In the year of the girlboss, Nintendo just announced that Zelda will finally get to be the protagonist of her own adventure through the new The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom trailer. The upcoming Legend of Zelda game is set for a September release, more specifically, arriving on September 26, 2024. The announcement of the new Zelda game came during the Nintendo Direct showcase, where the company revealed the 2D game among all of its other gaming announcements. While there is a long list of titles to look forward to, we’ve set our sights on letting Link sit this one out. We’re all packed to follow Zelda this time, as she embraces the title of the hero of Hyrule. 

Zelda protagonist new game

Image: She may be trapped, but not for long.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Trailer Revealed—Zelda Sheds The Role of Sidekick 

We’ve come a long way from the 1986 version of The Legend of Zelda, the original game where Link set off on a quest to rescue Princess Zelda, much like Mario saves Princess Peach and Shrek saves Fiona from despair. After accepting a quest from the Princess through the hands of Impa, Link set off to reunite the pieces of the triforce and take down Ganondorf. Ever since that first journey, the duo has captured the hearts of generations through their adventures, packed with simplistic but satisfying gameplay. 

The new Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom trailer returns us to the kingdom of Hyrule, where strange rifts have been popping up and the people of the kingdom have been going missing. Worse still, Link is lost to the purple depths of the rift in the ground too. Instead of relying on him to do all the heavy lifting, this time Zelda becomes the protagonist of the new game. The princess now has to work with a floating orb fairy named Tri to guide her journey across the kingdom as she encounters new hurdles and more exotic enemies. 

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom released in 2023 was a huge success and has left some big shoes for Zelda to fill as the protagonist of the new game. Nintendo has been investing quite heavily in expanding on their iconic titles and so far this year, Mario has been the biggest winner of the trend. Nintendo revived Super Mario Land from its Game Boy slumber to deliver it to Switch online, and also remade Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, adding in some more life and personality to it.

Zelda new game 2024

Image: Learn echoes and use them wherever you go.

What to Look Forward to With The Legend of Zelda’s September Release

Now that Zelda gets to be the protagonist of the new game, she battles her enemies and travels the lands in her own unique way. Instead of Link’s iconic master sword, this time we get to use a Tri Rod, a weapon designed to create echoes, which are replications of objects from the world around them. The new Zelda game announcement revealed that you can “create echoes like water blocks to reach new heights, make bridges out of old beds, throw rocks at foes, or find your own creative combination of echoes to do things your way. You can even create echoes of monsters to fight at your side in combat!”

According to the Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom trailer, creating these echoes is key to solving the puzzles and defeating your enemies. The challenges across the world look much more creatively designed, with unique obstacles that arise as you move toward your destination. The creative freedom within Zelda’s new game in 2024 feels superior to the other games in the series that have come before it. Eiji Aonuma, producer of the series, also appeared in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom trailer, taking us through the story and gameplay that they’ve designed this time. “In short, we’ve created a game where each player’s experience will be different.” 

Legend of Zelda September release

The New Zelda Game Announcement Is Not the Only Nintendo Direct Update

Along with the Zelda Echoes of Wisdom trailer, the company also announced that an exclusive golden Nintendo Switch Lite version inspired by the series will be available when the game launches, giving players an excuse to splurge just a little more in September. Other non-Zelda announcements have also taken up some of our attention, for example, a new Mario and Luigi: Brothership game will arrive in November and Super Mario Party Jamboree will launch on October 17. Romancing Saga 2: Revenge of the Seven, another full remake, will launch on the Switch in October as well. 

In a win for anime fans, Fairy Tale 2 will see Nastu, Happy, Erza, and the rest of Fairy Tale team up to fight their enemies on the Switch “this winter.” The manga’s creator Hiro Mashima has also been involved with the designs for a farming battle game, Farmiga, which should arrive on November 1. Early next year, Metroid Prime 4 will arrive on the Switch and Donkey Kong Country Returns HD will debut in January. There’s something for everyone, bringing a healthy mix of old and new.

Zelda protagonist new games

Image: How do you feel about The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom trailer?

Final Thoughts on the Zelda Echoes of Wisdom Trailer

The franchise’s timelines can get a little confusing with its various child, adult, and fallen hero storylines, so we still have more to learn beyond what we saw from The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom trailer. With everything we do know, not everyone is as happy with the direction the game has taken. Some fans have expressed their disappointment at the fact that Zelda doesn’t get actual weapons to fight off her enemies like Link, but we see the vision of Zelda using her brains rather than her brawn. 

For us, Zelda’s new game in 2024 holds the most excitement, but the rest of the announcements have us full of energy too. The fan art of Zelda flinging tables around has flooded Twitter/X since the trailer launch and added to our enjoyment of the announcement, but that’s not the only factor we’ve loved. The new storyline and the art style of the Zelda game resemble what we saw in 2019 with The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, and it is wonderfully pleasant to see—Nintendo seems to be on the right track with bringing this game to life. It’s amazing what a 5-minute trailer can do for one’s spirits. 

tagged in Legend of Zelda September release, Zelda Echoes of Wisdom trailer, Zelda new game 2024, Zelda new game announcement, Zelda protagonist new game
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