Echoes of Wisdom’s Hyrule Succeeds Where BotW, TotK Struggled

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home November 10, 2024 36 Views 7 Min Read
Echoes of Wisdom's Hyrule Succeeds Where BotW, TotK Struggled



Key Takeaways

  • Echoes of Wisdom’s Hyrule is more densely populated with towns than its predecessors, adding life and energy.
  • BotW and TotK’s open world feels empty due to vast spaces without many populated towns or villages to fill those spaces.
  • Echoes of Wisdom introduces a new Hyrule with a bustling Castle Town and other populated areas, creating a more vibrant experience.



The Legend of Zelda has featured many different iterations of Hyrule over the last almost four decades, ranging from smaller to larger and denser to emptier. Most recently, however, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom has introduced a brand-new version of the iconic world, complete with plenty of sights to see, eccentric characters to meet, and classic Legend of Zelda side quests to complete.

Since The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is a standalone adventure, its iteration of Hyrule is much different than the series’ last two installments, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. While Echoes of Wisdom doesn’t feature a massive open world like its predecessors and therefore applies a different approach, it might have been for the better, as its smaller scale has allowed it to succeed in an area where the last two Zelda games fell short.


Impa Beedle and Echoes of Wisdom Zelda swordfighter form

Related
Princess Zelda Might Not Be the Only Winner Through Her Echoes of Wisdom Protagonist Role

Now that Zelda has been featured in a protagonist role in Echoes of Wisdom, the series should consider promoting other characters to the role as well.

Echoes of Wisdom’s Hyrule Feels More Densely Populated Than Its Predecessors’

BotW and TotK’s Hyrule Feels Empty and Barren

The open world crafted for Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom has been praised for its fresh approach to the tired open-world formula, as it rewards exploration by piquing the curiosity of players rather than handing them every objective and collectible on a silver platter. Unfortunately, regardless of how well it has been received, the series’ departure from its linear level design to an open-world model came with a few downsides, some of which are often unavoidable in open-world games.


It’s not uncommon for open-world games to have empty and lifeless worlds, as there is generally far too much space to fill with content, and if those worlds are packed with enough content to justify the space, it tends to feel repetitive and chore-like after a while. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom‘s Hyrule doesn’t succumb to the latter, but it does feel empty due to all the extra space between locations. There are obviously plenty of enemies scattered throughout Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom‘s Hyrule, but a sense of civilization isn’t felt very often thanks to a lack of populated towns and villages, which is especially noticeable after the debut of Echoes of Wisdom‘s densely populated Hyrule.

Zelda: Breath of the Wild
and
Tears of the Kingdom
‘s open-world model also puts each game’s story on the back burner, making it feel even more lifeless at times.


Echoes of Wisdom’s Hyrule Features Plenty of Populated Towns

One thing Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom does much better than Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom is that its Hyrule is filled with plenty of populated towns where players can experience worthwhile NPC encounters, obtain fun side quests, and not feel so alone in the world. Echoes of Wisdom‘s Castle Town, for one, is among the most bustling places in all of Hyrule, namely once players defeat Ganon a second time and expunge the rifts that cover the town. In fact, Echoes of Wisdom marks the first time a Zelda game has had a proper Castle Town since Zelda: Spirit Tracks in 2009.

Castle Town isn’t the only notable populated area in Echoes of Wisdom‘s Hyrule, however, as there are plenty of others scattered throughout the overworld as well, including the following:

  • Gerudo Town
  • Kakariko Village
  • Goron Town
  • Suthorn Village
  • Seesyde Village
  • River Zora Village
  • Sea Zora Village


To be fair, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom both have plenty of populated towns as well, like Kakariko Village, Tarrey Town, Lurelin Village, and Hateno Village. However, the size of each game’s open world makes it feel proportionally less populated than Echoes of Wisdom‘s Hyrule. Echoes of Wisdom‘s Hyrule being much smaller than its predecessors ultimately lends to its denser feel, thereby adding to its life and energy and potentially helping players not to feel so alone on their journey. Hopefully, the series sees more versions of Hyrule like Echoes of Wisdom‘s in the future.

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