Polygon.com / 12.10.24

The best thing about Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom? The music

Theres been a slight sense of anticlimax after the release of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. Its a very good game, of course, but perhaps a few steps shy of the greatness we expect of the series. Its new, indirect gameplay style, with Zelda conjuring echoes of objects and monsters to solve puzzles and win battles, asks quite a lot of both players and the games designers, and theres a feeling that it isnt fully realized. Even Princess Zeldas first starring role in the series that has borne her name for 38 years comes with a troubling asterisk or two. But theres one aspect of Echoes of Wisdom that fully lives up to the sky-high expectations fans have of the Zelda series perhaps exceeds them. Its the music. In terms of musicianship, production, and the unexpected genius of the concept, this might be the best, most exciting, and most apt Nintendo soundtrack since maybe Mario Kart 8? That might sound like an odd comparison, but hear me out. Everybody knows that Mario Kart 8s soundtr...
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