The National Times - Princess Zelda takes the lead in 'Echoes of Wisdom'

"The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom," which will be released Thursday, was directed by Tomomi Sano, the first woman to take charge of the Japanese giant's long-running offering.

This time around, it is the turn of perennial leading elf Link to be captured by the forces of evil.

That leaves Zelda with the task of saving the kingdom of Hyrule, armed with a magic wand conjuring up various objects to help her on her quest, in a title that echoes the childlike graphics of "Link's Awakening".

Gamers have been able to play as the princess in other titles, such as the fighting series "Super Smash Bros." and a 1993 CD-i console entry by Dutch group Philips in which she was the main character, since disowned by Nintendo.

But even though she gave the series its name -- inspired by that of American novelist Zelda Fitzgerald, wife of "The Great Gatsby" author F. Scott Fitzgerald -- "Echoes of Wisdom" marks her first official solo outing.

- 'Brave and cool' -

Japanese producer Eiji Aonuma, at the reins of the series for nearly 20 years, said he was waiting for the right proposal that "would really do justice" to Zelda, in an interview on the Nintendo website.

But when his team had trouble getting Link to juggle between his sword and the magic wand, "I thought, this is exactly the game for her!"

"Zelda being the main character in the new game will change the image of Zelda to something incredibly brave and cool, and I like Zelda, so I very much welcome it," Saki, a 24-year-old Japanese student, told AFP at a video game shop in Tokyo.

"I'm personally thrilled. I've always wanted to play Zelda," agreed Abby Murphy, a tourist from New York visiting the store.

The 30-year-old added that while most video games are aimed at men, "Zelda's done a pretty good job about being aimed at everybody."

For Fanny Rebillard, a musicologist who has published a book on the saga's much-beloved soundtrack, her rise to prominence came as no surprise.

"For several episodes now, the princess has been taking on greater and greater importance in the plot. She's no longer a figure to be rescued stuck in a castle, she has her own story," Rebillard said.

When the last Zelda game, "Tears of the Kingdom", launched in 2023, it exceeded 10 million sales in three days -- a very high level for a game available only on the Switch console.

Its successor could find that success hard to emulate.

- Not ideological -

"The release of a new 'Zelda' is always an event," said Florent Gorges, author of "The History of Nintendo."

"But, between two big entries, Nintendo has always offered more modest experiences," which is where this title fits in, he said.

For Rebillard, "Echoes of Wisdom" may also be an opportunity for Nintendo to "test the waters" with a transitional episode before eventually opening the door to a larger-scale Zelda adventure.

The developers are "proceeding very cautiously", she said.

When Linkle, a female version of Link, appeared in a previous game, "there were rumours that Link might become a woman in the next 'Zelda', which provoked some pretty strong reactions" among gamers, Rebillard recalled.

In March, Princess Peach from the Mario universe was also given her own adventure on Switch titled "Princess Peach: Showtime."

That game followed Peach's portrayal as a peerless warrior in "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" -- the second biggest box-office hit of 2023.

"I don't think there's a desire to be ideological (on Nintendo's part), but simply to offer different games," Gorges said.

O.Nicholson--TNT