We were lucky enough to get our physical copy a little early as well as a review code from Nintendo so a thanks to those guys as well. Here are our final thoughts and hopefully everything you need to know before buying or not... Mark and Glen
The one thing I want to know is if you need to use sword form to beat the game. Can you reasonably play though it and use other methods for everything or are there a few places where you pretty much need to use sword form?
30FPS lock option would be welcome. Here's hoping the Switch 2 will clean up the performance issues without Nintendo repackaging the game and reselling it at full price.
Yeah I don’t care if it’s 60 or 30 I just want it to be consistent. It’s why I struggle with PC gaming because some games I can’t get a consistent frame rate
@@SwitchUpYt you guys must really be hoping for the successor to be Switch 2, or Super Nintendo Switch...anything with 'Switch' still in the name eh? lol Hopefully the whole Wii to Wii U thing doesn't deter them from doing so. I personally think Super Nintendo Switch or Super Switch is the way to go. Won't confuse customers and honours their legacy.
That's a fair assessment. I've been playing it for 5 hours now. I just got it today. I'm enjoying it very much. There's some slowdowns in it. I had to skip ahead in your video because I didn't want to be spoiled by anything. But yeah I think it's a pretty good game. So far.
I've been wanting this for years, and wanting it even more since the Link's Awakening re-imagining (which was superb!) When I started Echoes last night, I got a taste of what LttP could be like and I'll honestly pay $100 for it in a hearbeat!!! Really hope they make it!
Has someone halfway through the game, they got the same ui problem from tears of the kingdom and it’s really hampering the later game. Why couldn’t they have a favorites option Skyrim had it and that’s over a decade old.
Maybe it’s an update I had to download today (took like 2 mins so it was small) but I haven’t encountered framerate issues AS bad as some shown here. I could just be lucky or haven’t gotten far enough in though. I definitely would have been fine with this being locked at 30fps though.
I'm about 3 hrs in so I've got my mute button ready in case of spoilers! Really enjoying the echo puzzles As for combat, I've found you can use the echo of a spiky sea urchin as a "sword"... Just get close to a baddie and drop one after another
When you want to start working with the AI enemies, use Tri to reposition your own units, or freeze enemies in place to make them easy targets. Spear moblins are bad in my opinion, but if you freeze the enemy they'll get some work done like on flying enemies that sweep down.
I've seen a few people on TH-cam doing that but I've never instinctively remembered to do it. In fact I think I've only echoed it a total of 2 times and I'm almost finished on the third dungeon 😂 It does look fun, though!
This channel makes navigating the eshop so much easier. Downloading bloomtown as I watch this. But this title is going to be a great Christmas gift. You've been my go to for gaming recs. Thanks for that
Got it yesterday and I really love it!!! The puzzles ❤️ and it has bottles, dungeon maps and keys again 👏🏻❤️. I agree that she should have at least some kind of basic weapon honestly I totally expected her to be able to hit things with her wand or that she would at least have a bow Zelda always had a bow it’s her weapon. Ohhh yes a game with zel and link working together would be perfect 😍 ❤
Hoping for an "all patched up" release of this but considering that never happened with the "Links Awakening" remake that runs on practically the same engine; I'm not too hopeful. Maybe on the Switch 2, eh? Great review. Love you guys.
I keep hearing about the performance issues. If the korok forest in BotW didn't bother me then I'm sure the performance won't here as well. Got the game yesterday and only about 30 minutes in so not enough time to notice issues. Thoroughly enjoyed what I've played so far
The thing is - the Korok forest was an isolated area where the game would move between 25-30 fps. Because Echoes targets 60 you've got 15-60 fps jumps which are much more jarring.
@@SwitchUpYt fair enough. Maybe I need to get my eyes checked, but just not noticing any issues. I'm busy going through the Gerudo rift so maybe the tech issues are still coming. Game crashed once, so there's that I guess. Still having a blast though Edit: fought the sand boss in the main Gerudo right and noticed the performance drop. But wasn't game breaking for me
Weird to just have a massive scroll of echoes, rather than either hotkeys or groupings, especially as this is the sort of collecting game where people will want to capture everything
Great review guys even though I got echoes of wisdom at lunch I still haven’t played it yet but that will change especially after watching your review. It’s a shame about the frame rate and I’m hoping they will at least bring out a patch so that it’s at least improved, but I don’t think they can really totally eliminate the frame rate issues. I think all they can really do at the moment now because it’s clearly an issue with the switch hardware beginning to show its age, I think but I don’t think the frame rate will attract from the gameplay as much but the echo system has a lot of potential. It’s just a shame that they couldn’t have put a more intuitive system of picking each echo you acquire which I probably think is really the only negative outside of the frame rate issues. I’m looking forward to playing it again great job guys.
