Why Zelda is The New Lead in Echoes of Wisdom
is the latest entry in one of the strongest franchises in the gaming world. The games center around Link, a young and brave Hylian who works with Princess Zelda to protect the kingdom from the evil Ganon. For almost 40 years, players have gotten to see the world through Link’s eyes and adventures, as he has been the series' sole main character. However, the standalone has switched things around – Link is no longer the main character, but Zelda is.
is the first game in the franchise to have Zelda as the main focus of the adventure. When Link goes missing after a mysterious force takes him away, Zelda is left to save him and the rest of the kingdom. This change in the main character is quite a bold move, with almost four decades of focusing on Link. But Nintendo has a very funny reason for Link being put to the side – his sword.
In Nintendo’s Ask the Developer series, producer Eiji Aonuma discusses the fact that Link’s sword really got in the way of gameplay. Aonuma states, “.”
He goes on to elaborate on how the developers wanted players to play with echoes, and figured this would be abandoned once they got access to the sword and shield, Link’s typical main armaments. It was then they had the idea to have Zelda be the main character, so that players could use echoes and the focal copy and paste gaming style.
's quintessential 2D hack-and-slash gameplay partially remains in through the Princess' temporary Swordfighter Form.
It also was the perfect avenue to give Zelda the main focus in a game. Throughout the years, players have frequently requested a game with Zelda as the protagonist, making the game many have been waiting for. Aonuma goes on to say how he always wanted to do the character justice and give her a game that allows her to shine, stating:
“ ”
By creating a game that is quintessentially built for her, it allows the character to really shine. Developers even went out of their way to give her an appropriate but authentic outfit, giving her a hood that
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