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Zelda-like games |OT| It's not Zelda, but Ittle Dew

OrvilleGateau

OrvilleGateau

Member
Feb 18, 2024
147
Hi everyone, this is my very first thread here!

This is gonna be a thread for discussing/sharing games in the Zelda-like genre, be them already released or upcoming.

You might be wondering what exactly is a Zelda-like, and to answer that question I'll be using a definition I've read from user 'Enraric' over on Reddit a while ago, I think their definition is the most accurate at describing the genre since there are many games out there that claim to be Zelda inspired but don't actually play anything like Zelda when you actually sit down to play them.

So, for the purposes of this thread, a Zelda-like is:
  1. An action adventure game with
  2. mandatory puzzle solving
  3. progression gated via new abilities (usually in the form of items)
  4. and dungeons that are distinctly separate from the overworld
Games which fulfill all four categories are "strict" Zelda-likes. Games which fulfill three of the four are "loose" Zelda-likes. For example, Golden Sun has mandatory puzzle solving, progression gated via new abilities, and dungeons that are distinctly separate from the overworld, but its combat is turn-based, not real time. Since it fulfills 3/4 requirements, it could be considered a loose Zelda-like (or Zelda-lite, if you will).

This also means that BotW/TotK, while Zelda games, aren't Zelda-like games due to the lack of bullet points 2 and 3, so please refrain from sharing games inspired by those in this thread. Please don't derail the thread by arguing semantics on what a Zelda-like is/isn't, it's pretty clear that this thread is for games that follow the traditional Zelda gameplay and progression, either faithfully or loosely, instead of the modern formula.

However, it's fine to discuss whether or not the games posted in this thread fulfill all the requirements needed to be considered a Zelda-like. I'll admit I haven't gotten around to playing a good portion of the games listed here yet, so I'll update these lists to add/remove games as we go in case I mistakenly added games that don't fulfill at least 3/4 requirements.

Without further ado, I took the liberty to compile this list of all the 2D and 3D Zelda-likes that I know of so far. Enjoy!

2D Top-down Zelda-likes

Already released:
Upcoming:
3D Zelda-likes

Already released:
Upcoming:
  • Abyss X Zero: It describes itself as a 3D Metroidvania but some elements from the trailer such as locked doors, block puzzles and treasure chests show a lot of Zelda DNA.
  • Seed of Life: A 3D Zelda-like with a painterly artstyle where you swap between two playable characters: a wolf cub and a bird.
  • Azaran: Islands of the Jinn: Heavily inspired by Ocarina of Time's artstyle, this is a Zelda-like based on 1001 Arabian Nights.
  • Legend 64: Another 3D Zelda-like which tries to mimic the N64 artstyle, this time with a japanese theme.
  • Untitled game by Yarn Owl / Annapurna: Not confirmed to be a Zelda-like yet, but it sure sounds like one going by the dev commentary.
Not-quite Zelda-like / Honorable mentions

This category is for games that either have a clear Zelda influence despite not sticking faithfully to classic Zelda gameplay, or have similar vibes.

Already released:
Upcoming
 
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Foolish

Foolish

Member
Jun 23, 2022
1,094
Okami is my favorite game of all time. If you are reading this and haven't played Okami, I recommend Okami to you. Play Okami.

Usually goes on sale for dirt cheap these days.
 
OP
OP
OrvilleGateau

OrvilleGateau

Member
Feb 18, 2024
147
Tony72495 said:
I'm shocked he didn't list Tunic.
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There's actually a reason for it, I haven't played it yet but I was doing research on it and heard conflicting opinions about how much it actually played like Zelda, it's certainly inspired by it but it looks like it's doing its own thing and doesn't really have item-based dungeon progression, as far as I know anyways.
 
JaseMath

JaseMath

Member
Oct 27, 2017
9,417
Denver, CO
Kena.jpg

I loved this game. It's a refreshing, easy-to-play Gamecube-era Zelda-like with modern day QoL features.
 
JustinH

JustinH

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,434
Tunic is absolutely fantastic, so I hope OP enjoys it as much as I did when they get around to it.
It's been a while, though, since I played it. I honestly can't remember how distinct the dungeons are from the overworld.