Kind of a weird take. Very few switch games run at 60, so I'm not sure why you're drawing a line with this one. Also, let's be real, $60 IS a budget title now that games cost $70 by default.
@@FelixS. How are we spoiled if the devs can't even bring out a decent optimized game? I think ur the baby here boi, tell me how is it to suck Nintendo's D?
Great review as always guys! My wife had an excellent idea that would fix a lot of the clunkiness. Echoes should be hidable from the menu. That way your quick menu would be a lot smaller and custom fit to your play style. Please share and repost this idea so we can get Big N attention and hopefully get it added as a feature.
Great review. After a patch our 2 for performance it could be perfect. I'll be buying it one day. I'm playing Metroid Prime Remastered atm and it's absolutely brilliant!
Finished the first dungeon last night, and despite some stutters I’m really enjoying it! Yes it would be great if it had a 30fps lock (better yet the inevitable Switch 2 update - what an All Patched Up episode that’ll be!😉). But in the here and now, it still has an irresistible charm to it. Thanks for the review 👍🏻
During the sand tornado boss battle that yall showed dropping to 15 fps - I will say that on my console (undocked) I experienced hardly no frame issues at all, if any. That’s not to say there aren’t frame rate changes within certain areas, because there is. But never enough to rip me from the immersion. Love this game and love the channel!
I agree perfectly, I watched the full gameplay and skipped to see the new abilities throughout the video but there really was nothing new aside from capturing echoes and waiting for them to ...... defeat the enemy for you ? That looks kinda cool at first and really nice creative way but doing that the whole game kinda feels odd. The fighting part is one of the most interesting aspect of zelda games aside from puzzle solving and not being able to do that just takes the fun out of it. They really did miss the potential to give zelda a unique ability rather than being a temporary ripoff link.... Maybe the wand could have some long range ability which uses a meter that fills over time (not arrows but better). Literally anything basic could have been given instead of just summoning monsters to fight for you. But the rest is good i guess.
RE framerate, I think a lot of people have this wrong. Anything down to 20(ish)fps is basically indiscernible - you won't be able to see the individual frames. So when you get what people refer to as framerate drops, what you're observing as jittery gameplay is the hardware just not being able to keep up, not the framerate dropping (this is the symptom, not the issue itself). Whether this jittery effect would be reduced if the hardware weren't trying to achieve 60fps, I have no idea. But the idea that the jittery effect is the *result* of the framerate dropping is incorrect.
I want to mention that it seems to run way better in handheld mode than hooked to a screen. Maybe because of the reduced resolution but on the OLED in handheld it runs pretty flawlessly. I have tried this in the early desert where the difference between TV and handheld was major. So maybe that's the way to go. Love this game! I agree that the combat can be awkward but the puzzling and exploration is phenomenal!
I just got it . I was pretty hesitant about the echos and how they were divied out 🤔As of right now I feel like I was right . Nintendo needs to learn that less is better . Im very early in the game it already feels cumbersome. I love the art style but I hope the echoes get better and I don't have to deal with dozens of junk echos .
FYI you can finish the combat faster by holding the enemy by X button and let your echoe hammer it, paralyze with electric/burn/freeze and use your echoes element like a pokemon game the only frustrating part is swapping echoes
Just started, a couple of hours in and although the game is fabulous, it still has that clunky "selection" system from the two big open world games. Why can't they devise a better method to subset the various echoes so that selection is faster and smoother for any given challenge? Even dividing the echoes into fighters and objects, so that those are all you see on the subset list would make a massive difference.
This is the 'REAL' Zelda game! Gotta buy the physical copy for this historic moment! Thanks for the awesome review, it's keeping me hyped while I wait for my copy to arrive!
The moment at the beginning where Link fires his bow as he's being swallowed alive by the rift is just such a perfect act of heroism. Self sacrifice before failure.
The legend of zelda is all its forms has never really grabbed me, I've tried but it feels like such a shame as so many get so much joy from thw franchise. I hope devotees have a great time with this while I wait for Soul Reaver 1& 2 remaster, Gex, Croc and Lego Horizon Adventures as well as RPG Maker With, The Patrick Star Game and Kill Knight in the coming monrhs. Cheers SwitchUp!!
Ya I'm not feeling it , playing Zelda since the start ... The model for Zelda is very lego-ish ..that blue hood is a plastic negative for me , also the selection mechanic for various objects detracts from what is normally Nintendo's go to with regards to gameplay ....
I'm quite late to the Zelda party, my first Zelda game being Breath of the Wild, which I've thoroughly enjoyed! I picked up Links Awakening and loved the aesthetics and gameplay! I think this looks fantastic, almost combining the two and adding the echo mechanic? Brilliant! I'll pick it up at some point, I'll just keep an eye on physical releases, their price will drop a bit at some point 🤞
I'm just glad both this and the recent peach game actually have reviewed well. I was a bit worried that both games with classic Nintendo female characters were not going to get the time and attention in production they really did deserve
At 40yrs old it really puts into perspective how much the smallest things bring me the most joy. I’ve played damn near every Zelda game since I was 8yrs old and I wholeheartedly feel so fortunate to be alive at a time where we can play a game with her as a lead. This to me- albeit very small and probably nobody’s mutual opinion-is a historic moment in gaming.
