Daily Debate: Does Zelda’s Lack of Swordplay in Echoes of Wisdom Feel Stereotypically Dated?

Posted on July 10 2024 by Julia Wilson

When the trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom showed off a playable Zelda, I immediately thought, “This looks great, and it offers a new twist for the Zelda franchise.” But then I saw that Zelda wouldn’t be using a sword (as far as what we can see from the trailer, at least). Instead, Zelda has the Tri Rod as her primary tool, which recreates objects and monsters based on previous encounters.

The feminist in me instantly thought this decision was a little insulting. Although I hadn’t exactly envisaged a playable Zelda to be an equivalent to Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft, I was hoping for a more active heroine when the princess finally stepped into the main character role. Perhaps something like Zelda in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, with Rune powers?

While I’m sure Nintendo wants to differentiate Zelda from Link and make her gameplay distinct from Link’s heroics with a sword, that doesn’t mean Zelda has to be passive. This would not have been the first time Zelda was armed either. For example, Zelda wields swords, bows, and other weapons in games like Twilight Princess and Hyrule Warriors.

Although, having a week to consider my positions, having rewatched the trailer many times, I now find myself drawn to this comment by Series Producer Eiji Aonuma who stated:

You might be thinking: “Will Zelda fight with a sword then? Here we wanted to create a new gameplay style that breaks conventions seen in past Zelda games with a top-down perspective.”

Perhaps I need to rethink this? If Zelda can save Hyrule and rescue Link by recreating and throwing tables or Moblins, then that is certainly empowering too. Showing that problems can be solved in different ways, without reliance on the Master Sword and powerful weapons, is another valuable representation of female strength.

Part of me still hopes that Zelda isn’t just reliant on creating Echoes to defend herself in the final game, for spectacle’s sake if nothing else. The trailer does show four directional buttons in the HUD, with the Tri Rod mapped to only one of them; maybe there will be space for the Bow of Light after all!

But what do you think? Is the representation of Zelda in Echoes of Wisdom, from what we’ve seen so far, outdated? Should Zelda be able to defend herself with a weapon? Or are you pleased to take on a different approach? Let us know in the comments below, and let’s please keep the comments respectful, civil, and positive.