{"id":998742,"date":"2026-01-09T05:02:22","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T05:02:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/?p=465087"},"modified":"2026-01-09T05:02:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T05:02:22","slug":"the-best-thing-about-zelda-echoes-of-wisdom-the-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/the-best-thing-about-zelda-echoes-of-wisdom-the-music\/","title":{"rendered":"The best thing about Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom? The music"},"content":{"rendered":"
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There\u2019s been a slight sense of anticlimax after the release of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom<\/em><\/a>. It\u2019s a very good game<\/a>, of course, but perhaps a few steps shy of the greatness we expect of the series. Its new, indirect gameplay style, with Zelda conjuring echoes of objects and monsters to solve puzzles and win battles, asks quite a lot of both players and the game\u2019s designers, and there\u2019s a feeling that it isn\u2019t fully realized. Even Princess Zelda\u2019s first starring role in the series that has borne her name for 38 years comes with a troubling asterisk<\/a> or two.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s one aspect of Echoes of Wisdom<\/em> that fully lives up to the sky-high expectations fans have of the Zelda series \u2014 perhaps exceeds them. It\u2019s the music. In terms of musicianship, production, and the unexpected genius of the concept, this might be the best, most exciting, and most apt Nintendo soundtrack since\u2026 maybe Mario Kart 8<\/em>?<\/p>\n

That might sound like an odd comparison, but hear me out. Everybody knows that Mario Kart 8<\/em>\u2019s soundtrack kicks ass<\/a>. Why<\/em> does it kick ass? Partly because it reframes classic video game music in a new context. It takes the kind of frenetic, funky themes of 16-bit-era chiptunes and arranges them for a live jazz-funk band<\/a> complete with shredding lead guitar, frantic slap bass, and a full brass section. It\u2019s a big, exciting sound that amplifies and refreshes something nostalgic \u2014 but also humanizes it and makes it more analog, so it has an even deeper connection with the listener. It rips.<\/p>\n

Echoes of Wisdom<\/em>\u2019s soundtrack starts (but does not end) with a similarly simple, similarly genius instrumentation idea: What if Zelda music, but woodwind?<\/em> Throughout the early part of the game, the dominant melodies and tones are brought forward by clarinets, oboes, recorders, and penny whistles, piping along over a modest-sized string section. It\u2019s an unexpected and delightful sound: warm, innocent without being too childlike, intimate but with a sense of mystery and even melancholy.<\/p>\n

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