The score seems high given the critiques. Frame rate dips are so extreme as to cause physical disconfort, sometimes dropping to 15 fps, and yet visuals get a 16 (ie 8/10)? Echo system is cumbersome and awkward and combat doesn't really come together according to this review and yet gameplay and controls get 17 (8.5/10)? I like LoZ games, but they never seem to have to earn their scores from reviewers anymore.
We debated long and hard between 15 and 16. The aesthetic is so damn good and then the frame rate has those moments for sure… I guess with our system at least you can kind of take that in to account personally and be like “ok so one or two less for me”. Mark
In the middle of playing as I got the notification for this video. So far enjoying it but agree on the performance being iffy, wondering if I should wait for a patch 🤔
I wish it had animal crossing like elements, like village/house building, seems like a perfect opportunity to the make the most out of the echo ability.
Played the first hour and it is so much fun. Different, but I love the puzzles and combat system. A much needed change in the franchise. Plus that art style is awesome. 8/10 for me!
Switch is killing it right now. Bought the new Famicom Detective Club, Ace Attorney Investigations and now this all pretty recently. Now I just need to stop playing Balatro so I can finish all of these.
I was almost wondering even what putting a bunch of stuff onscreen would do to frame rates on the switch. 30 fps is such a huge jump, I'd love to see if they get this ironed out.
The complaints about the echoes are kind of a skill issue thing. The combat has been brilliant im my experience and seems well balanced. I was rewarded with a early powerful echo by going out of my way to explore and I’ve been wiping the floor with most enemies with it.
I couldn't agree more. I hardly use the swordfighter mode because with enough exploration you will find echoes that works exactly like a "sword weapon" ***Spoiler** Use the buzz blob and that's you're weapon for the game
@@ceejarts5031 one of my favorites is the moth enemy. if you are z targeting an enemy when you summon it it immedietly rushes the enemy and it makes me feel like a spellcaster
Honestly performance is more of a hardware thing so there isn't that much Nintendo can do about it. I received my preorder from Amazon yesterday, played for about 45min last night, and being the first new Zelda game I've bought and played since Ocarina of Time gave me so much happiness and nostalgia that even my wife mentioned I kept smiling while playing. It's just so freaking "cute" and adorable, I missed Link's Awakening but I'll definitely buy it before end of year, already asked for Tears of the Kingdom for my birthday next week haha so after I finish Echoes I'll start TotK. Here's hoping Mario Party Jamboree is good too and I'm probably not touching my Xbox until next year haha not even for Diablo 4 expansion 😂. I'll become a Zelda fanboy again like I was 20-25 years ago.
Really surprised to get a new Zelda so soon after TotK. Super excited to play it a s big Zelda fan. Defo weary of the combat system as not happy having something do the fighting for your but apart from that, exploring, puzzling, progressing, I’m really looking forward to playing this
I've been playing several days now, and I didn't really notice a framerate drop. But then again, I never see the difference between 30 or 60 fps, and I don't get all the fuss about it 🤷♀️
I am once again glad they left the frame rate uncapped.....remember Switch 2 will be backwards compatible, if a game has an unlocked frame rate with more powerful hardware the studders will no longer be an issue. Either way, it does not bother me.
I get what you mean but surely there will be a way for games to detect which console they're running on and adjust. While it won't bother me much either that's not really a valid excuse.
I was always going to get this. But I want to say how much I respect the less than ideal score you gave it. It's still a good score, don't get me wrong, but it's below 90% for a Zelda title. To me, this demonstrates not only the thorough approach you take to reviewing (I do think the break down into five different areas is a brilliant method) but also the lack of fanboy-ism on display. Like I said, I was never not going to get this, Zelda is my favourite franchise and has been since I played LttP on the SNES way back when. I just appreciate the lack of bias here.
This franchise is the only one I preorder anymore, so this review doesn’t really matter for me. I’m just watching and commenting for the algorithm boost.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. The best puzzle solving adventure game I've played is Mayhem in Single Valley. Some of the puzzles they come up with in that game are absolutely first class! (p.s. still not seeing my name in the members list 😢)
I'm really liking this game but I totally agree with Mark on if the sword form just slowly regained energy it would drastically improve the open-world gameplay at least. Like that one change would improve it so much imo. There are so many encounters that are dragged out because you're just standing there watching. The better you get and the stronger your echoes are it does become easier/quicker but still it's just not as engaging as the other great 2d Zeldas in terms of combat.
