What Zelda-likes are worth playing?

S

Sgt. Kabukiman

Banned
I can't wait for Breath of the Wild but with still a month to go until I get to play it on my Wii U (I'll wait for Mario to buy the Switch), I need another game like it to satiate my appetite. I've played every Zelda game multiple times at this point so I don't feel like going back to them right now.

In terms of Zelda-likes, I've played Landstalker (great but frustrating at times), Darksiders (didn't grab me) and the Ys series, which I love. What other games would you recommend?
 
2D? 3D Dot Game Heroes.

3D? Oceanhorn.
 
An old school zelda-like that I really enjoyed last year was Ittle Dew 2

ittle-dew-2.jpg


Simple, but well balanced and really funny
 
Okami is an obvious choice. The dungeons aren't as good but the game overall is so, so, so good. I replayed it about six months ago and I loved everything about it. Holds up incredibly well. The only downside I see is the "voice acting" or however you want to call it. It's really annoying.
 
Hyper Light Drifter.

Not 100% Zelda-like from a puzzle / item progression perspective but I think it captures some of the feelings I had when I play portable or older Zelda games.
 
The first Daksiders. Overread in the OP

Going to sign Okami and Hyper Light Drifter though both are more combat than puzzle focused imo.
 
maxcriden said:
There's a good list of suggestions here to start off with:

http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=1331116&page=1

Also, just came across this article the other day and found it worth a read:

Destructoid: I can't believe it's not Zelda
Click to expand...

Oops, didn't know there was already a thread like this recently, my bad.
That Destructoid list is pretty good.

For the suggestions in this thread, I struggled to get past the first few hours of Okami (sorry!) and while I own 3D Dot Game Heroes, the blu-ray drive in my PS3 is dead so that's not an option...

I think I own Hyper Light Drifter thanks to PS PLUS, I'll give it a look. And Story of Thor, I vaguely remember that one on the Megadrive and I might have it on Steam.
 
Sgt. Kabukiman said:
Oops, didn't know there was already a thread like this recently, my bad.
That Destructoid list is pretty good.

For the suggestions in this thread, I struggled to get past the first few hours of Okami (sorry!) and while I own 3D Dot Game Heroes, the blu-ray drive in my PS3 is dead so that's not an option...

I think I own Hyper Light Drifter thanks to PS PLUS, I'll give it a look. And Story of Thor, too, I vaguely remember that one.
Click to expand...

NP at all! Just thought it would be a thread you'd be interested to see.

In the meantime, as long as I'm here, I'll post about my favorite Zelda-like:

(I'm going to post something I've previously posted in a thread about favorite game maps.)

I really, really like the map in Elliot Quest.

953545F2C06B9AE797F70C9D5A86C7AFF496E499


Screen-Shot-2014-06-10-at-10.52.00-PM.png


When you encounter an exclamation point, that means there's an area there.

tumblr_neosux7TSb1s8ouhxo4_500.gif


tumblr_nlksa4b9eK1tliyz4o5_r2_1280.gif


tumblr_neosux7TSb1s8ouhxo3_500.gif


get


You don't get the sense of it too well in this pic, but traversing across it is reminiscent of Golden Sun for me, but really it's more like a modern Zelda II. Gah. It's so good. Traversing it just feels great with so many hidden secrets and areas. Here's part of my GOTY write-up for it:

Here's why this is such a terrific game. I've only played bits and pieces of Zelda II but if ever someone wanted to see how a Zelda game would work as a 2D sidescroller, Elliot Quest is their game. So, everything about this game is a wondrously emblematic of a lucid world brought to life. The character and enemy design is unique but has that unmistakable je ne sais quoi of the Zelda genre. The action is tight and thoughtful and responsive. The puzzles are bewitching but never frustrating. The music is delightful and memorably grand. The most important thing is game feel, though, and just playing EQ feels terrific. You become Elliot. This is what I want from a game. To be transported into a world, to be the character--to be the "Link" into their world, if you will. EQ offers and delivers this in spades. It's the best Zelda game Nintendo never published, and I can't recommend it heartily enough.
Click to expand...
 
Okami is one of my favourite games, and it's the best Zelda-like out there if you ask me. Its take on puzzles, characterisation, and world-building are things that Aonouma and his team would be proud of. The mechanics, art style, and storytelling are flawlessly woven into each other.

If you can, go for the PS3 version. The PS2 one can be pretty slow, and has some unfortunate performance issues. Not ideal for a long, verbose game. The Wii version might seem alluring with its motion controls, but it's one of those motion control games where you need to be 100% perfect in doing your actions, or else it will not register. This version is missing some effects/has tweaked graphical effects, and also has some slowdown here and there. Both of these versions are serviceable if you know what you're getting into, but I just would advice against them if you have a PS3 as an option.
 
maxcriden said:
NP at all! Just thought it would be a thread you'd be interested to see.

