Taking a stark departure from all previous Zelda games, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is all set to feature Princess Zelda as the playable protagonist rather than Link. Meant for the Nintendo Switch, this game will be released on September 26 this year.
The namesake of the series won’t be welding a sword like Link though. Her power will be derived from a wand that’s granted to her by a mysterious fairy called Tri. This Tri Rod – as it’s called – holds the ability to copy and paste things in the environments around her.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom was announced during the latest Nintendo Direct broadcast, where a trailer for the game was also showcased. It’s got a visual style that’s borrowed from the 2019 remake of Link’s Awakening.
“The people of Hyrule are being stolen away by strange rifts that have appeared, and with a certain swordsman among those missing, it’s up to Princess Zelda to save her kingdom,” reads the official blurb released by Nintendo.
Although this is the first main game to feature Princess Zelda as the playable protagonist, she has indeed been playable in a number of other Nintendo spin-offs. Smash Bros. games have regularly featured the character, while she was also playable as a fighter in 2014’s Hyrule Warriors.
In fact, past Zelda games have also let gamers assume control of the princess for brief bits. Among them was The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, where she’s playable as a ghost; and 1993’s Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon.
As we said, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is destined for a September 26 release, giving Nintendo Switch owners plenty to look forward to.