I am sure any zelda fan can see this is the same map layout as - a link to the past- (snes) you can even see the old temples. Basicly, same area only different timeline.
It's not a bad game, a totally fine game for Zelda to be the main character of. I just wish it wasn't so hand-holdy. Give me cryptic hints like "To the west, the Gerudo Desert calls" or something instead of telling me step by step exactly what to do and who to look for. Still would rather have a traditional Link game, but in terms of overall score, I give it an 8 so far (just starting the 2nd dungeon so I don't think I'm too far into the game). The echo menu is a bit tedious, the puzzles and problem solving is okay, the hand holding is getting old fast, but I am definitely enjoying the map layout and overwolrd exploration. I still like the artwork style, and I think that the dungeons are an improvement over BotW's beasts (still not as good as traditional dungeons, imo). I hope they make a DLC pack that focuses on Link's story leading up to saving the Princess with more traditional 2D, top-down LoZ tropes and dungeons. Would be an awesome way to hit some of us whiny OG fans with a little love, lol.
Yep, the way-markers are ott. It's a shame that hero mode doesn't do anything other than affect health and hearts. Having the option to find your own way and cutting down on Tri's patronising chit chat would've been nice for starters. Though it's all the bloated exposition from bit player NPCs that annoys me.
Considering this is pretty much the same engine they've been using since the Links Awakening remake, a game which has seen no performance increase over it's lifespan, it's probably best to keep your expectations very low.
We were lucky enough to get our physical copy a little early as well as a review code from Nintendo so a thanks to those guys as well. Here are our final thoughts and hopefully everything you need to know before buying or not... Mark and Glen
*The Legend of Link: Echoes of Wisdom* is how they should've named this game
The one thing I want to know is if you need to use sword form to beat the game. Can you reasonably play though it and use other methods for everything or are there a few places where you pretty much need to use sword form?
I would be happy for an Oracle of Ages/Seasons remake in this style. Come on Nintendo! Do it!
Warner Brothers was able to patch Lego StarWars to 30FPS; here’s hoping we see an all patched up video from you guys soon on Echoes. 😎
The Legend of Link: Zelda’s Awakening
30FPS lock option would be welcome. Here's hoping the Switch 2 will clean up the performance issues without Nintendo repackaging the game and reselling it at full price.
Yeah I don’t care if it’s 60 or 30 I just want it to be consistent. It’s why I struggle with PC gaming because some games I can’t get a consistent frame rate
These guys are smashing it. Is there a better Switch channel?
Nope there isn’t!
No there isn’t
Nope
❤
Nope. Its simply the best. Always a joy to watch 🎃
It's soooo fun and creative. We will all have different ways of solving puzzles and it's fun to see. The art style is so pretty too.
I hope you review a crap game tomorrow, this is a very expensive week 😂
For real 😢
😂 definitely
Seriously! I already have Beyond Galaxyland on my list, and now this.
@@bryanreynolds8721 I'm looking forward to beyond galaxyland too.
😂 I’ve had a game come in the mail every day this week
Love you guys. It's been a long journey...let's hope for this to blossom and continue with the switch 2 era and beyond. Cheers mate!
That would be nice mate let’s hope so! Mark
@@SwitchUpYt you guys must really be hoping for the successor to be Switch 2, or Super Nintendo Switch...anything with 'Switch' still in the name eh? lol Hopefully the whole Wii to Wii U thing doesn't deter them from doing so. I personally think Super Nintendo Switch or Super Switch is the way to go. Won't confuse customers and honours their legacy.
@@EvEnMoR it would help that’s for sure! Mark
That's a fair assessment. I've been playing it for 5 hours now. I just got it today. I'm enjoying it very much. There's some slowdowns in it. I had to skip ahead in your video because I didn't want to be spoiled by anything. But yeah I think it's a pretty good game. So far.
This is the classic "Who cares about the score I will be playing this as soon as its out" type of game (respectfully)
Exactly, it could have score of 5 / 100 and I'd still buy it.
Totally agree it would be the same the other way around ❤
Already played past the first dungeon and am loving it! I really want A Link to the Past remake now.
My favorite Zelda, that would be amazing!
I feel like it’s almost inevitable at this point.
I've been wanting this for years, and wanting it even more since the Link's Awakening re-imagining (which was superb!)
When I started Echoes last night, I got a taste of what LttP could be like and I'll honestly pay $100 for it in a hearbeat!!!
Really hope they make it!
Has someone halfway through the game, they got the same ui problem from tears of the kingdom and it’s really hampering the later game. Why couldn’t they have a favorites option Skyrim had it and that’s over a decade old.
Exactly right
This is a must buy because....Zelda, BUT still, a bit disappointed they didn't lock the framerate.
I'm pretty sure they might fix that with a later patch.
