The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Age-Rating Says You Can Play as Link as Well as Zelda, Sparking Fan Theories [IGN]

The reveal of upcoming Nintendo Switch exclusive The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom caught the eye because it features Zelda as the protagonist — a first for the series. But according to an age-rating for the game Link is playable, too.

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) published its listing for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, and it mentions that players can control Link to defeat enemies using his famous sword and arrow attacks. Zelda is also mentioned in the description as using a magic wand to summon creatures for battle, as revealed in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s debut trailer, below.

Here’s the The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom rating summary, still live at the time of this article’s publication, in full:

This is an adventure game in which players assume the role of Zelda as she attempts to dispel rifts throughout Hyrule and rescue Link. From a ¾-overhead perspective, players explore various environments while fighting stylized enemies (e.g., humans, creatures). As Link, players use a sword and arrows to defeat enemies; Zelda can use a magic wand to summon creatures (e.g., wind-up knights, pig soldiers, slime) for battle. Some enemies can be defeated by being set on fire; other creatures dissolve into mist when defeated. Battle sequences are somewhat frenetic, with several enemies attacking/fighting at once.

So, how might Link be playable in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom? Fans already have plenty of theories, the most common of which is that the game starts with a prologue in which a fully kitted out Link is playable before he is spirited away and replaced with a playable Zelda for the remainder of the game.

Indeed, the The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom debut trailer teases such a setup, with an opening fight between Link and franchise villain Ganon that perhaps is actual gameplay rather than a cutscene as most had assumed it to be. The question now is whether Link will also be playable in any other section of the game, or whether it’s Zelda only from then on out.

Upon its reveal, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom sparked all sorts of fan theories, including where and when it takes place in the Zelda timeline. Some have suggested that the Hyrule we see in the trailer lines up with the map from A Link to the Past and A Link Between Worlds, although many dispute this.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom launches on Nintendo Switch on September 26, 2024.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.