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Princess Zelda takes the lead in 'Echoes of Wisdom'

Princess Zelda will shed her role as damsel in distress to play the heroine for the first time in the nearly four-decade history of the Nintendo fantasy series named after her.

"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.