Maybe it’s an update I had to download today (took like 2 mins so it was small) but I haven’t encountered framerate issues AS bad as some shown here. I could just be lucky or haven’t gotten far enough in though. I definitely would have been fine with this being locked at 30fps though.
@@JohnSanborn-y2n They never fixed Link's Awakening. Still laggy.
Don’t let that stop you. I haven’t noticed anything.
I'm about 3 hrs in so I've got my mute button ready in case of spoilers!
Really enjoying the echo puzzles
As for combat, I've found you can use the echo of a spiky sea urchin as a "sword"...
Just get close to a baddie and drop one after another
SEA URCHIN SEA URCHIN SEA URCHIN
Yeah that’s been one of my main tactics as well. And setting them on fire with the candle buddy.
When you want to start working with the AI enemies, use Tri to reposition your own units, or freeze enemies in place to make them easy targets. Spear moblins are bad in my opinion, but if you freeze the enemy they'll get some work done like on flying enemies that sweep down.
I've seen a few people on TH-cam doing that but I've never instinctively remembered to do it. In fact I think I've only echoed it a total of 2 times and I'm almost finished on the third dungeon 😂 It does look fun, though!
This channel makes navigating the eshop so much easier. Downloading bloomtown as I watch this. But this title is going to be a great Christmas gift. You've been my go to for gaming recs. Thanks for that
Got it yesterday and I really love it!!! The puzzles ❤️ and it has bottles, dungeon maps and keys again 👏🏻❤️.
I agree that she should have at least some kind of basic weapon honestly I totally expected her to be able to hit things with her wand or that she would at least have a bow Zelda always had a bow it’s her weapon.
Ohhh yes a game with zel and link working together would be perfect 😍 ❤
Grabbed a physical copy for my sister’s birthday. I’m excited for her to try it.
That's so nice of you! I'm sure she will love it and what a great gift from a loving sibling.
Happy birthday to her!
Well you confirmed my suspicions and i appreciate you for that. Thank you for the review.
got my copy this morning but haven't had much time to play, but what I have I've enjoyed tremendously
Hoping for an "all patched up" release of this but considering that never happened with the "Links Awakening" remake that runs on practically the same engine; I'm not too hopeful. Maybe on the Switch 2, eh? Great review. Love you guys.
Considering we’re near the end of the switch’s life span, my backlog of games to play is huge
I keep hearing about the performance issues. If the korok forest in BotW didn't bother me then I'm sure the performance won't here as well. Got the game yesterday and only about 30 minutes in so not enough time to notice issues. Thoroughly enjoyed what I've played so far
The thing is - the Korok forest was an isolated area where the game would move between 25-30 fps. Because Echoes targets 60 you've got 15-60 fps jumps which are much more jarring.
@@SwitchUpYt fair enough. Maybe I need to get my eyes checked, but just not noticing any issues. I'm busy going through the Gerudo rift so maybe the tech issues are still coming. Game crashed once, so there's that I guess. Still having a blast though
Edit: fought the sand boss in the main Gerudo right and noticed the performance drop. But wasn't game breaking for me
Weird to just have a massive scroll of echoes, rather than either hotkeys or groupings, especially as this is the sort of collecting game where people will want to capture everything
Great review guys even though I got echoes of wisdom at lunch I still haven’t played it yet but that will change especially after watching your review. It’s a shame about the frame rate and I’m hoping they will at least bring out a patch so that it’s at least improved, but I don’t think they can really totally eliminate the frame rate issues. I think all they can really do at the moment now because it’s clearly an issue with the switch hardware beginning to show its age, I think but I don’t think the frame rate will attract from the gameplay as much but the echo system has a lot of potential. It’s just a shame that they couldn’t have put a more intuitive system of picking each echo you acquire which I probably think is really the only negative outside of the frame rate issues. I’m looking forward to playing it again great job guys.
Wanna play but the performance is a bit worrying for 60 dollar game
Yea its bad but better than Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity..
I noticed very little slowdown on Hyrule Warriors. But my switch is still pretty new, maybe they upgraded the specs a little.
😂😂😂
@@someoneout-there2165They didn’t and it doesn’t matter if your switch is new or not.
Kind of a weird take. Very few switch games run at 60, so I'm not sure why you're drawing a line with this one. Also, let's be real, $60 IS a budget title now that games cost $70 by default.
They should have named this game “The Legend of Link”.
Or the legend of slow down
@@sandman8920And the comment section the legend of spoiled crybabies
@@FelixS. 🤷🏻♂️
@@FelixS. How are we spoiled if the devs can't even bring out a decent optimized game? I think ur the baby here boi, tell me how is it to suck Nintendo's D?
Save that for a more serious game with Zelda
Just picked up my copy today. I can't wait to try it out.
Great review as always guys! My wife had an excellent idea that would fix a lot of the clunkiness. Echoes should be hidable from the menu. That way your quick menu would be a lot smaller and custom fit to your play style. Please share and repost this idea so we can get Big N attention and hopefully get it added as a feature.
