Princess Zelda is Echoes of Wisdom’s main protagonist, but Link will also be a playable character, ESRB rating confirms

Princess Zelda is undoubtedly the star of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, appearing as the main protagonist for the first time in the mainline series, but it turns out that she won’t be totally alone. The game’s new ESRB rating has confirmed that our sword-wielding buddy Link will be playable, too.

In the summary of Echoes of Wisdom’s ESRB rating, it’s noted that “players assume the role of Zelda as she attempts to dispel rifts throughout Hyrule and rescue Link.” However, it also adds that “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.”

So, Link is definitely making a playable appearance, then, but from the ESRB rating alone, we can’t be sure how long he’ll actually be on the screen – his role may still be relatively minor. After all, in the announcement trailer for the game, we did see him swinging his sword and defeating a handful of enemies to rescue Zelda before falling into a mysterious rift. These could be cinematics, but for a large part, they don’t look like it, so the ESRB rating may well be referring to this section. Again, that’s impossible to know for sure at this point, there could be other moments for him to shine, too, but given that Zelda is on a journey to rescue Link in this game, it’s clear she’s meant to be the star of the show.

Of course, this isn’t the first time Zelda has ever been playable after her appearances in the Hyrule Warriors and Super Smash Bros. games, as well as The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks and the questionable CD-i games, like Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon. Even so, her role in Echoes of Wisdom is incredibly significant – here’s hoping we see her get more of her own games in the future, too. 

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom was one of the major highlights of June 2024’s Nintendo Direct, and there’s really not too long to wait for it, as it’s set to release on Nintendo Switch on September 26. 

For more to play in the meantime, be sure to check out our roundup of the best Nintendo Switch games.