Summary
The Legend of Zeldafans didn’t expect a majorZeldaproject so soon afterTears of the Kingdom, but one is on its way regardless. Before the end of 2024, players will have their hands onThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, the firstZeldatitle in many years to star Princess Zelda herself as the sole protagonist. Combined with its return to a classic top-downLegend of Zeldaangle and a mixture ofA Link to the PastandLink’s Awakening’s aesthetics,Echoes of Wisdomhas done a great job of getting players excited for yet another new adventure.
Adding to the hype is the new mechanic Princess Zelda gets to use, dubbed “echoes” by early marketing material. By using the Tri Rod, Zelda can make copies of both environmental objects andiconicLegend of Zeldaenemiesfor use in freeform exploration and puzzle solving. Resembling the expressive Zonai powers granted inTears of the Kingdom, these Echoes should deliver a fresh take on classicZeldagameplay. Speaking of classicZeldatraditions, a fairy companion has returned forEchoes of Wisdomas well, though this one seems oddly familiar.
Echoes of Wisdom’s Fairy Tri Carries An Air Of Nostalgia
Following a prologue featuring Link’s disastrous final showdown with Ganon, Princess Zelda is seemingly captured by Hylian guards and thrown in prison like she was inA Link to the Past. With Link indisposed, it falls to the fairy Tri to supply Zelda with the Tri Rod and kickstartEchoes of Wisdom’s main gameplay. Not much is known about this fairy companion, but it is nice to have a traveling buddy after lacking one inBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom.LegacyZeldafairies like Navi and Tatlspring to mind first, but a different companion may be a better comparison.
Tri Seems Most Like Twilight Princess’s Companion Midna
The lastLegend of Zeldanavigator-type character to meet their hero in a cell was Midna, thetop-tier Twili companion ofThe Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Circumstances there were somewhat different, as Midna is initially a more selfish and manipulative character, but she comes to be as important inTwilight Princess’s quest as Link himself. Tri probably hits it off with Princess Zelda a lot faster, but in a game otherwise dominated byALttPandLink’s Awakeningreferences, it’s interesting thatEchoes of Wisdomshares such a direct parallel withTwilight Princess.
What Midna Reveals About Echoes of Wisdom’s Tri
It could mean nothing, but there’s a chance that there’s more to learn regarding Tri and Midna’s parallels. Tri’s design can be basically described as a combination between a shatteredTriforce, the mystical artifact featured across manyZeldatitles, and an abstract fairy. Except, Tri’s only similarity to abstract ball-of-lightZeldafairies is its size and general shape, having otherwise traded wings for a visible face. Said face is also unusually asymmetrical, and could be a very simplified counterpart to the markings Midna’s Twili tribe have on their bodies.
A Twilight Realm Equivalent May Hold Tri’s Deepest Secrets
Chances of a direct connection here are fairly low, given Nintendo’s apparent reluctance to bring the Twili, as well astheir Interloper ancestors, back to theZeldafranchise. However, Tri’s odd design elements hint there may be something more going on with it, and the subject of the Twili implies that some sort of dark world, like the Twilight Realm, may be involved. Ganon, Link, and swathes of Hyrule consumed by a strange purple void all likely still exist somewhere, and Zelda will probably fulfill another series tradition by traveling there later in her adventure. This visit could shed more light on who and what Tri is, so fans should prepare to unravelThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s mysteries once the game is in their hands.