Great review. After a patch our 2 for performance it could be perfect. I'll be buying it one day. I'm playing Metroid Prime Remastered atm and it's absolutely brilliant!
Finished the first dungeon last night, and despite some stutters I’m really enjoying it! Yes it would be great if it had a 30fps lock (better yet the inevitable Switch 2 update - what an All Patched Up episode that’ll be!😉). But in the here and now, it still has an irresistible charm to it. Thanks for the review 👍🏻
Pulling into the store to pick up my pre ordered physical copy right this moment, thanks for the review boys
During the sand tornado boss battle that yall showed dropping to 15 fps - I will say that on my console (undocked) I experienced hardly no frame issues at all, if any. That’s not to say there aren’t frame rate changes within certain areas, because there is. But never enough to rip me from the immersion. Love this game and love the channel!
That is incredibly hard to believe considering it is the same game.
I agree perfectly, I watched the full gameplay and skipped to see the new abilities throughout the video but there really was nothing new aside from capturing echoes and waiting for them to ...... defeat the enemy for you ? That looks kinda cool at first and really nice creative way but doing that the whole game kinda feels odd. The fighting part is one of the most interesting aspect of zelda games aside from puzzle solving and not being able to do that just takes the fun out of it. They really did miss the potential to give zelda a unique ability rather than being a temporary ripoff link.... Maybe the wand could have some long range ability which uses a meter that fills over time (not arrows but better). Literally anything basic could have been given instead of just summoning monsters to fight for you. But the rest is good i guess.
RE framerate, I think a lot of people have this wrong. Anything down to 20(ish)fps is basically indiscernible - you won't be able to see the individual frames. So when you get what people refer to as framerate drops, what you're observing as jittery gameplay is the hardware just not being able to keep up, not the framerate dropping (this is the symptom, not the issue itself). Whether this jittery effect would be reduced if the hardware weren't trying to achieve 60fps, I have no idea. But the idea that the jittery effect is the *result* of the framerate dropping is incorrect.
I want to mention that it seems to run way better in handheld mode than hooked to a screen. Maybe because of the reduced resolution but on the OLED in handheld it runs pretty flawlessly. I have tried this in the early desert where the difference between TV and handheld was major. So maybe that's the way to go. Love this game! I agree that the combat can be awkward but the puzzling and exploration is phenomenal!
I just got it . I was pretty hesitant about the echos and how they were divied out 🤔As of right now I feel like I was right . Nintendo needs to learn that less is better . Im very early in the game it already feels cumbersome. I love the art style but I hope the echoes get better and I don't have to deal with dozens of junk echos .
Great Review! Looks amaIng but ibreally dislike that echo select screen. Coulda been a better menu with categories... or how about a hotbar?
FYI you can finish the combat faster by holding the enemy by X button and let your echoe hammer it, paralyze with electric/burn/freeze and use your echoes element like a pokemon game the only frustrating part is swapping echoes
Just started, a couple of hours in and although the game is fabulous, it still has that clunky "selection" system from the two big open world games. Why can't they devise a better method to subset the various echoes so that selection is faster and smoother for any given challenge? Even dividing the echoes into fighters and objects, so that those are all you see on the subset list would make a massive difference.
Can’t wait to play this, this weekend!
This is the 'REAL' Zelda game! Gotta buy the physical copy for this historic moment! Thanks for the awesome review, it's keeping me hyped while I wait for my copy to arrive!
Play-Asia was selling Japanese games for cheap, at least for awhile. Got my physical copy from them for about $53 after cheap shipping.
The moment at the beginning where Link fires his bow as he's being swallowed alive by the rift is just such a perfect act of heroism. Self sacrifice before failure.
Ordered a physical. Looking forward to it! Thanks guys!
Good review. Already playing it myself and everything you say is spot on
This review made me suddenly remember playing late at night in my DS. Fortunately my copy will arrive later today
The legend of zelda is all its forms has never really grabbed me, I've tried but it feels like such a shame as so many get so much joy from thw franchise. I hope devotees have a great time with this while I wait for Soul Reaver 1& 2 remaster, Gex, Croc and Lego Horizon Adventures as well as RPG Maker With, The Patrick Star Game and Kill Knight in the coming monrhs. Cheers SwitchUp!!
Another awesome review! Thank you for giving the positive and negatives. You guys are top tier!
Ya I'm not feeling it , playing Zelda since the start ... The model for Zelda is very lego-ish ..that blue hood is a plastic negative for me , also the selection mechanic for various objects detracts from what is normally Nintendo's go to with regards to gameplay ....
if it was a spin off it would’ve been fine but this is a mainline game, it really shouldn’t be imo
Agree with the review, especially the combat. Just give me a weapon, even if it breaks! 😅
The game is amazing. Having so much fun. It feels like you're a summoner. Every fight you have to be creative.
