After the release of there was a slight feeling of disappointment The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. It’s a very good game, of course, but perhaps a few steps away from the greatness we’ve come to expect from the series. Its new, indirect style of play, in which Zelda conjures echoes of objects and monsters to solve puzzles and win battles, represents a major challenge for both players and the game’s developers, and it feels like it’s still there is not fully implemented. Even Princess Zelda’s first leading role in the series that has borne her name for 38 years has the odd disturbing asterisk.
But there is one aspect Echoes of wisdom that fully lives up to the fans’ sky-high expectations of the Zelda series – perhaps even exceeds them. It’s the music. In terms of musicality, production and the unexpected genius of the concept, this might be the best, most exciting and fitting Nintendo soundtrack since… maybe Mario Kart 8
This may sound like a strange comparison, but hear me out. Everyone knows that Mario Kart 8is the soundtrack Kick ass. Why is it a real eye-catcher? Partly because it puts classic video game music in a new context. It takes the frenetic, funky themes of 16-bit era chiptunes and arranges them for a Live jazz funk band Complete with ripping lead guitar, frantic slap bass and a full horn section. It’s a big, exciting sound that reinforces and refreshes something nostalgic – but also humanizes it and makes it more analogue, creating an even deeper connection with the listener. It tears.
Echoes of wisdomThe soundtrack begins (but doesn’t end) with a similarly simple, similarly ingenious instrumentation idea: What if Zelda music, but woodwinds? At the beginning of the game, the dominant melodies and tones are presented by clarinets, oboes, recorders and penny whistles and are heard over a modest string section. It is an unexpected and delightful sound: warm, innocent without being too childlike, intimate but with a touch of mystery and even melancholy.
The music for Echoes of wisdom was written by a team of composers led by a music director: Nintendo veteran Hajime Wakai. Wakai has reinvented Zelda music twice. First, he did the obvious and enhanced it cinematically with a full orchestra Sky Sword. Then as a sound director for Breath of the Wild And Tears of the Kingdomhe made a radical change in direction to a gentle, atmospheric approach guided by meandering, unresolved piano lines.
Also – just as relevant to them Echoes of wisdom Score, if not more – Wakai was the composer of the original Pikminand wrote many of the series’ signature tunes. Pikmin games feature a unique musical soundscape, with warbling synthesizers describing woozy melodies over strange, shuffling plinky-plonk rhythms. Wakai’s instinct isn’t always to make music that’s big and compelling. In Echoes of wisdomJust like in Pikmin, he strips the arrangement down so much that you can hear how each of his unusual instrumentation choices transports you to a toy world rather than a cinematic world.
Echoes of wisdomThe score is also melodically playful. Much more than Breath of the Wild
There is so much more of these beautiful melodies, fun arrangements and beautiful musicianship to enjoy Full soundtrack. The point, however, is that Wakai and his collaborators approached this score in the same way the designers approached the game – with the intention of using the familiar, nostalgic pleasures of The Legend of Zelda as a starting point for a new journey and a to use fresh reinterpretation. The musicians probably did a better job.
