Key things
- Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom features Princess Zelda as the protagonist for the first time in a mainline sequel, setting it apart from other Zelda games.
- The game redeems the River Zoras by portraying them as friendly, a significant departure from their usual antagonistic role.
- The portrayal of River Zoras in Echoes of Wisdom should set a precedent for future Zelda games to explore friendlier interactions with the species.
Regardless of how many similarities it has with the rest of the series, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is one of the most prominent Zelda titles ever made, as it takes elements of the franchise's past and future and combines them into a hybrid game that is more than worth checking out for newcomers and veterans alike to the series. With the titular princess Zelda as the protagonist for the first time in the main series Zelda game, Echoes of wisdom stands out among other installments. While this may be the biggest change, it is far from the only one.
One of the most unique elements Zelda: Echoes of WisdomHyrule is how it incorporates the Zoras River into its story. No one but longtime fans The Legend of Zelda maybe they'll realize how much of a problem it is to have the Zoras River portrayed as they are Zelda: Echoes of Wisdombecause it's nowhere near anything the series has accomplished in its nearly 40-year lifespan. But all this requires Zelda: Echoes of WisdomThe depiction of the River Zoras has since become a canonical event for the franchise, with each subsequent installment taking note and following suit.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom finally redeems the River Zoras
River Zoras have always been antagonists in The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of ZeldaRiver Zoras have been around since the beginning of the series in 1987 when it was released The Legend of Zelda for NSZ. Since then, River Zoras has returned in numerous installments, despite being excluded from some of the more well-known entries in the franchise, such as Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Major's Maskand The Wind Waker. What sets them apart from the friendly Sea Zoras, who have probably become even more famous than the River Zoras since the release Ocarina of Timeis that they were pretty much antagonistic all along The Legend of Zelda series.
The River Zoras started out as one of the main enemies Link encountered The Legend of Zelda in 1987 and have continued to fulfill this role ever since – although their behavior has evolved over the decades. Zelda: A Link to the Past saw the River Zoras play their most prominent role since the first game, with the Zora King assisting Link by providing him with a pair of fins that allowed him to warp using Whirlpools. Even so, the rest of Hyrule's River Zoras remained hostile to Link.
Other friendly River Zoras have occasionally appeared in other works, such as
Link's Awakening
and
Four Swords of Adventure
but their worlds are still full of Zora river enemies.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom's Redemption of the River Zoras should set a precedent
While The Legend of Zelda has previously portrayed the River Zoras as villains, Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom he redeems the River Zoras by making them a friendly subspecies of Zoras in his world. Rather than featuring River Zoras attacking Zelda, Echoes of wisdomThe story shows the River Zoras and Sea Zoras mending a long-standing feud between them as they realize they must work together if they hope to survive the impending threat of the Still World attempting to swallow Hyrule whole. This is the first for the nearly 40-year-old series, but it probably shouldn't be the last.
From now on, it would be interesting to see the River Zoras and Sea Zoras shown in the same light as the two subspecies of Zoras in Hyrule that are friendly to the protagonist and will help them with anything they need. This could provide more opportunities to delve a little deeper into the lore of River Zora than the series has in the past, as they would fill a different role. Hopefully, Zeldathe future takes note Echoes of wisdom's approach and honor the redemption of the Zoras River as a canonical event.
