presented a new vision an upcoming Switch game that turns the titular princess into a playable protagonist for the first time. Like many people, I was looking forward to it, but one major question remained unanswered until this review: Where is Zelda’s sword? Previous gameplay videos have focused on his ability to copy “sounds” – i.e. objects and enemies – to use in battle.
Don’t worry, fans of the charming murder: Zelda will have a sword after all. The latest video revealed his swordsman form, meaning yes, he can fight his enemies head-to-head. There is a bit of a catch though. The sword warrior form is on a meter, so you can only use it for one time at a time. This makes it only one of several weapons at Zelda’s disposal, meaning you have to be strategic in combat.
Zelda can use the sword she found in the trailer to parry the classic spin attack. You will fill the gauge simply by finding a resource called energy. For what it’s worth, it looks like the counter can be fixed, so you’ll stay in swordsman form longer in the game. Still, I have to wonder if you’ll eventually get a Master Sword that you can use as much as you want.
The video gives more details about the game and the battle. Zelda will be able to enter dimensional rifts as Link and the King of Hyrule try to find them. On the other side is something called the “Still World,” where people, objects, and absorbed parts of the landscape float in the void. It is not yet clear why this loophole does not affect Zelda. It will be necessary create floating platforms and echoes to help you do this.
The Still World also has dungeons for Zelda to fight. These of course include boss fights where you can use your sword. Alternatively, as shown in the video, you can echo the bed and just fall asleep (that would be my approach tbh).
Submachine guns are another type of weapon you will have at your disposal. These are mechs that can “release powerful effects”, so they should complement your sword and echoes. The automatons were created for you by an engineer named Dampé. They’re one of the few friendly NPCs you’ll encounter, along with a cat and a Great Fairy, a Zelda staple.
The latest gameplay video should help build anticipation The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom even more. Thankfully, it’s less than a month away. It will land on Switch on September 26th.
