Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom's Map Is Eight Times The Size Of Link's Awakening's
See that mountain..?!
by Ollie Reynolds · Nintendo LifeNintendo's marketing campaign for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is in full swing ahead of the game's launch this week on 26th September 2024.
One big question mark in the minds of fans ahead of release is just how big the game world will actually be. Well, thanks to a new segment of Nintendo's 'Ask the Developer' feature, we now know that Echoes of Wisdom's version of Hyrule is roughly eight times the size of Link's Awakening's Koholint Island location.
Grezzo director Satoshi Terada revealed this revelation, but long-time producer Eiji Aonuma was quick to mention that players shouldn't feel overwhelmed by the drastic increase in size:
Terada: "We've been involved since The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake, so everyone has great respect for the series. Many of the staff love it and have played the games many times over. So even now, when making a new top-down game in the series, we're always thinking about how we can bring that "Legend of Zelda-like" feeling to the game. However, we packed in so many things we wanted to do to create this "Legend of Zelda-like" feeling, and the map ended up eight times the size of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening."
Aonuma: "At first it was four times the size, but then, before we knew it... (Laughs) However, although the map has become much larger, the feeling of a top-down The Legend of Zelda game, where you can easily enjoy gameplay in a compact world, is still there, so it isn’t intimidating to explore. So you'll be able to play with a slightly different feeling compared to the vast worlds of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom."
All in all, it sounds like fans will at least have an interesting new world to explore. As noted in our review, however, Echoes of Wisdom has proven itself to be a stellar game in its own right, and we called it "one of the best top-down adventures in the series".
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Review The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom (Switch) - A Bold Blend Of Old & New That Ranks With The Series' Best
Linking to the past
Are you excited to tackle a brand new world with Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom? Share your opinion on the latest title with a comment in the usual place.
[source nintendo.com]
Related Games
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Switch)
See Also
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Review
• 50 Best Nintendo Switch Games To Play Right Now (2024)
About Ollie Reynolds
Nintendo Life’s resident horror fanatic, when he’s not knee-deep in Resident Evil and Silent Hill lore, Ollie likes to dive into a good horror book while nursing a lovely cup of tea. He also enjoys long walks and listens to everything from TOOL to Chuck Berry.
Comments 24
- 1
- ClickBrick
- 4:49pm
Cool, I bet I can get to the top of that mountain with enough tables.
- 2
- Ryu_Niiyama
- 4:53pm
Ugh, the wait until payday is gonna hurt. Why do I have to be an adult and pay bills? Since I have to finish TOTK I pretty much expect Zelda to tide me over for the rest of the year. I'll crack open Assassins Creed Shadows to install it but probably won't have much time to play. Good problem to have!
Edit: Just found out about the delay for AC:Shadows...
Dang. That's a lot bigger than I expected
- 4
- Divide_and_Wander
- 4:57pm
I'm not too surprised... they are basically comparing the size of a Gameboy game to a current generation game. 😋
- 5
- JohnnyMind
- 5:01pm
Oh wow, expected it to be bigger than Link's Awakening considering the original is a GB(C) game, but not that big, can't wait to start exploring it as soon as my physical copy arrives - now excuse me, but I'm going to read the rest of this fourth and final part of the interview!
- 6
- datamonkey
- 5:01pm
@Ryu_Niiyama yes is a good problem to have if not a little frustrating. If it makes you feel any better I’m in the same boat!
@Ryu_Niiyama ...So assassins creed shadows has been pushed back to february.
There is going to be a time when Nintendo makes a 2D Zelda with a bigger map than TotK.
Nice! How large would that be in comparison to Link to the Past, since it's based on that map?
How can the game size in Gb only be lile 1,3 times bigger, aparts from Nintendo beeing compression wizards?
- 11
- Ryu_Niiyama
- 5:27pm
@link12684 WAIT WHAT?
Still says Nov/15/2024 on their website...you sure?
Edit: nevermind found the confirmation. sigh.
It’s not about making things bigger… it’s about making them better.
There’s just so much you can grow a map without making it feel empty, unfocused or that it feels like a chore … (ahem TOTK)
- 13
- Ryu_Niiyama
- 5:34pm
@datamonkey All aboard the good ship SS Adult Gaming!
(sorry, I'm in a bunch of scoping meetings today and I feel silly/burned out)
@Pat84 The map doesn't take up much storage. 1 tree takes the same storage as 1000 (identical) trees.
- 15
- TheBoilerman
- 5:42pm
I like big maps and I cannot lie...
@Ryu_Niiyama yeah they just announced an hour ago that it's getting delayed to 2025
YEAH! I was hopping there would be a big world to explore!
- 18
- Ryu_Niiyama
- 5:57pm
@Sylamp SIGH. Dangit...I was really, really looking forward to that game...well I guess I will replay Odyssey. I still have some DLC to finish there anyway.
aha, that's all fine, LA was so linear. With 8 times a bigger map, I'm sure there will be much more freedom in this game.
But .. one thing I didn't know is how you can reveal a revelation, am I the only one not getting that XD
- 20
- batmanbud2
- 6:07pm
I mean, the Oracle games (also GBC) were at least twice the size of Awakening. It only makes sense, especially since it's on a VASTLY more powerful system.
Whenever I see a game boasting about how large the map is, I always get worried. I don't want a big map I want a dense map.
I am hopeful that the new Zelda game will be good. But after TotK, I am not excited for this new direction Zelda is heading.
@Ryu_Niiyama I’m forcing myself to wait until after my card’s closing date before purchasing the game, and not having it on preorder like right now is weird 😩
Since most of you have probably played the Link's Awakening remaster/remake, do you all remember how long it took you? I played it maybe 2 or 3 years ago and I think it was 8-10 hours, but it may have been only 5 or 6 (not counting all the deaths in that little room where I kept dying b/c you can only hit the guard in the back or something 😝). Either way, if Awakening took me 6-10 hours, and the NL review for Echoes says 15-20 hours, but the map is 8x bigger, well I'm not sure how I get through a world that's 8x bigger in only 2-3 times the amount of time.
Anybody read the numerous other reviews saying how long Awakening is, b/c I'm thinking w/ this map size it has to be closer to 25-30 hours rather than only 15-20. 🤷♂️
- 24
- Hirsbrunner
- 41m ago
I have been avoiding any and everything about this game, but this is the kind of news I get excited about. I also allowed myself one launch trailer today, but that's it. No more til tomorrow!
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