ThePokémonseries has been struggling to find its footing in recent years, but the best place to look for inspiration might actually beThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.As a classic Zelda adventure that happens to star the Princess as the protagonist,Echoes of Wisdomisn’t very much like Nintendo’s creature-collecting series, although a focus on elemental weaknesses does cast a minor resemblance. Its position within theZeldafranchise overall is a particularly interesting one, however, and angling aPokémongame in a similar direction could help the series deliver a strong experience.
It’s inevitable to some degree that many adults will end up withdeclining opinions of newPokémongames, as the charming adventures tend to hit the hardest during a player’s formative years. Even taking that bias into account, however,it’s hard to argue thatPokémonhas maintained the polish that most other Nintendo franchises are known for. The Nintendo Switch entries are ambitious in some regards, but they’ve also come with serious limitations, and the jump to 3D has been accompanied by optimization problems, bugs, and trade-offs that have divided the community.
Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom Builds On The Link’s Awakening Remake
Waste Not, Want Not
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomis a very freshZeldagame in some regards, with the protagonist change-up leading to gameplay that focuses more on cleverly using duplicated items than on whacking enemies with a sword. It’s built on the backs of the other games, however, and none more than the 2019 remake ofThe Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening.The engine and basic art style ofEchoes of Wisdomwere clearlycarried over fromLink’s Awakening, making for a great example of how to keep a franchise going in the downtime between its biggest releases.
A split release strategy with both 3D and top-down games has beenZelda’s standard approach since the turn of the century, when the Capcom-developedOraclegames filled the gap betweenThe Legend of Zelda: Majora’s MaskandThe Wind Waker.For a long time, it made sense as a way to keep things moving on the handheld front, but the Switch collapsing Nintendo’s home console and handheld markets into one system brought down that barrier.
The Zelda Game I Want Next Shouldn’t Be Made By Nintendo
Nintendo’s obviously great at making Zelda games, but I’d like to see another studio take a crack at a Zelda game on the Switch successor.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomis proof that bouncing between huge 3D titles and top-down games still makes sense on the Switch, and the scope of the game proves that top-down titles don’t have to feel like minor entries. While buying theLink’s Awakeningremake could feel hard to justify for those who already played the original,Echoes of Wisdomis able to take advantage of that work to deliver a fresh, expansive world. Considering how long the development cycles have been on recent 3D Zelda games, filling in the gaps with 2D games makes a lot of sense.
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Are The Perfect Foundation
Top-Down Remakes Are All The Rage
Pokémonmight not have a modern remake quite as glamorous asLink’s Awakeningto work with, butPokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearlcould still serve as a good foundation for the series to take a similar approach. As updated versions of the Nintendo DS titlesPokémon Diamond & Pearl,theBrilliantremakes also maintain the top-down perspective of 2D sprite-based art in a 3D-rendered world. The style could benefit from some additional tweaks, but using it as a basis for future titles would be the perfect opportunity to facilitate that evolution.
All Pokémon Types, Weaknesses, & Strengths in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
Understanding Pokémon types is a crucial part of battle. Here’s every types' strengths and weaknesses in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
Although there’s a lot that could end up being squeezed in between mainlinePokémongames, remakes ofPokémon Black & Whiteare especially likely candidates, and it would be nice to see the beloved games return.Truly fresh top-down games, however, might be even more exciting. Nintendo very easily could have remadeA Link To The Pastinstead of creatingEchoes of Wisdomor evenA Link Between Worldsfor the 3DS, but venturing into new territory instead has definitely paid off.
Pokémon Doesn’t Need To Leave Top-Down Games Behind
The Future Has Room For Variety
Pokémondoesn’t always have to have top-down games just because it started that way, but looking at the current situation, it feels like mixing in some new top-down titles would do the series a lot of good.Pokémon’s unshakable release schedule, which revolves heavily around the launch of other products like plushes and theTrading Card Game, doesn’t seem to suit the recent 3D titles especially well. Although they have plenty of redeeming qualities, it’s obvious that certain compromises are coming into play, andthe charms of 3D exploration aren’t always worth the trade-offs.
One notable example of a step backward in recentPokémongames was the removal of most building interiors fromPokémon Scarlet & Violet, which are easier to create in a top-down style.
New top-down entries in between the fully 3D titles could avoid some of these problems, naturally, but they could also give the 3D games more of a fighting chance. If the release schedule for 3D games slowed down a bit with top-down games filling in the gaps,the pressures of rushing an incomplete product out the door might be lessened, especially ifPokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearldeveloper ILCA was involved in the development.The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomwas developed in a collaborative effort by Nintendo and Grezzo, and a similar model could work forPokémon.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Review - The Zelda I Was Waiting For
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom combines the freedom of recent titles with the structure of classic games, and it’s absolutely worth playing.
Embracing this concept wouldn’t be as simple in practice as it is to describe on paper, and there might be alternative solutions for the future ofPokémonthat could work just as well. For the games to be as good as they could be, however, something needs to change, and re-examining what worked in the past might be a good starting point.The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomis a fun turn for theZeldaseries, but more than that, it’s proof that the top-down formula can still be the perfect model for completely new games,Pokémonincluded.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Strange rifts are tearing Hyrule apart, and with Link missing, it’s up to Princess Zelda to save the kingdom. Armed with the Tri Rod and aided by a mysterious fairy, she must solve puzzles, create environmental “echoes,” and battle enemies while navigating new regions and uncovering hidden secrets.