Another game I haven't played in many, many, MANY years but I absolutely loved back on Gamecube was Beyond Good and Evil. I remember specifically that game being referred to as "Zelda-like."
 
ANNeFRANKxGOKU

ANNeFRANKxGOKU

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,516
i truly do not consider tunic to be a zelda-like

the combat elements are by far the worst parts of it. i would funnel it under a puzzle game ala the witness or something instead.

also it feels like i've been waiting years for mina the hollower
 
OP
OP
OrvilleGateau

OrvilleGateau

Member
Feb 18, 2024
147
JustinH said:
Tunic is absolutely fantastic, so I hope OP enjoys it as much as I did when they get around to it.
It's been a while, though, since I played it. I honestly can't remember how distinct the dungeons are from the overworld.

Another game I haven't played in many, many, MANY years but I absolutely loved back on Gamecube was Beyond Good and Evil. I remember specifically that game being referred to as "Zelda-like."
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I'll be honest I really really wanted to add Beyond Good and Evil to the list (especially with the remaster that's coming out!) because I love that game, but I played it years ago so I don't remember if it had defined dungeons or not. I guess if there's enough demand for it I could add a Zelda-inspired section for games that might not necessarily play super close to Zelda but share the same vibes, if that makes sense.
 
predalien27

predalien27

Member
Nov 18, 2017
167
1.png



If you have a Playdate console, then this little gem (pun intended) is a great light Zelda experience. It's probably in my top 3 games on the console. Plus you get it for free with the first season of games!

play.date

Ratcheteer for Playdate

Play as an apprentice mechanic tasked with maintaining steam-powered cryo-colonies constructed for humanity to sleep out an impact winter following a celestial collision. Your master mechanic is abducted during some unplanned maintenance, setting off a lo-fi, top-down, action-adventure that...
play.date play.date
 
Renna Hazel

Renna Hazel

Member
Oct 27, 2017
11,650
I've really been waiting for indies to pump out some 3D Zelda-style games so I'm bookmarking this topic to get updates on the games mentioned in the OP, and any new ones added. It's not an easy genre to tackle, but I sure hope some of these games stick the landing.
 
AppleKid

AppleKid

Member
Feb 21, 2018
2,578
OrvilleGateau said:
I'll be honest I really really wanted to add Beyond Good and Evil to the list (especially with the remaster that's coming out!) because I love that game, but I played it years ago so I don't remember if it had defined dungeons or not. I guess if there's enough demand for it I could add a Zelda-inspired section for games that might not necessarily play super close to Zelda but share the same vibes, if that makes sense.
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Probably worth adding sections to the OP for ones that get recommended in this thread but could be up for debate. In addition to echoing sentiments around Minishoot' Adventures, Tunic, and Beyond Good & Evil, it'd also be good to see Eastward or Goemon 3 get a shout-out which all scratched a similar itch.
 
Costa

Costa

Member
Oct 25, 2017
537
Canada
Great thread idea!

I would request Mega Man Legends & Mega Man Legends 2 to be listed as 3D Zelda-likes (even though the first Legends most assuredly did not take any inspiration from Ocarina of Time, considering it came out a month later hah).

Those games are focused a bit more on the action vs the puzzles, and your main weapon is ranged instead of melee, but as a kid I always saw them as the closest thing the Playstation had to the N64's Zelda games.

(also; small fix for the OP, but the text before the games list get smaller after at the name Enraric)
 
.exe

.exe

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,294
Kazooie said:
I am not because it is nothing like Zelda.
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It reminded me a lot of Zelda (1) with how the game expected the player to approach it with curiosity and experimentation. You don't get a new item each dungeon, but it shares a lot of Zelda's design vocabulary nonetheless.

Anyway, another one I liked a lot is Minit. Not a Zelda-like in the super strictest sense, but, like Tunic, it plays around with Zelda's template.
 
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bloodgate

bloodgate

Member
Dec 18, 2019
171
Iowa
Anodyne is "sort-of" zelda-like. Ish. It's hard to separate massive inspiration from -like gameplay. Tunic is a case in point for this as well.
 
Maxime

Maxime

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,994
Nice to see a nod to Ittle Dew, I love those games! Hoping they do more with them at some point.