It might not be perfect but I'm pretty sure I will have a great time with it!
Just started playing. It's a great game!
I'm quite late to the Zelda party, my first Zelda game being Breath of the Wild, which I've thoroughly enjoyed! I picked up Links Awakening and loved the aesthetics and gameplay! I think this looks fantastic, almost combining the two and adding the echo mechanic? Brilliant! I'll pick it up at some point, I'll just keep an eye on physical releases, their price will drop a bit at some point 🤞
Maybe it'll drop in price 5 years from now 😅 and yes, only physically big N will never drop the price themselves.
Don’t feel bad - I haven’t played a single Zelda game. But I do have them all from the very beginning. Gonna play them at some point
I'm just glad both this and the recent peach game actually have reviewed well. I was a bit worried that both games with classic Nintendo female characters were not going to get the time and attention in production they really did deserve
Already bought this but still eager to see what you guys have to say 🙌🏽
At 40yrs old it really puts into perspective how much the smallest things bring me the most joy. I’ve played damn near every Zelda game since I was 8yrs old and I wholeheartedly feel so fortunate to be alive at a time where we can play a game with her as a lead. This to me- albeit very small and probably nobody’s mutual opinion-is a historic moment in gaming.
Right there with ya mate. Mark
I member when I was playing through OoT I thought, man, sure would be cool if I got like, some ninja level with Sheik.
9:20 woo! Another reason to finally mod my switch to run its internal components as their factory clock speed.
Lol mentioning the FP Little People really hit the nail on the head for this one
The score seems high given the critiques. Frame rate dips are so extreme as to cause physical disconfort, sometimes dropping to 15 fps, and yet visuals get a 16 (ie 8/10)? Echo system is cumbersome and awkward and combat doesn't really come together according to this review and yet gameplay and controls get 17 (8.5/10)? I like LoZ games, but they never seem to have to earn their scores from reviewers anymore.
We debated long and hard between 15 and 16. The aesthetic is so damn good and then the frame rate has those moments for sure… I guess with our system at least you can kind of take that in to account personally and be like “ok so one or two less for me”. Mark
I’m hoping i can afford it by February
I have no technical issues with this. Links awakening had a studdering framerate at times,but I found Echoes of wisdom almost silksmooth.
In the middle of playing as I got the notification for this video. So far enjoying it but agree on the performance being iffy, wondering if I should wait for a patch 🤔
I wish it had animal crossing like elements, like village/house building, seems like a perfect opportunity to the make the most out of the echo ability.
Woah. The stamp system hasn't been around since Spirit Tracks if I remember correctly. Pretty cool comeback.
It’s absolutely brilliant and I’m thrilled to keep playing it
Played the first hour and it is so much fun. Different, but I love the puzzles and combat system. A much needed change in the franchise. Plus that art style is awesome. 8/10 for me!
It's more cute than I can typically handle, but this looks really fun... you really love that old bed spell
Switch is killing it right now. Bought the new Famicom Detective Club, Ace Attorney Investigations and now this all pretty recently. Now I just need to stop playing Balatro so I can finish all of these.
Making my dinner whilst watching this and the game patiently waiting to be played.
It took me a while to figure out there are 2 of you talking
hahaha
I was almost wondering even what putting a bunch of stuff onscreen would do to frame rates on the switch. 30 fps is such a huge jump, I'd love to see if they get this ironed out.
I wonder if they were aiming to have it on Switch 2, and that’s why it rides the struggle bus in the performance department.
Im a sucker for a good isometric game... Gonna pick it up today along with another docking station for my switch.. one for every screen in my flat 😁
I will make a reminder to buy eshop cards through you guys for future purchases!
Love this channel been here since the beginning keep up the good work lads
Much appreciated mate! Glen
The complaints about the echoes are kind of a skill issue thing. The combat has been brilliant im my experience and seems well balanced. I was rewarded with a early powerful echo by going out of my way to explore and I’ve been wiping the floor with most enemies with it.
Yeah the game is fun, I'm so happy Grezzo got to make their own game that's not a remake.
I couldn't agree more. I hardly use the swordfighter mode because with enough exploration you will find echoes that works exactly like a "sword weapon"
***Spoiler**
Use the buzz blob and that's you're weapon for the game
@@ceejarts5031 one of my favorites is the moth enemy. if you are z targeting an enemy when you summon it it immedietly rushes the enemy and it makes me feel like a spellcaster
Such a cool idea for a Zelda, Zelda game. Love it.
Honestly performance is more of a hardware thing so there isn't that much Nintendo can do about it.
I received my preorder from Amazon yesterday, played for about 45min last night, and being the first new Zelda game I've bought and played since Ocarina of Time gave me so much happiness and nostalgia that even my wife mentioned I kept smiling while playing.
