Support NeoGAF

[Sgt. Kabukiman]

after thinking about it, i think i'd put panzer dragoon saga in this category. one of the best videogames ever created, no doubt. a little different and RPGish but the more i think about it it's really not that much of a stretch, and most definitely is a top 20 all time game.

I'd love nothing more than to play that game some day since I love the other Panzer Dragoon games but Sega would have to re-release it first and that's probably never happening sadly. And the last time I tried to emulate the Saturn, my PC died, so I'm not eager to try again!

 

[Alboreo]

i remember i played this game a lot to fill my hole for zelda 64 (i had only the ps1 in the ps1 x n64 era) but its more an action rpg than a zelda type of game

I've never really thought of Threads of Fate as a Zelda-like, but I guess they have similarities. Amazing game regardless, I love the world that they built for it and the artstyle is incredible. Also, playing as the guy lets you transform into (basically) any monster in the game which is fun and mixes things up a lot.

I can also endorse 3D Dot Game Heroes and Okami. I've also been playing an Early Access game on Steam called Secrets of Grindea that's pretty fun and has similar combat/exploration to Zelda, although you level up and there are skill trees and crafting and such so it's a bit more of an action RPG.

Edit: Brave Fencer Musashi is awesome as well, another game that I never linked to Zelda but they do have a lot of similarities now that I'm considering it. Play the first, not the second, it has a cool art style/setting and nothing else.

 

[PrinnyBomb]

Ico felt very Zelda-esque to me, I quite enjoyed that game

 

[Bodom]

I would go with Okami and Okamiden.

Okami is the only game that ever rivaled my favorite series and is at least as good if not better (If you love Japanese mythology)

 

[BlackBuzzard]

Is Alundra outdated or is it still solid? I see it get very little recognition outside a small number on GAF.

Still very solid the game stands the test of time. Sorry for the late reaction.

 

[Collin]

The only games that are considered "Zelda-clones" that actually felt like true Zelda games to me were Okami and Oceanhorn.

One of them was great, the other kinda sucked. I'll leave it up to you to figure out which one was which.

 

[WadeitOut]

Darksiders

 

[Drillary Clinton]

Hyperlight Drifter is a wonderful game. Gorgeous music, art style, vague world with heavily implied lore that begs to be explored. Top that off with some visceral combat and you got a winner.

 

[gato_busta]

Two of my favorite games are Zelda-esque. Alundra has been mentioned many times and I mention it again. It's pretty much a more mature-ish 2D Zelda, challenging and very fun. Crystalis on the NES is also a great game, way ahead of its time. It's more of an action-RPG but it holds up pretty well, at least IMO.

 

[Pizza con salsiccia]

Dark Souls

This is the correct answer.

 

[simatron3000]

It is very much still rock solid. It has aged well, IMO. I think it got dogged on alot for only having the one town, but the characters that inhabit it have character development like no Zelda has ever done with NPC's.

And dat overworld theme....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbVLmRfeIQg

Just avoid Alundra 2 at all costs.

That overworld theme is FF7 overworld theme god level. So fucking good. I weep at the thought of a HD remake, loved the spritework in that game.

 

[Sesha]

Alundra. I like it better than any Zelda and Zelda-like I've ever played, it's one of the best PS1 games, and is up there with DMC, RE4, SotC, Bloodborne and more as one of my most-loved games of all time.

Is Alundra outdated or is it still solid? I see it get very little recognition outside a small number on GAF.

Hasn't aged a day. It's a timeless classic.

 

[FelipeMGM]

i remember i played this game a lot to fill my hole for zelda 64 (i had only the ps1 in the ps1 x n64 era) but its more an action rpg than a zelda type of game

Not really a Zelda like but still everyone should play it

The soundtrack is GOAT level

 

[RuinerPrime]

Beyond Oasis!

one of my favorite games ever!

 

[Yoshi]

Dark Souls

Edit: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1331116

lol, both of these on the front page at the same time.