In the meantime, as long as I'm here, I'll post about my favorite Zelda-like:

(I'm going to post something I've previously posted in a thread about favorite game maps.)

I really, really like the map in Elliot Quest.

When you encounter an exclamation point, that means there's an area there.

You don't get the sense of it too well in this pic, but traversing across it is reminiscent of Golden Sun for me, but really it's more like a modern Zelda II. Gah. It's so good. Traversing it just feels great with so many hidden secrets and areas. Here's part of my GOTY write-up for it:
Click to expand...

This looks great, can't believe I never heard of it before and it's on Wii U apparently. Going to the eshop right now.
 
Sgt. Kabukiman said:
This looks great, can't believe I never heard of it before and it's on Wii U apparently. Going to the eshop right now.
Click to expand...

My work here is done. Just be sure to get those patches! It took a little time for them to perfect some bugs after release, it was like a game of whac-a-mole where they would fix one issue and another would pop up. Anyway, very psyched to hear your thoughts on this lovely game!

(Oh, and I strongly recommend playing with the Wiimote sideways, if that's a control scheme you enjoy; I thought that was the best way to play the game, but multiple kinds of controllers are supported.)
 
FelipeMGM said:
An old school zelda-like that I really enjoyed last year was Ittle Dew 2

Simple, but well balanced and really funny
Click to expand...

How is it compared to the original? I thought that was okay, but I didn't like they reduced the Zelda formula into nothing but block puzzles.
 
Batman: Arkham games are a good choice if you consider them as Zelda-like.

There are also the Darksiders games for an edgy (and I mean it in a positive way) version of the Zelda formula.
 
Sgt. Kabukiman said:
I can't wait for Breath of the Wild but with still a month to go until I get to play it on my Wii U (I'll wait for Mario to buy the Switch), I need another game like it to satiate my appetite. I've played every Zelda game multiple times at this point so I don't feel like going back to them right now.

In terms of Zelda-likes, I've played Landstalker (great but frustrating at times), Darksiders (didn't grab me) and the Ys series, which I love. What other games would you recommend?
Click to expand...

Alundra!
 
Blood_Omen_Legacy_of_Kain_Coverart.png


Believe it or not. Very reminiscent of Link to the Past. Challegening dungeons. Fun boss fights. Incredible music. TONS of secrets. Lots of exploration.

Looks dated on bigger televisions, but perfect if you can get it on a handheld like the PSP or Vita. Highly recommend it.
 
If you have a PS3, Okami HD and 3D Dot Game Heroes are your best bet. 3DDGH especially is a love letter to the original NES Zelda and you can even find custom Link character models online that you can download and use.
 
Alundra !

It is one of my favorite games ever and i think it even surpasses most of the Zelda's. The music, mood, gameplay, dungeons are perfect. Don't play Alundra 2 as it's not made by the same people and is actually really bad, get the first one and the first one only !
 
Sgt. Kabukiman said:
I can't wait for Breath of the Wild but with still a month to go until I get to play it on my Wii U (I'll wait for Mario to buy the Switch), I need another game like it to satiate my appetite. I've played every Zelda game multiple times at this point so I don't feel like going back to them right now.

In terms of Zelda-likes, I've played Landstalker (great but frustrating at times), Darksiders (didn't grab me) and the Ys series, which I love. What other games would you recommend?
Click to expand...

It's a YMMV thing - and might suffer in a similarish way to Darkstalkers - but you might take to Ittle Dew. It looks like a Zelda, but I'd describe it as primarily a puzzle game with some Zelda-like aesthetics. I would, however, also describe it as a very good puzzle game with some Zelda-like aesthetics, with interesting scope for speedrunning, so if the puzzles are your preference, it might well do the trick.

I've not played the second game, but I'm told it's got much more balance between the puzzle side and the action side; that may well be a better fit, but I can't attest to it directly.
 
People always say Darksiders 1&2 in these threads. I put a few hours into each one based off this and don't understand how they are similar at all.

Granted I haven't played every Zelda game, only a few 2D ones and Ocarina of Time but still don't see it.
 
DrunkShogun said:
Okami but its a long game. Could easily take you to botw release date or further.
Click to expand...

I'm at the end of Okami at the moment (Playing the HD version) and my save file is it 27 hours I think

It's long, sure, but most 3D Zelda games take 20 hours plus

I think Skyward Sword took me 40

Jay Sosa said:
Alundra..aka the second best Zelda.
Click to expand...

This thread is making me sad that I didn't enjoy Alundra after playing it for 6 or 7 hours
 
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