Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom Continues This Exciting Nintendo Trend

was released on September 26, the latest entry in the long-running, beloved Nintendo series. Similar in style to 2019’s, this puzzle-based adventure has one important deviation from every other mainline game:People can actually play as Zelda.Despite being the titular character for decades, Zelda has only been playable in spin-offs and ensemble games like

Nintendo’s most popular series have traditionally been male-focused in its leading characters, with Mario and Link fighting against the forces of evil (like Bowser and Ganon) to save their respective leading ladies. Recent years have seen a dramatic shift in that trend, as now both Princess Zelda and Princess Peach take the reins in their own adventures alongside the traditional main entries like and .

Interestingly enough, 's releaseis not the first Nintendo game to flip the hero and damsel dynamic in recent years, though it wasn't originally intended star Zelda. In fact, it’s not even the first game to switch these roles in 2024. which came out in March of 2024 alongside a beautiful set of pink Joy Cons, gave the lead to Princess Peach instead of Mario.

This final boss is not what Zelda fans expect, but it surprises everyone with layers that also unites Zelda and Link in The Legend of Zelda Series.

In this title, Princess Peach must save a theater and its guardian from an evil grape-themed sorceress. Mario is never seen or even mentioned throughout the entire game, which gives a uniquely Peach-y themed experience. In like, the most iconic female character of the franchise is now in charge. However, unlike, the male lead is entirely absent from the story.

Nintendo has finally been taking advantage of its huge catalog of iconic female characters as its two premier princesses get their own games. But these two recent games aren’t the first to do this. The first game that truly pioneered this trend came out all the way back in 2005: .

Released on the Nintendo DS, featured Princess Peach on a quest to save Mario,