The best trick in Echoes of Wisdom is to turn Zelda into the dungeon master.

In Nintendo's latest title, Echoes of Wisdom, influences from Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom can be seen, as this top-down game offers greater openness and an emphasis on gameplay freedom. However, its most notable innovation seems to be a reinterpretation inspired by the less agile aspects of the 2019 remake, Link’s Awakening.

The Link's Awakening remake, produced by Grezzo, was a faithful adaptation of its original Game Boy version but presented with a 3D design reminiscent of toys, improved controls, and a dungeon creation mode inspired by Super Mario Maker. After overcoming the game's traditional dungeons, players could build their own dungeons in a sort of cabin, using pieces representing the various rooms they had already explored. However, the lack of surprises in the Chamber Dungeons, where players chose elements and followed certain rules, limited their replayability. The inability to share these creations online, unlike what Super Mario Maker offered, also diminished the appeal of this mechanic.

Dampé, a character who assists in dungeon creation in the Link's Awakening remake, returns in Echoes of Wisdom. This new title features Zelda and her companion Tri exploring Hyrule with the Tri Rod, a magical object that allows the creation of multiple copies (referred to as "echoes") of various items and enemies encountered in their adventure. These echoes become powerful tools in combat as Zelda seeks to close the interdimensional rifts appearing in Hyrule.

At the time of its announcement, the echoes, which disappear after taking certain damage, seemed like an extension of the weapon systems from Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. However, the game's directors revealed in an interview that the original idea involved a title focused on dungeon creation, and the copy-and-paste mechanic emerged during the game's development.

Following the acclaimed titles Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, which were criticized for their lack of traditional dungeons, Echoes of Wisdom returns to the essence of the saga. This new game includes individual themed dungeons that challenge players to solve puzzles to uncover hidden secrets. Although Zelda can move objects using binding, her ability to alter dungeon design is limited. Nevertheless, the true brilliance of Echoes of Wisdom lies in transforming Hyrule into a new kind of dungeon, in a conceptual sense, where the player assumes the role of master of the environment.

Upon starting to play, the focus on learning from the echoes of inanimate objects to assist Zelda gives the game a feel of a conventional dungeon crawler with an emphasis on vertical exploration. The echoes of tables, for instance, provided the little princess with a way to overcome obstacles, while stacks of restorative beds could become makeshift ladders. Once the open world was reached and the use of monster echoes was discovered, it became clear that understanding the creatures' behavioral patterns was essential for effectively using them in combat.

Zelda's dungeons are not just complex structures filled with puzzles and closed doors; they are also lairs of monsters, whose actions define the identity of the place. In Echoes of Wisdom, while customized dungeons cannot be created, Zelda receives many of the fundamental elements found in a traditional dungeon. As the player progresses through the game, the narrative reflects how the protagonist uses her power to shape the world, presenting her not only as a princess but as a kind of dungeon master, revealing that, after 40 years, Nintendo continues to find innovative ways to renew classic ideas from The Legend of Zelda.