A major Nintendo release typically means a new limited-edition Nintendo Switch, and the impending launch of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is no exception. Nintendo is launching a special Hyrule Edition Nintendo Switch Lite to commemorate the latest entry in its vaunted adventure series, and you’ve still got a few weeks to lock in a preorder ahead of its Sept. 26 release date.
This special-edition Switch Lite sports a gorgeous gold design and includes a year of Nintendo's most fully featured online service.
Princess Zelda finally takes the lead in this fresh spin on the iconic series, with a new gameplay system that emphasizes creative puzzle solving over standard swordfighting.
This sleek Switch variant sports a simple gold paint job that contrasts beautifully with its black buttons, while its small Triforce logo up front and pleasing Hyrule insignia on the back give the system just enough Zelda flair without being too distracting. Of all the limited-edition Switches released lately, this is the one I’ve been most tempted to buy.
For the uninitiated, the Nintendo Switch Lite is the smallest and cheapest Switch, as it’s designed exclusively for handheld play. You can’t put it on a dock to play games on your TV like you can with a regular Switch or Switch OLED, but it still plays virtually all the same games — and is the nicest-looking console in the lineup, in my opinion.
This limited Hyrule Edition doesn’t include a copy of Echoes of Wisdom, but it will get you 12 months of a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership, perfect for playing games online with friends or diving into the many Zelda classics available through the service’s library of NES, SNES, N64 and Game Boy titles. A yearlong Expansion Pack membership typically costs $50, so the fact that this bundle costs just $10 more than a standard Switch Lite is a pretty solid deal.
Special-edition Switch consoles typically sell out very fast, though the Hyrule Edition still seems readily available after a few weeks of preorders being open. Still, we suggest acting sooner than later in these situations if you want to ensure you get one.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom impressions
So what about the actual game launching alongside this system on Sept. 26? If my hour or so of early hands-on time is any indication, this unassuming Zelda adventure could be one of the big sleeper hits of 2024.
To give some context, I’m not a huge Zelda head. I’ve completed and loved a handful of games in the series (particularly the excellent A Link Between Worlds on the 3DS) and had some fun with Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, but my limited attention span is a tough match for a series that continues to get more and more expansive. As such, Echoes of Wisdom was on my radar, but not exactly a game I was clamoring for. That changed after I played it.
The latest Zelda game finally lets you play as the franchise’s titular character — Princess Zelda herself — while putting a neat spin on the classic top-down Legend of Zelda gameplay that’s been around since the very first installment. Zelda doesn’t exactly hack and slash her way through things the way that Link does, instead relying on her crafty Tri Rod to create Echoes (or clones) of objects and enemies that can assist her in traversal, puzzle solving and combat.
Once you learn an echo of something, you can create a mimic of it at will to help you out of your current situation. I created tables and boxes to sneakily get around enemy guards, cloned a spider-like creature so I can use its webs to reach new heights and used a clone of a spiky enemy as a battering ram. It all felt very creative and open-ended in a way that reminded me of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, just within the confines of an old-school, top-down Zelda experience in the vein of A Link to the Past. The Nintendo reps on site were regularly surprised and amused by the ways in which I used all manner of boxes, beds, trees and enemy clones to reach new terrain or defeat bad guys, as they noted they took a very different path themselves.
And yet despite this new formula — and the fact that our hero mostly can’t thwack around with a sword and shield like we’re used to doing — the whole experience still felt like a signature Legend of Zelda game. Solving puzzles still delivers that satisfying “a-ha” feeling, as does exploring and backtracking your way through dungeons or figuring out and exploiting an enemy boss’ weak point. Oh, and there actually is a bit of hacking and slashing in this game after all.
A feature that Nintendo’s kept secret until very recently, Echoes of Wisdom allows Zelda to enter a limited “Swordfighter” form that essentially turns her into Link for short bursts of time. The big catch is that you need to pick up energy for Swordfighter mode throughout the world, so deciding when to transform — and for how long — adds another layer of strategy to consider as you cycle between your various Echoes. Swordfighter form feels like a good way to give classic Zelda fans a taste of the gameplay they’re used to, while putting a unique spin on it that forces you to be intentional about when to start wailing away.
The takeaway
It might be easy to overlook the cutesy, nostalgic Echoes of Wisdom when we just got a gargantuan flagship Zelda adventure in Tears of the Kingdom last year, but this a game that should be on every Switch owner’s radar — regardless of whether you’re Zelda diehard or not. Its combo of classic 2D Zelda exploration with a brand new gameplay style that encourages creativity seems like it’ll be a real winner, and we’re eager to see if it earns its place amongst the best Switch games when it lands on Sept. 26.
