Grezzo’sThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomis certainly one of the boldest steps forward for the franchise, finally putting players in the shoes of Princess Zelda by making her the lead protagonist and building on the creative foundations established by its predecessor,Tears of the Kingdom. However, despite the strides it takes toward innovation for the series, it also circles back to the past in one major way. Specifically,Echoes of Wisdom’s version of Hyrule bears a striking resemblance to the overworld fromA Link to the Past, almost to the point of being identical in some ways. With that, the franchise might be setup for another remake, with Grezzo at the helm.
If Grezzo has proven anything, it’s that it has a knack forZeldaremakes and remasters. WhileEchoes of Wisdomisn’t a remake, it still feels like the bridge toward what could be one of the most requested remakes alongsideOcarina of Time:A Link to the Past. If nothing else, Grezzo’s success with its fairly recentremake ofLink’s Awakeningis a telling sign of what the developer is capable of, and withEchoes of Wisdomchanneling the spirit ofA Link to the Pastin its version of Hyrule, the work feels almost halfway done already.
After Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, It’s Time for Grezzo to Revisit A Link to the Past
The Overlap Between Echoes of Wisdom and A Link to the Past Offers a Compelling Route Forward
To this day,A Link to the Pasthas been widely recognized as one of the most beloved and influentialZeldatitles ever made. Released in 1991 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was a major leap forward for the series, introducing elements to the series that are still used today, like multi-layered dungeons, items that unlock overworld secrets, and the dual-world mechanic that evenEchoes of Wisdom’s Still Worldis the fruit of. This is actually at least partly whyEchoes of WisdomresemblesA Link to the Pastso much, as Grezzo intentionally designed it to have that classicZeldafeel, andA Link to the Pastis one of the best examples of that.
WhileEchoes of Wisdomisn’t a remake, it still feels like the bridge toward what could be one of the most requested remakes alongsideOcarina of Time:A Link to the Past.
That’s not all, though, as the layout ofEchoes of Wisdom’s mapbears a strong resemblance toA Link to the Past’s Hyrule, so much so that it wouldn’t be at all surprising if Grezzo eventually announced it was developing a remake of the 1991Zeldaadventure. WithEchoes of Wisdomserving as a soft reintroduction of sorts to that design philosophy, a remake ofA Link to the Pastwould thus feel more like natural progress than a reset.
Grezzo Has Proven It Can Modernize Zelda Without Losing Its Soul
Perhaps even more than what it has accomplished withEchoes of Wisdom’s Hyrule, however, Grezzo has proven its ability to modernizeZeldawithout losing its soul. Not only is theLink’s Awakeningremake proof of this, but the fact thatEchoes of Wisdomfeels like a brand-newZeldaexperience and yet is still rooted in a legacy that is now over three decades old is evidence of Grezzo’s skill for remakes. Plus, given the developer’s history of regularly intervening in the franchise with various remakes and remasters, throwing aLink to the Pastremake in the mix wouldn’t feel random or out of place at all.
In addition to theLink’s Awakeningremake, Grezzo was responsible forZeldaremasters likeOcarina of Time 3D,Majora’s Mask 3D, andZelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition.
WithEchoes of Wisdomrenewing interest in classicZeldadesign, there may never be a better time to revisit the world that first defined it. Grezzo already has a proven track record of remaining faithful to the series' roots while simultaneously modernizing them, andA Link to the Pastis one of the few remaining titles that could benefit from that approach. All that’s needed now is the green light.
