The following contains spoilers for Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.
Ganondorf may be the most recurring main antagonist in The Legend of Zelda franchise, but he is far from the only one. Since the series began in 1987, it has featured other main antagonists as well, like Skyward Sword's Demise, The Minish Cap's Vaati, and Twilight Princess' Zant. Now, Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is joining that club by introducing a brand-new antagonist, Null, although players still get a couple of opportunities to battle Ganon during the game's story.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom's Null actually doesn't make an appearance until the second half of the game's story, which sees Zelda traveling to regions like the Faron Wetlands and the Eldin Volcano to help expel the rifts in the area. In fact, it's only after Zelda defeats Ganon that Null, the game's true villain, appears. At that point, not much is known about the foe, but it doesn't stop Zelda and her companions from uncovering its identity. As it turns out, Null is not just a normal antagonist, as its place in the world of Zelda establishes it as a being of great importance to the overarching timeline.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom's Null Explained
Like Skyward Sword's Demise, Null Is One of The Legend of Zelda's Overarching Antagonists
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom's Null shares a major characteristic with Skyward Sword's Demise in that, like Demise, it is one of The Legend of Zelda's overarching antagonists. In a sense, this makes Null even greater than Ganon, who has filled a villainous role in the majority of Zelda games. What makes Null an overarching antagonist for the entire series is its appearance and role before the beginning of The Legend of Zelda — even before Skyward Sword, which had, up to this point, been the chronologically first Zelda game. However, since Demise only returned in Skyward Sword, it has always been possible for the series to go back even further in time.
Null Existed in the Void Before the Creation of the World
Upon clearing one of the regions in Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, the goddess Nayru tells Zelda the story of Null and how it came to be. Before the creation of the world, there was nothing but an endless void. In that void, some things would begin to come to life, only to be devoured by the one who dwelled in the void, whom she would reveal to be Null. Null wanted the entire world and, therefore, consumed all life without discrimination. It was then that the three goddesses created "the skies and the lands" in an attempt to contain Null.
Unfortunately, Null then began ceaselessly creating rifts around Hyrule to try and engulf it into the void once again, so the goddesses created Tris with the power to dissipate the rifts. This is ultimately where Zelda's companion Tri comes into play, granting the princess her Tri Rod at the beginning of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom's story, which can be used to create echoes of objects and monsters found throughout Hyrule.
As the game's story progresses, Zelda and Tri work tirelessly to expel the rifts from Hyrule's surface and save those who were stolen away.
What is so captivating about Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom's creation story is that it suggests that Hyrule was not simply created to be a home but was created to be a prison of sorts for Null. This instantaneously changes some of the core aspects of Zelda lore that fans have become familiar with over the decades, but it also adds much more depth to it than it ever had. It will be interesting to see whether future installments mention Null as one of the series' overarching antagonists or if the being eventually appears again.
-
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
- How Long To Beat
- 20 Hours
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
