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Zelda might be the star of the show in Echoes of Wisdom, but it turns out Link will be playable after all

At least for a little bit, anyway.

Zelda is stood talking to a floating, sentient orb of some kind, a staff floating in front of her in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.
Image credit: Nintendo

The first age-rating for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is here, and yep, it looks like we will be playing as, er, Link?

Back in June, during Nintendo's annual summer direct, the developer announced something we've all been waiting years for: a Zelda game where you actually get to play as the titular princess herself. Echoes of Wisdom clearly looks to be doing something different with the formula, as Zelda won't be picking up a sword, but a special wand that lets her copy pretty much anything, so it'll clearly be more of a puzzley kind of affair, but it's still exciting that she's getting a main series title all to herself. Except, well, it won't be completely to herself, as Gematsu spotted that the game's ESRB age-rating has gone up, with the rating's summary sharing that yes, Link, the series' mainstay hero, is playable.

"This is an adventure game in which players assume the role of Zelda as she attempts to dispel rifts throughout Hyrule and rescue Link," the summary starts off, which seems to be in line with what we all know so far. "From a ¾-overhead perspective, players explore various environments while fighting stylized enemies (e.g., humans, creatures). As Link, players use a sword and arrows to defeat enemies; Zelda can use a magic wand to summon creatures (e.g., wind-up knights, pig soldiers, slime) for battle."

It's that second to last line which confirms that Link is playable, but to be honest, I think there's going to be a simple explanation for that. In the game's reveal trailer, things start off with Link doing his usual sword-fighting shenanigans, facing off against Ganon and more, and I imagine that this segment will be playable. It's always possible he'll be playable in other parts too, but given the whole point is to rescue him, I'm thinking it'll just be for this first part as setup.

We don't have to wait too long to find out anyway, as the game is due out September 26, just a couple of months away - and yes, it'll just be on Nintendo Switch, like always.

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