Legend of Zelda superfan posts side-by-side comparison of A Link to the Past and Echoes of Wisdom, showing how similar the two Nintendo games are
Oct. 9, 2024The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Games
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A geniusLegend of Zeldafan has compiled various clips fromA Link to the PastandEchoes of Wisdomto show off the similarities between the twoNintendogames - and boy, are there a good few.
In aYouTubevideo showcasing the clips side-by-side, Rebecca Stone highlights portions of both games' maps to portray just how similar regions in Echoes of Wisdom are to the 1991 classic. Despite some changes to the terrain, the newer game’s Hyrule is evidently the very same one fans grew to love decades ago. It seems there’s just one major difference - Kakariko Village is no longer where it used to be.
As longtime Zelda players point out in the comments, “there are what appears to be ruins” in the spot that housed Kakariko Village in A Link to the Past. There are lots of other cool details of note, too - for instance, as one fan explains, “the Gorons, Sea Zora, Deku Scrubs, and Gerudo all live outside the A Link to the Past portion of the map, which retroactively would explain why they weren’t present in A Link to the Past.”
It’s true - clouds also surrounded the outskirts of the older game’s map, with land nonetheless visible beyond them. This likely left room for Echoes of Wisdom’s own more expanded map. Another interesting reference to the recent game’s predecessor brought up by a commenter reveals that “digging in the place where you find the Ocarina in A Link to the Past gets you a Might Crystal in Echoes of Wisdom.”
Stone’s full video is worth a watch - as a dedicated fan of all things Zelda myself, I genuinely found the comparisons eye-opening. They spark a sense of nostalgia and a whole lot of “oh!” moments. I’m just personally sad that some sort of reference to Link’s house didn’t make it into Echoes of Wisdom myself, but I love the community’s reasoning - it “was unfortunately demolished because they forgot to dedicate it as a world heritage site.”
Craving more of Nintendo’s iconic series? Here are thebest Zelda gamesof all time.
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After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she’s not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she’s probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she’s spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur’s Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you’ll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.
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