as sacrifice, but also benevolence or wisdom anchored in sensitivity. She is only seen fighting alone and as a playable character in side titles such as Super Smash Bros., Hyrule Warriors either Cadence of Hyrulenever in the central works of the saga. They are therefore not mentioned Zelda: Gamelon’s Wand either Zelda’s Adventurein which the princess is the character who guides the action, since she is considered outside the cannonwere not even developed by Nintendo and are considered one of the worst video games in history. It is therefore interesting to know how Echoes of wisdom, Without leaving behind the traits that defined Zelda, they give her new abilities to finally give her the notoriety she deserves.
With the bed on your back
Echoes of Wisdom It starts in the usual way, with Zelda trapped and Link trying to save her. Only, when huge fissures open across the kingdom, the princess manages to escape her prison and becomes the only one capable of solving the problem threatening Hyrule. In this trigger, the classic roles are reversed and Zelda exchanges for Link, to the point that she uses his cape as an outfit and even loses her own voice, since the young man does not traditionally speak, so she does not speak here either.
With the help of the magical entity Tri, who gives her a staff, the princess will be able to make replicas of different objects that will allow her to advance in her journey. He also generates bonds with creatures or objects, which he can control based on his own movements. These curious mechanics are the biggest novelty introduced by the video game and the reason why Link loses his status. The creative minds behind the title, Eiji Aonuma and Satoshi Terada, believed that this way of acting did not fit the modus operandi usual for the boy. Since it also wasn’t gameplay compatible with advancing with a sword and shield, Zelda was the most logical alternative.
Although they recognize that over the years many people have called for the monarch to be the protagonist, the time has come for purely practical reasons. They comment until they have to come up with a good enough excuse for him to abandon his fortress instead of sending someone to fight for it, as if there weren’t hundreds of fictional rulers who risk themselves for their people. Therefore, it almost seems like a happy coincidence that she ends up being the heroine.
Still, the Nintendo Switch video game shows that there’s value in doing things differently. To save Hyrule, it is not necessary for Zelda to become a warrior, it is enough to enhance her magic and especially her ingenuity. By being able to generate an infinite number of objects, the solutions to each challenge, whether traveling a great distance or defeating an enemy, depend entirely on the player, who has immense freedom, who reminiscent of the two previous opuses. For example, replicating a bed allows you to punch an opponent, stack them to climb, and even take a refreshing nap.
A heroine who writes her own story
Beyond the clever mechanics, Echoes of Wisdom It perfectly combines recent elements of the franchise, such as a wide range of actions, the possibility of cooking or the inclusion of various side missions, with a classic flavor that manifests itself through the exploration of dungeons and the resolution of riddles. With fully three-dimensional decorations and a style reminiscent of a model, the aesthetic identical to that of the remake of Link’s Awakening. Its friendly, almost dollhouse-like appearance makes one wonder whether it would have been easier to put Zelda as the central character in an episode with an adorable design and more childish tone, in which the story is also quite simple and even the band Sound changes the epic for a relaxed, although equally beautiful, sound setting.
Of course, its appearance does not imply a loss of concentration on the action nor that there is no challenge in the puzzles, the solution of which often requires trying new combinations of tools. What is indisputable is that in approximately 20 hours of gameplay, it is amply demonstrated that Zelda is an interesting and versatile protagonist on par with Link. It is therefore logical that, despite the solvency of the security, Echoes of Wisdom we will remember how he claims the princess’s deserved place in his own saga. It may not be the video game about her that many people were waiting for, but it’s a necessary and solid first step in expanding her legend.