Great OT, watching it to catch on some hidden gems :)
 
Kazooie

Kazooie

Member
Jul 17, 2019
5,054
OrvilleGateau said:
There's actually a reason for it, I haven't played it yet but I was doing research on it and heard conflicting opinions about how much it actually played like Zelda, it's certainly inspired by it but it looks like it's doing its own thing and doesn't really have item-based dungeon progression, as far as I know anyways.
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It does not and it only has one type of puzzle, which is environmental information gathering style of puzzle, which is only relevant for one aspect of the game, not for the majority of the progression in the game.
 
OP
OP
OrvilleGateau

OrvilleGateau

Member
Feb 18, 2024
147
AppleKid said:
Probably worth adding sections to the OP for ones that get recommended in this thread but could be up for debate. In addition to echoing sentiments around Minishoot' Adventures, Tunic, and Beyond Good & Evil, it'd also be good to see Eastward or Goemon 3 get a shout-out which all scratched a similar itch.
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Yeah going from a few suggestions here I'll add an "Inspired, but not quite Zelda-like" category later after I comb through all the suggestions to see whether they fit the genre or not. Might also add a "Zelda 2-like" section if there's enough demand for those, but for now I'm trying to avoid diluting the point of the thread too much lol
 
OP
OP
OrvilleGateau

OrvilleGateau

Member
Feb 18, 2024
147
Maxime said:
Nice to see a nod to Ittle Dew, I love those games! Hoping they do more with them at some point.

Great OT, watching it to catch on some hidden gems :)
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I'll be honest it kinda pains me that the devs have been working on those Nickelodeon Smash clones the past few years, it's nice to see them get recognition and be able to work on something big but I'm personally sitting here foolishly hoping for them to make an Ittle Dew 3(D) haha.
 
NekoCat

NekoCat

Member
May 6, 2022
1,201
New York
OrvilleGateau said:
Yeah going from a few suggestions here I'll add an "Inspired, but not quite Zelda-like" category later after I comb through all the suggestions to see whether they fit the genre or not. Might also add a "Zelda 2-like" section if there's enough demand for those, but for now I'm trying to avoid diluting the point of the thread too much lol
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What about a Zelda CDi-like section?


View: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1924780/Arzette_The_Jewel_of_Faramore/

(Kidding - but Arzette is genuinely awesome.)
 
OP
OP
OrvilleGateau

OrvilleGateau

Member
Feb 18, 2024
147
Ant_17 said:
Your criteria are a bit vague, cause this is a Zelda game.

Alpha_Protocol_cover.jpg
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Not familiar with that game but how so? I didn't make the criteria myself but it's the one I thought was the clearest which is why I used it, but I'm not against updating it to be even more specific if we start getting examples that are too vague to fit into the Zelda mold.

Rolento said:
Out of all of the 'likes' which ones are most like Link's Awakening?
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Hmm Castaway seems the closest imo.

falcondoc said:
Where's Immortals Fenyx rising?
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That's a BotW-like though, no? I don't think it fits here unless it's closer to the classic Zelda formula and I'm not aware of it.
 
mael

mael

Avenger
Nov 3, 2017
16,871
If we're talking about games inspired by Zelda 2 specifically,
then I need to do my job and recommend that everyone play GOTY 2020

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3zDZlh8CH0

phoenotopia.com

Phoenotopia Awakening

Join Gail, a simple villager, who must heed the call for adventure when a great starship appears in the night sky and abducts all the adults. As the new oldest member of her fragmented community, she must set out to solve this great mystery. Little does she know of the grand adventure before...
phoenotopia.com phoenotopia.com
Steam
store.steampowered.com

Phoenotopia: Awakening on Steam

Embark on a grand adventure in Phoenotopia! An action-adventure puzzle platformer inspired by the great classics. Meet charming townsfolk, brave the dungeons, and thwart evil in your quest to save your family.
store.steampowered.com store.steampowered.com
eshop
www.nintendo.com

Phoenotopia : Awakening for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Official Site

Buy Phoenotopia : Awakening and shop other great Nintendo products online at the official My Nintendo Store.
www.nintendo.com www.nintendo.com
xbox

