Tears Of The Kingdom & Echoes Of Wisdom May Have Accidentally Started A New Zelda Gameplay Trend

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The releases of and introduce a new gameplay trend that could become a mainstay for the franchise. Despite some notable differences in story and art direction, and have a lot in common with each other. The best example of this concept is how both entries utilize their own unique mechanics that open up new opportunities in their respective versions of Hyrule.

Link's Ultrahand and Fuse abilities in share similarities with Princess Zelda's Echo and Bind abilities in in how these mechanics can be applied during traversal. Both games emphasize utilizing these abilities and the surrounding environment to assist in exploration, combat, and puzzle-solving. While these mechanics are certainly enjoyable to play around with, both and hint at how these abilities are a sign of huge changes for the franchise going forward.

The biggest change that comes from 's and 's new mechanics is the freedom given to the player. The abilities handed to Link or Zelda at the beginning of their respective titles are the only tools required to explore each world. Both games allow the player to approach the adventure at their own pace, tailoring the experience to each individual exploring either version of Hyrule. It also adds replay value to and, with each subsequent playthrough being different from the last, especially when the player becomes more familiar with each ability and the best way to utilize them.

Traversal Echoes make navigating and traveling around Hyrule easier for Princess Zelda. Here are the 10 best Echoes for traversal in Echoes of Wisdom.

This open approach to traversal extends further to include the complex challenges and puzzles featured in both and. Rather than discouraging the approach of said challenges due to a lack of required items, the games instead push players to consider how Link or Zelda's abilities can be used in tandem with the items at their disposal to create a path forward. The greatest strength of and comes in their experimentation, which is simply unrivaled,