Summary
The announcement trailer forThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomoffers a glimpse of history in the making for the Zora race. One ofThe Legend of Zelda’s many fictional races, the Zora have appeared in several games over the years, being especially prominent in the most recent titles. But whileBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomhave moved pastZora’s Domain’s tendency to freeze overin favor of suffering other disasters,EoWwill be fully exploring a much more intriguing piece of Zora lore for the first time.
Although the Zora are a peaceful race inBOTWandTOTK, this isn’t always the case in the wider series. In the originalThe Legend of Zelda, as well as several other games, the Zora are actually enemies. However, although they were later re-imagined inOcarina of Time, it is very easy to distinguish between hostile (River) and friendly (Sea) Zoras. The former look very different from the fish-inspired designs of Zora like Sidon and Mipha, with reddish head frills, large mouths, and green scales. In addition to this, they are typically depicted as being capable of spitting fireballs at Link.
The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom Release Date, Characters, & Gameplay Details
Here’s everything to know about The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, an upcoming game that gives Zelda the starring role for a change of pace.
Echoes Of Wisdom Places Both Zora Types Together In Hyrule For The First Time
In a series first, the trailer forEchoes of Wisdomhas now shown the two varieties of Zora coming face-to-face. Zelda can briefly be seen facing two pairs of Zora. To her left is a River Zora duo, one apparently regular size and the other much larger and wearing a cape. Mirroring this on her right are two Sea Zora, the larger wearing a crown (perhaps a newZora Princess to befriend).It seems reasonable to assume that the two larger Zora are both leadersfor their respective people, and that Zelda has come across a brewing confrontation between them.
Before this,River and Sea Zora have only appeared simultaneously in one previous title:The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages. Set in the land of Labrynna, Link encounters both River and Sea Zora, but the two branches of the aquatic race do not interact with each other directly. As such, this will be the first time both Zora varieties have been seen in Hyrule at the same time, and the first time that people get to see how they behave towards each other when interacting.
While Sea Zora are not native to Oracle of Season’s Holodrum, unlike River Zora, a single Sea Zora can still be met in the title if playing a Linked Game after completingOracle of Ages.
It is worth noting thatRiver Zora are not universally evil, despite typically being classified as monsters. While most generic River Zora will attack Link on sight, there are notable exceptions to this rule, which interestingly enough, includes two separate royal figures. King Zora ofA Link to the Pastprefers to sell Flippers to non-Zoras rather than fight them, while Queen Oren ofA Link Between Worldsis even a Sage, despite unfortunately struggling to maintain control over her increasingly aggressive subjects. Additionally, a friendly River Zora inLink’s Awakeningcan be met in the Animal Village.
Tears of the Kingdom’s Yona Could Be From A Classic Zelda Location
Yona may not directly name her homeland in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, but a probable location is still easily identifiable.
Princess Zelda May Be Able to Make Peace For The Zora
On the other hand,Oracle of Agesmade it clear that there is a strong level of animosity between the Sea and River Zora. For example, one Sea Zora calls their own kind“noble”while labeling the River Zora“savage.”Considering the general hostility of River Zora, it is easy to see how this opinion originated, even if Link has met plenty of River Zora who defy it. However,Echoes of Wisdomcould soon change these tense relations.
AlthoughEoW’s Zora confrontation is likely to be hostile, the fact that Princess Zelda is also present and able to intervene does raise the possibility of her helping the two kinds of Zora to reconcile. River Zora leaders have historically been relatively reasonable characters, making this a fairly realistic objective for the Princess. Moreover, even if this new River Zora leader is more aggressive than their predecessors, that doesn’t preclude Zelda from negotiating a more peaceful relationship with both the Sea Zora and Hylians, something which could easily be either a major side quest or part of the main story.
It seems thatEchoes of Wisdomwill serve as the culmination of decades worth of Zora lore, regardless ofwhere the game is placed on theZeldatimeline. Of course, the full circumstances of the glimpsed Zora meeting are unclear at present, but the presence of clear leading figures marks it as a moment of great importance in any case. It will be very interesting to see how the River and Sea Zora will treat each other face-to-face inThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, especially if Princess Zelda is able to help them settle their differences.