Buy Phoenotopia: Awakening | Xbox

Join Gail, a simple villager, who must heed the call for adventure when a great star ship appears in the night sky and abducts all the adults. As the new oldest member of her fragmented community, she must set out to solve this great mystery. Little does she know of the grand adventure before...
www.xbox.com
psn

Phoenotopia: Awakening

Join Gail, a simple villager, who must heed the call for adventure when a great star ship appears in the night sky and abducts all the adults. As the new oldest member of her fragmented community, she must set out to solve this great mystery. Little does she know of the grand adventure before...
store.playstation.com
gog (it's on sale at the time of writing this post)

Best Video games, DRM-free | GOG.COM

Download the best classic and new games on Windows, Mac & Linux. A vast selection of titles, DRM-free, with free goodies and 30-day money-back guarantee.
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onstove
soundtrack
sillythewilly.bandcamp.com

Phoenotopia Awakening (Original Game Soundtrack), by sillythewilly

60 track album
sillythewilly.bandcamp.com sillythewilly.bandcamp.com
on spotify
open.spotify.com

Phoenotopia Awakening (Original Game Soundtrack)

sillythewilly · Album · 2020 · 60 songs.
open.spotify.com open.spotify.com

You now have no excuse
 
OP
OP
OrvilleGateau

OrvilleGateau

Member
Feb 18, 2024
147
Belphegor said:
Metroid and its derivatives are Zelda likes
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I think the key difference here is both the perspective (Zelda-likes are usually top-down instead of side-scrollers) and the fourth bulletpoint ("dungeons that are distinctly separate from the overworld"), since Metroidvanias are usually more about fully interconnected worlds instead of having dedicated dungeon areas for puzzles. That's actually the reason I couldn't list Bayonetta Origins as a Zelda-like, since its progression very much reminds me of Zelda but it doesn't have dungeons so it's more of a Metroidvania in its world design.

I do agree the line separating the two genres is very thin though, which is why I think it might be better to avoid Zelda 2-inspired games because if those count, it makes my job much harder, so I'm sticking with just top-down and 3D games for now.

Edit: Hmm actually if I adhere rigidly to the criteria I use on the OP, then Bayonetta Origins actually does fulfill at least 3/4 criteria so it counts as a Zelda-lite.
 
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Jetsun Mila

Jetsun Mila

Member
Apr 7, 2021
3,007
Like mentioned above, Phoenotopia. It is a great spritual sequel to Zelda 2.
And Prodigial is one of the best spritual sequel to Links Awakening, if Links Awakening has a smaller world map and 22 Dungeons, half of them being post-game.

And two that are more in the somewhat inspired:
kx7FjJR.png


Swordplay and some of the dungeon puzzles feel like a Zelda game, but you move from Level to Level instead of having a connected overworld

EWnKvFT.png


The dungeons are fairly Zelda-inspired and it clearly shares its engine with the 3DS Zelda ports.
 
Bede-x

Bede-x

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,545
This is a cool thread with many interesting recommendations, I'm gonna be inspired by.

As for Zelda likes, you talk about the action elements OP, but are they required to considered for the thread? I played the demo of Isles of Sea & Sky (Called Akurra back then) and while it certainly is a different kind of game, it still has some Zelda dna in it's visuals and (I assume) structure:


View: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1233070/Isles_of_Sea_and_Sky/

Maybe that's too far removed for the thread?
 
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AGJTX

AGJTX

Member
Jan 28, 2020
460
Hazelnut Bastille is another that has been in development for a long time, and while they haven't made too many updates, their Kickstarter still updates somewhat regularly.
 
Triggerhappytel

Triggerhappytel

Member
Oct 27, 2017
15,105
I've got a game called Sparklite which I bought a while back specifically because it looked like a classic Zelda-style adventure. Haven't played it yet though. There's another that looked similar called Airoheart which I did not buy because someone on this here said it was a bit lousy so I avoided it. I'm sure there are tons of indie games along these lines which could go in the OP.

I also consider the original Alundra on PS1 to be the best game in the whole sub-genre, even over the Zelda games themselves. I just wish there was a way to play it on modern devices.
 
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