Following many years of acting as the inspirational figure behind the adored series The Legend of Zelda, the princess who lends her name to the franchise is at long last receiving her standalone game. The Epic Tale of Zelda: Whispers of Knowledge, set to launch on September 26 for Nintendo Switch, offers Zelda her unique hero’s journey after Link mysteriously disappears. Unfortunately, she does not acquire her personal blade in this quest.
Fans have been fervently urging for Hyrule’s cherished princess to step into the spotlight in a Zelda installment for quite some time, or at the very least be a playable character in titles like Tears of the Kingdom. The excitement surrounding Zelda’s breakthrough was immediately apparent on X after Nintendo unveiled the game on Tuesday during one of its Direct showcases. (Sample post: “There are no limitations for the person I will evolve into once I can embody PRINCESS ZELDA.”)
In Whispers of Knowledge, she is assigned the duty of rescuing Hyrule’s inhabitants, including Link, who have been engulfed by enigmatic fissures. To bring them back, Zelda partners with a fairy named Tri. Equipped with the Tri Rod, Zelda can replicate environmental elements and foes known as echoes to resolve puzzles and combat adversaries.
For instance, in the game’s trailer, Zelda learns the art of replicating a table. This enables her to summon echoes of the table at various locations, granting the player the ability to fashion staircases and bridges using tables. Much like Tears of the Kingdom‘s Ultrahand and Fuse abilities, the potential applications for echoes appear quite diverse; the trailer demonstrates her acquiring the skills to generate boxes, beds, rocks, and water blocks to navigate and surpass potential obstacles. Echoes of foes transform into allies who fight alongside her.
Whispers of Knowledge boasts a visual design akin to the 2019 remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening but appears to align more closely with the innovative essence of the series’ most recent release, Tears of the Kingdom. During the presentation, veteran producer Eiji Aonuma expressed the team’s desire to “craft a fresh gameplay style that deviates from past norms” present in other top-down games. As for the quantity of echoes available, Aonuma mentioned that he has yet to tally them all.
Nintendo is also debuting a special gold “Hyrule Edition” Nintendo Switch Lite alongside the game.