It's just so freaking "cute" and adorable, I missed Link's Awakening but I'll definitely buy it before end of year, already asked for Tears of the Kingdom for my birthday next week haha so after I finish Echoes I'll start TotK.
Here's hoping Mario Party Jamboree is good too and I'm probably not touching my Xbox until next year haha not even for Diablo 4 expansion 😂.
I'll become a Zelda fanboy again like I was 20-25 years ago.
Really surprised to get a new Zelda so soon after TotK. Super excited to play it a s big Zelda fan. Defo weary of the combat system as not happy having something do the fighting for your but apart from that, exploring, puzzling, progressing, I’m really looking forward to playing this
I love this game! It’s incredible! A couple of hours in only. Playing it slow.
Bought it today. Cant wait to play it !
I've been playing several days now, and I didn't really notice a framerate drop. But then again, I never see the difference between 30 or 60 fps, and I don't get all the fuss about it 🤷♀️
My wife and kids got me this for my birthday.
I am once again glad they left the frame rate uncapped.....remember Switch 2 will be backwards compatible, if a game has an unlocked frame rate with more powerful hardware the studders
will no longer be an issue. Either way, it does not bother me.
I get what you mean but surely there will be a way for games to detect which console they're running on and adjust. While it won't bother me much either that's not really a valid excuse.
Watching this from the future after already putting in 5hrs. Its a lovely, crackin game 😊
I was always going to get this. But I want to say how much I respect the less than ideal score you gave it. It's still a good score, don't get me wrong, but it's below 90% for a Zelda title. To me, this demonstrates not only the thorough approach you take to reviewing (I do think the break down into five different areas is a brilliant method) but also the lack of fanboy-ism on display. Like I said, I was never not going to get this, Zelda is my favourite franchise and has been since I played LttP on the SNES way back when. I just appreciate the lack of bias here.
I love this game. Is very creative and fun
This franchise is the only one I preorder anymore, so this review doesn’t really matter for me. I’m just watching and commenting for the algorithm boost.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. The best puzzle solving adventure game I've played is Mayhem in Single Valley. Some of the puzzles they come up with in that game are absolutely first class! (p.s. still not seeing my name in the members list 😢)
Hey mate I’m sorry about that - we are way behind schedule on a few bits I’ll get that sorted asap. Mark
Well shit I own that, i guess i got it from bundle or something. Definitely playing it
I'm really liking this game but I totally agree with Mark on if the sword form just slowly regained energy it would drastically improve the open-world gameplay at least. Like that one change would improve it so much imo.
There are so many encounters that are dragged out because you're just standing there watching. The better you get and the stronger your echoes are it does become easier/quicker but still it's just not as engaging as the other great 2d Zeldas in terms of combat.
I am sure any zelda fan can see this is the same map layout as - a link to the past- (snes)
you can even see the old temples. Basicly, same area only different timeline.
Wow, so much creativity
So far I’m loving the game!
Zelda time! Lets gooooo! 😋
Oh yes. Mark
It's not a bad game, a totally fine game for Zelda to be the main character of. I just wish it wasn't so hand-holdy. Give me cryptic hints like "To the west, the Gerudo Desert calls" or something instead of telling me step by step exactly what to do and who to look for.
Still would rather have a traditional Link game, but in terms of overall score, I give it an 8 so far (just starting the 2nd dungeon so I don't think I'm too far into the game). The echo menu is a bit tedious, the puzzles and problem solving is okay, the hand holding is getting old fast, but I am definitely enjoying the map layout and overwolrd exploration. I still like the artwork style, and I think that the dungeons are an improvement over BotW's beasts (still not as good as traditional dungeons, imo).
I hope they make a DLC pack that focuses on Link's story leading up to saving the Princess with more traditional 2D, top-down LoZ tropes and dungeons. Would be an awesome way to hit some of us whiny OG fans with a little love, lol.
Yep, the way-markers are ott. It's a shame that hero mode doesn't do anything other than affect health and hearts. Having the option to find your own way and cutting down on Tri's patronising chit chat would've been nice for starters.
Though it's all the bloated exposition from bit player NPCs that annoys me.
@@buggs9950 I concur.
These Nintendo games never get DLC. I wouldn’t hold my breath
@@ilbroducciore but wouldn't it be "wild?"
@@CertifiedClapaholic But there may be "tears"..
Love you guys. Been here since day 1ish.... always appreciate your Videos
Yea boy when i say "video" you say "GAMES!" VIDEO...
GAMES
😂 😂 Gemes
ROMS
KOJIMA
GOHMA
Lovely review as always
Excited for this!!!
I had a day one patch with my physical cart. Maybe some performance fixes???
Considering this is pretty much the same engine they've been using since the Links Awakening remake, a game which has seen no performance increase over it's lifespan, it's probably best to keep your expectations very low.