On September 26, 2024, the latest installment of the Legend of Zelda series, "The Legend of Zelda: Reverie of Wisdom," was finally released on the Nintendo Switch platform. As the first work in the series to feature Princess Zelda as the protagonist, this game has sparked heated discussions among players. What kind of game is this? Now, I will bring you the evaluation content written by the author who is a fan of the series after completing the game.

Another series of charm and "The Legend of Zelda"

I'm sorry, Princess Zelda.

When I learned that the protagonist of this game would no longer be Link, and that this time the main focus would be on fighting with the power of monsters rather than the sword at hand, I thought for a moment that "this time it should be a spin-off of The Legend of Zelda".

To be honest, before actually playing "The Legend of Zelda: The Wise Reappearance", I always thought so deep down in my heart.

But now it's completely different. After completing the game as Princess Zelda, I can assert that The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past undoubtedly deserves the title of the latest installment of The Legend of Zelda, and it is also an ambitious new installment of The Legend of Zelda.

Whether you are a loyal fan of the series, a player who started with Breath of the Wild, or a newcomer who is playing The Legend of Zelda for the first time, I would describe this game as follows: "The Legend of Zelda: Re-release of Wisdom is an authentic Zelda game that can easily experience the signature adventure feel of the series."

Experience the adventure of the Legend of Zelda without using a sword

As I have repeatedly emphasized before, Princess Zelda will be the protagonist of this game. Although she can temporarily transform into a swordsman form using the "Sword of Power" picked up during her adventure to fight, most of the time the princess does not have any direct attack methods.

What keeps her fighting and adventuring is a power called "reproduction", which allows her to remember various items and monsters on the land of Hyrule and freely replicate and reproduce them. In the game, players only need to press a specific button to activate the reproduction ability, making the operation very simple. The greatest charm of the Legend of Zelda series lies in the sense of accomplishment when using the props at hand and one's own wisdom to solve puzzles, as well as the difficult boss battles that require finding the weaknesses of enemies in order to overcome them. With the power of "reproduction", players will be able to experience these fun things very easily.

In addition, since Breath of the Wild, the feature of "allowing players to play freely and experience highly free-form adventures and battles" has become increasingly prominent in the series, and the addition of "reproduction" has once again broadened the boundaries of this gameplay.

Recreate what? What is the quantity? Where will it be placed after being built? Who is it for? These are the questions that players need to think about. Different ways of use can have different effects and impact on the scene, such as how to interact with another ability "coherence" possessed by Princess Zelda, or how to use it with the "Sword of Power" that you have obtained.

Even if the same object is replicated, its use is by no means unique. For example, a bed can be used as a stepping stone for climbing high places, a bridge on the water, an obstacle that hinders the movement of other characters, or simply as a means of physical recovery, where one can lie down and sleep. There are many different ways to use it.

The audacious Princess Zelda even dares to lie down on the bed and sleep while fighting with monsters (usually it is better to ensure safety before resting)

In addition, just the goal of going to high places can be achieved by creating a large number of beds; Stacking water blocks to form a channel similar to an elevator; Various methods, such as harmonizing with spider-like monsters, can be employed to achieve this.

After clearing the customs, the gameplay remains "unfathomable" and unpredictable

Especially in terms of combat, the degree of freedom for players is too high, and it can even be said that there is almost no so-called "standard solution". Even if it is simply to reproduce monsters to help fight, there are countless strategies. For example, a large number of monsters that consume only 1 are used to win by quantity, or lightning and frost are used to limit the enemy's actions as much as possible, or simply reproduce the crow that can steal rupees to directly plunder rupees from monsters... Each monster's attack methods and characteristics can be used by Princess Zelda.

Apart from the Boss, most monsters can be memorized, so how to use them in combination with different reappearances, "coherence" abilities, and "Sword of Power" will depend on the player. This also gave me the excitement of thinking about "various possibilities" when I was recreating, just like using the leftover materials to build custom weapons in Kingdom Come: Deliverance.

We can use meat to lure the Pokeball into the trap we dug

This kind of play method of reproducing monsters for battle not only adds a unique style to Princess Zelda, but also allows players to have a deeper understanding and affection for these monsters that used to only oppose the protagonist. This is also a major charm of this game. The excitement of encountering new monsters and the thrill of opening the guidebook to learn about their characteristics and consider their uses make the world of Hyrule even more fascinating.

A scene with both top-down and horizontal perspectives

The stage of this game is no longer a vast open area like Breath of the Wild and Kingdom Hearts, but a box-style map from a bird's-eye view. If you are a long-time fan of the series, you should naturally be able to think of the SFC platform's "Trials of the Gods" and the recently released "Dreamweaver Island" on the NS platform.

However, the "Reappearance of Wisdom" does not use the top-down perspective box scene throughout the entire process. At times, you can still experience the joy of forging your own path, akin to in Breath of the Wild, such as utilizing the ability to ascend to the top of trees.

In addition, after passing through the mysterious cracks scattered throughout the scene and reaching the "World of Nothingness", the structure of the map will change again, becoming a three-dimensional world that can be explored in depth. By the way, in scenes such as caves and dungeons, the game will frequently insert side-view horizontal levels, and some of the puzzles may require players to use strategies and methods completely different from the top-down view to solve.

In other words, although the game is based on a top-down view of the scene, two completely different map types will give more possibilities and fun to the exploration experience.

In summary, The Legend of Zelda: Reprise of Wisdom is a new and authentic installment of the The Legend of Zelda series, set against the backdrop of a grand story of saving the land of Hyrule, while retaining the traditional top-down perspective and easy-to-play gameplay, and incorporating the latest The Legend of Zelda's free-form puzzle and combat gameplay. Please join me on this journey of adventure that drives the power of reappearance.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom