Summary
- Bind in Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is a useful ability for clearing obstacles and rearranging terrain.
- The Ultrahand ability in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is similar to Bind but with key differences.
- Reverse Bond in Echoes of Wisdom allows Zelda to be moved by objects, but it lacks the building elements of Ultrahand.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is looking more ambitious by the day. As if featuring Zelda as the primary playable protagonist in a mainline Zelda installment and giving her a tool as powerful as the Tri Rod weren't innovative enough, Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom has now introduced the Bind ability in its "Traversing Hyrule" trailer. It doesn't even take using Bind firsthand to know how game-changing it actually is. Simply watching it in action is enough to discern that it will be a Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom speedrunner's best friend. In addition to likely changing the game with its massive potential, it bears a striking resemblance to the last Zelda game's most celebrated ability, thereby increasing the chances that it will be just as celebrated.
Throughout the entirety of the Legend of Zelda franchise, there has never been anything quite like Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's Ultrahand ability. Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom introduced a level of creativity to the franchise that it had never seen before, and this was all due to the limitless nature of Ultrahand. Now, Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom has shown off what appears to be an Ultrahand clone in Bind. However, while Bind does seem to be strikingly similar to Ultrahand, the two abilities are actually quite different.
How Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom's Bind and Ultrahand Compare
Bind and Ultrahand Are Almost Identical in Their Appearance and Execution
The most obvious similarity between Bind and Ultrahand is their appearance. When Zelda uses Bind in Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, a green beam emits from her Tri Rod and attaches to an object or enemy. When Link uses Ultrahand in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, an identical green beam emits from his gauntlet and grabs onto whatever he is aiming at. The two abilities are also similar in the way they are used. When Zelda grabs an object with Bind in Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, she can move it around. In the "Traversing Hyrule" trailer, for example, Zelda can be seen using Bind to move a boulder that is blocking her way. Link can use Ultrahand in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to move objects as well, with one major difference.
Bind Can Do Things That Ultrahand Cannot and Vice Versa
While Ultrahand can be used to move objects in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, its purposes extend far beyond that, with its primary use centering around the construction of vehicles using various materials found lying around. Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's Ultrahand ability is also a bit more freeform than Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom's Bind ability, as Bind appears to move along a grid, whereas Ultrahand can be freely moved around and as far as the beam can extend. Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom's Bind ability, on the other hand, cannot be used to build anything. Even so, it has a unique ability that Ultrahand does not.
Bind in Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom can also be used in reverse as Reverse Bond. When using Reverse Bond, rather than moving objects with Bind, Zelda can be moved by objects. In other words, using Reverse Bond on a moving platform will attach Zelda to the platform so that it will carry her across gaps or other hazards. Reverse Bond can be used in the same way on flying or moving creatures in Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom to help Zelda move around more efficiently. This is ultimately where Bind improves upon Ultrahand, and it's a great sign of the franchise's ability to keep reinventing the wheel.
While it would have been nice to have Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's best ability come back in Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, it's probably better off exchanging it for Bind to let the series continue to innovate forward. At the very least, it will be interesting to see speedrunners using Bind in unique ways to finish Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom as quickly as they can.
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 85 /100 Critics Rec: 93%
- Released
- September 26, 2024
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo, Grezzo
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
- Engine
- Havok
- Franchise
- The Legend of Zelda
WHERE TO PLAY
Save Hyrule—this time with the wisdom of Princess Zelda!
The people of Hyrule are being stolen away by strange rifts—and with a certain swordsman among the missing, it’s up to Princess Zelda to save her kingdom in the latest adventure in The Legend of Zelda™ series!
Team up with the ethereal creature Tri and use the Tri Rod to create “echoes,” which are imitations of things you find in the environment—then recreate those echoes whenever you like to solve puzzles and defeat enemies. Use echoes like water blocks to reach new heights, make bridges out of old beds, throw rocks at foes, or find your own combination of echoes to do things your way. You can even make echoes of monsters to fight at your side in combat!
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
