Five Things We Noticed in the Echoes of Wisdom Traversing Hyrule Trailer

This past week, Zelda fans around the world were treated to a closer look at the world of Hyrule with The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom traversing Hyrule trailer. Not only does this appear to be the largest Hyrule we've ever seen in a top-down Zelda game, but it's filled with small details and characters that bring the game to life. 

It's pretty clear that Echoes of Wisdom is taking inspiration from Breath of the Wild  and Tears of the Kingdom, from its vast, open world to its Echoes, Bind, and Reverse Bond abilities. Reviewing the trailer ahead of the Echoes of Wisdom release date on September 26, here are five things we noticed that we're excited for. 

1. Bridging the Worlds of 2D and 3D Zelda Games

The Legend of Zelda is a series that has been brilliantly translated both to 2D and 3D platforms, from top-down perspectives exploring caves to massive three-dimensional Gleeok battles. Many of the elements of a traditional Zelda (combat, exploration, etc.) translate well whether you're approaching them in 2D or 3D, but there are some features that seem solely attributed to one or the other, and this is where Echoes of Wisdom can bridge the gap.

Creatures like the Zora are typically only seen in 3D Legend of Zelda games, with some exceptions like Oracle of Ages. The Gerudo also predominantly exist in the 3D Zelda universe, with the exception of Four Swords Adventure. 

Horse transportation, meanwhile, is a predominantly 3D Zelda feature. Horses definitely appear and are even ridable in games like Oracle of Ages, but the Echoes of Wisdom traversing Hyrule trailer showed us, for the first time, what free-roaming horse riding will be like in a top-down perspective.

This reinforces the possibility that the Echoes of Wisdom Hyrule is going to be among the largest we've seen in a 2D Zelda game.

2. Locations Abound: The Expanse of Hyrule 

Not only does the Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom traversing Hyrule trailer show us Princess Zelda riding a horse across the vast world, it also shows a variety of unlockable warp points. We don't have the full map as a reference yet, but the small section of the map revealed in the trailer with multiple warp points visible is a hint at just how gigantic these regions are. 

Just from what we've seen so far, we know the following locations include:

• Hyrule Castle
• Castle Town 
• Kakariko Village 
• Gerudo Desert / Oasis
• Jabul Waters and its two Zora villages 
• Eldin Volcano
• Goron City 
• Faron Wetlands

Plus, in one of the side quests that the Zelda trailer reveals, "Finding the Flying Plant," Echoes of Wisdom mentions other never-before-seen locations like Suthron Village and Suthron Forest. It's possible there will be many Hylian villages sprawled across the world for players to visit during their journey. 

3. Weather & Smoothies: The RPG Elements of Echoes of Wisdom 

Recent Legend of Zelda games have leaned more heavily into RPG elements, and Echoes of Wisdom looks to be no exception. Both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom required proper clothing or elixirs in order to tolerate the different weather systems across Hyrule, and that appears to carry over to this title. Though not explicitly revealed, we do see Zelda herself sweating in the desert, looking to be on the brink of heat exhaustion. 

We also know that a traditional Gerudo outfit is available for her to wear, as well as many other clothing items shown in the Echoes of Wisdom traversing Hyrule trailer. This Hyrule will have rivers, oceans, deserts, snowy mountaintops, and so much more, so it would make sense to have appropriate clothing for each biome. 

We also know that Business Scrubs will sell smoothies with different effects, like resistance to electricity, fire, and other elements. It wouldn't be wild speculation to think that smoothies could offer some protection from the natural elements while adventuring.

4. Echoes of Wisdom: Accessorize, Accessorize, Accessorize 

In addition to clothing and weapons, Zelda has access to an assortment of accessories that grant different abilities. We've only been shown a few so far, but the ones we know about include:

• Zora's Flippers: Helps you swim faster
• Zora Scale: Helps you dive deeper 
• Frog Ring: Helps you jump higher 
• Heart Pin: Makes hearts appear more often

It appears like you can only equip one accessory at a time, so prioritizing which accessory to have for each challenge will be critical for success.

5. Reverse Bond & Its Game-Breaking Possibilities 

In addition to creating Echoes, Bind & Reverse Bond are new abilities that can help Zelda traverse the landscape, defeat enemies, and solve puzzles. 

• Echoes: Cast a recreation of an enemy or object 
• Bind: Bind Zelda to an object and it will follow her movements. This can be used to unearth buried treasure chests or reposition enemies. You can use Bind on Echoes. 
• Reverse Bond: Zelda will go where the object goes. Players can cast an Echo, use Bind, and use Reverse Bond, allowing them to climb walls with a spider or fly with a seagull. 

These abilities feel very similar to Ultrahand in Tears of the Kingdom in the way that players can use them in infinitely creative and game-breaking ways. Bind and Reverse Bond allow you to tackle challenges in myriad ways, ensuring no two playthroughs will be exactly alike.

As for whoever the final boss may be, I look forward to seeing the different strategies in defeating them as quickly as possible. 

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom will arrive on September 26 with plenty of other mysteries to explore and solve, like what exactly is on the other side of those rifts. Legend of Zelda fans just have a little bit longer to wait before they can uncover for themselves just how vast this latest iteration of Hyrule is.