Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom Confirms BOTW Started A New Series Tradition

is going in an entirely new direction for the series, but there's one concept from that makes a surprising return in the new game. Unlike the typical experience, gives the starring role to Princess Zelda, with Link trapped in a dimensional rift that threatens Hyrule at large. This concept comes with some major gameplay changes, focusing combat and puzzles around the use of a new item called the Tri Rod instead of Link's typical weapons and tools.

At first glance, bears the most resemblance to the remake, which employed a similar art style and top-down approach. The sandbox approach of and appears to serve as another major influence, however, with the Tri Rod offering item duplication abilities that let Zelda approach problems in flexible ways. The mark that these games have left on the series goes beyond the gameplay, and a particular costuming choice might actually be one of the most interesting things to take note of.

It's been one year since the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, which was critically praised. Why don't we talk about it like BotW?

One huge change made in was the addition of a dark blue Hylian Hood for Link, part of a significant shake-up from the iconic green ensemble that he's traditionally worn in the series. Link's classic headwear is a green conical hat that hangs down in the back, which has appeared in every form from the cartoon style of to the more muted colors of It's still possible to acquire the standard look in, but the blue hood was used more heavily in marketing material and proved easier to get in the game.

This alternate look seemed like something that might be confined to the open-world Switch titles, and although brought back the hood, it focused on a different look in marketing. The reveal trailer for , however, indicates that the hood isn't something that's getting tossed away that easily. Although Link wears his green tunic in the game, he uses the Hylian Hood to sneak into Ganon's lair at the start of the