Daily Debate: How Does Echoes of Wisdom’s Still World Compare to Other Spooky Areas in Zelda?
Posted on October 31 2024 by Chakell Herbert
Spoiler Warning: This article contains minor spoiler information from The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. If you want to avoid spoilers, please bookmark this page and visit again later.
It’s not rare for the Zelda series to include horror elements in certain areas of each entry’s over world. There is Kakariko Village in Ocarina of Time that houses the sinister Bottom of the Well and Shadow Temple. The Ancient Cistern and Silent Realms in Skyward Sword. Ikana Canyon in Majora’s Mask (and pretty much the entirety of this game, let’s be real). The Temple of the Ocean King in Phantom Hourglass. And let’s not forget the scary as heck Earth Temple in The Wind Waker that completely comes out of left field in such a colorful adventure.
In some cases, though, the horror elements fuel a much larger area of whole adventure, like in the case of the unnerving Twilight Realm in Twilight Princess, the Depths in Tears of the Kingdom, or the Dark World and Lorule in A Link to the Past and A Link Between Worlds. This is also the case in the newest adventure, Echoes of Wisdom!
Although this game has a cutesy art style, Princess Zelda has to traverse the Still World in this version of Hyrule, and it’s as dangerous and creepy as parallel worlds in Zelda come. The Still World, which is entered through the rifts opening up in Hyrule, distorts the landscape and petrifies any living creature in place, and, according to Tri, will cause them to disappear forever if they are not rescued in time. The area also has the ability to produce monsters and sinister Echoes of anyone it swallows. To add to the overall unnerving tone, anyone who manages to escape the Still World often comes back changed; losing something upon their return. For example, there is a depressed, silent Gerudo in Gerudo Town who was a victim of the Still World, and when Zelda tries to speak to her, a guard nearby explains that she hasn’t been the same since her return. Many villagers also talk about children who were once stolen away by the Rifts and how they have all returned damaged in different ways. Even Link himself also lost his ability to speak after being trapped in the Still World — freaky.
As far as the Still World compares to other spooky places throughout this series, I feel like it’s an excellent entry that raises the stakes and adds tension to the overall tone of Princess Zelda’s first solo adventure. If Echoes of Wisdom had been a more realistic art style, I feel like the place would have been even more frightening. I for one am a huge fan of the more creepy parts of Zelda — there’s just something about those areas that really test my courage and make me feel brave!
How do you think the Still World compares to other spooky areas in the series? Are you enjoying Echoes of Wisdom? Let me know in the comments!
Chakell (pronounced shuh-kell) is an associate editor for Zelda Dungeon! She has loved The Legend of Zelda series since she was a little girl because of its equal mix of princesses, besting bad guys, and heartfelt stories. Chakell lives in the overall tame state of Utah, but holds onto her childhood hopes to find an adventure in her backyard one day. She has a degree in English and is a full-time editor for a magazine. You can usually find her gaming (obviously), laughing with her husband, taking a long time to tell stories because she keeps getting distracted; getting sucked into books and podcasts; or snuggling her cute Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