Dark Souls is absolutely not Zelda-like.

I'd say Ittle Dew 1 (very much puzzle focused) and Ittle Dew 2 (now including exploration and combat) are sublime. I also like to recommend Beyond Good & Evil and Kameo (combat and puzzles, light on exploration). EDIT: Oh my, how could I have forgotten about Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy? Amazing game!

Lesser, yet still good:
Soleil
Oceanhorn
Alundra
Darksiders
Darksiders 2
Star Fox Adventures
Okami
Okamiden (imo better than Okami)
Beyond Oasis

 

[Falchion]

I just bought Okami HD on sale the other day so I'm encouraged by all the praise it's getting in this thread.

 

[John Kowalski]

I can vouch for Elliot Quest. It's super captivating and very evocative of a place in video game history without fantastical devotion or over reliance on nostalgia.

Otherwise it would be amiss of me not to make reference to, in particular, Xanadu Next. It's not a Zelda like, but in truth it feels born from the same cloth, kind of like separate occurrences of the same evolutionary step.

 

[SprachBrooks]

Spoiler

I think it has to do with Okami seeming like it's about to end several times before you actually complete the game.

The game is super long.

Spoiler

You fight the main villain three times with a bunch of quests in between. And it feels like the very end every time.

Sounds an awful lot like content padding to me. Definitely avoiding the game based on this lol; just sounds cumbersome.

 

[Bamboo]

Sounds an awful lot like content padding to me. Definitely avoiding the game based on this lol; just sounds cumbersome.

First time playing is really fun and it's just darn beautiful. It's not really padding (well, not more or less than in zelda), it's just a game in three acts. New areas, new skills, new quests and characters that are being introduced in each one. The presentation of the fights are just so darn epic that they feel like the last every time. The real final boss fight still manages to impress which is actually quite an achievement. Just don't expect it to be short. I think many people playing it blind were fooled by the first bosses presentation which led to the trope.

 

[Fahzgoolin]

People like to mention Darksiders.

Don't listen to those people.

 

[LordKasual]

DARKSIDERS

People like to mention Darksiders.

Don't listen to those people.

OP, this is what a wrong opinion looks like

i remember i played this game a lot to fill my hole for zelda 64 (i had only the ps1 in the ps1 x n64 era) but its more an action rpg than a zelda type of game

Threads of Fate was not very Zelda-like at all IMO.

This kind of was, though.

 

[oni-link]

Sounds an awful lot like content padding to me. Definitely avoiding the game based on this lol; just sounds cumbersome.

It's not so much padding, it's still a 30 hour game, it just feels like three 10 hour games back to back

Most 3D Zeldas are just 30 hour games

Okami is a great game, well worth it if you enjoy the 3D Zelda titles

 

[Donniewahlberg]

Notsurprised Okai was the first post, it was definitely my first thought. Really wish 3D Dot Heroes had been put on other stuff outside of the PS3 my PS3 is years gone and the thread reminded me I'd love to play.

 

[brad-t]

First time playing is really fun and it's just darn beautiful. It's not really padding (well, not more or less than in zelda), it's just a game in three acts. New areas, new skills, new quests and characters that are being introduced in each one. The presentation of the fights are just so darn epic that they feel like the last every time. The real final boss fight still manages to impress which is actually quite an achievement. Just don't expect it to be short. I think many people playing it blind were fooled by the first bosses presentation which led to the trope.

Okami definitely makes a better impression on the first playthrough than subsequent ones. Would be a much better game with about half the dialogue.

 

[WordAssassin]

I started playing ReCore last night expecting it to be an adventure game like Uncharted and found myself playing a Zelda clone, which wasn't bad by any means but caught me off guard. I finished the first "dungeon" and it's pretty fun so far. Has more platforming than Zelda, and there's a cool leveling up mechanic where you can customize your robot friend, but it plays very much like Zelda Of The Future so far.