Category: Inspired By Zelda

Whenever innovation comes about in the gaming industry, studios are quick to adopt those mechanics and styles into their own games, often improving upon them or pushing that innovation far enough to create entirely new genres. Before first-person shooters were a genre unto themselves, they were called “Doom clones.” To this day, games with labyrinthian maps and item/ability-based progression are often called Metroidvanias, as those mechanics were pioneered by the Metroid series and post-Symphony of the Night Castlevania games. Too…

Welcome to another installment of Inspired By Zelda, our editorial series that looks at games new and old that take inspiration from and create a foundation based on The Legend of Zelda. Our aim is to spotlight the games that Zelda fans might enjoy adding to their catalog. Up today is Beyond the Mountains from developer Eric and publisher VerdLife Games, available on Steam. Beyond the Mountains is a top-down adventure RPG that is filled to the brim with charm reminiscent…

Today I had the privilege of stopping by the PAX EAST 2023 booth for Mooneye Studios, where I played the demo of Shumi Come Home, a game heavily inspired by Zelda games like The Wind Waker and Breath of the Wild. I also had the opportunity to interview the game’s creator and developer, Noah Lone, who is known as “SomeHumbleOnion” within the industry. Shumi Come Home is set in a post-human world in which players control a humanoid mushroom named Shumi who is lost…

Welcome to another installment of Inspired By Zelda, the series of articles looking at games new and old that take inspiration and create a foundation based on some of the classic Zelda titles we know and love. Our aim is to spotlight the games that Zelda fans might enjoy adding to their catalog. Up today is Ocean’s Heart by solo developer Max Mraz and published by Nordcurrent Labs, available on Nintendo Switch and PC. Released for PC in 2021 and…

Earlier today, Playtonic Games and Castle Pixel released a trailer announcing the release date for the upcoming Blossom Tales 2: The Minotaur Prince. The game will launch on Steam and Nintendo Switch on August 16th. The original game, Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King, was released in 2017. As a whole, the Blossom Tales series draws inspiration from 2D Zelda games like A Link To The Past. The Playtonic Games webpage for Blossom Tales 2: The Minotaur Prince describes the game as…

Welcome to another installment of Inspired By Zelda, the series of articles looking at games new and old that take inspiration and create a foundation based on some of the classic Zelda titles we know and love. Our aim is to spotlight the games that Zelda fans might enjoy adding to their catalog. Up today is Elden Ring by developers From Software, available on PlayStation 4, Playstation 5,  Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, and PC.   Reflecting on my maiden…

Welcome to another installment of Inspired By Zelda, the series of articles looking at games new and old that take inspiration and create a foundation based on some of the classic Zelda titles we know and love. Our aim is to spotlight the games that Zelda fans might enjoy adding to their catalog. Up today is Arietta of Spirits by developers Third Spirit Games, available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam.   While playing Arietta of Spirits,…

If you’re anything like us, you might feel like you’re in a bit of a Zelda drought. With no new new Zelda games for the last couple years and a bunch of remakes to hold us over, the itch to play something Zelda-like can feel pretty intense. Luckily this week, Andy and Al are covering some of the absolute best Zelda-like games you can play! Come hear us talk about classics like Okami, Shadow of the Colossus, and Hyper Light…

Welcome to another installment of Inspired By Zelda, the series of articles looking at games new and old that take inspiration and create a foundation based on some of the classic Zelda titles we know and love. Our aim is to spotlight the games that Zelda fans might enjoy adding to their catalog. Up today is Ever Oasis by developer Grezzo, available on the Nintendo 3DS. Most Zelda fans will remember 2017 as the year that Breath of the Wild…

Oceanhorn 2: Knights of The Lost Realm, by Cornfox & Bros., carries a torch for Wind Waker-era Zelda just as its predecessor did. Two years ago, we covered Oceanhorn. This 2013 action-adventure game was a detailed clone of the Zelda formula for mobile devices. Oceanhorn merged both the point-and-click sailing and island hopping of Phantom Hourglass with the more traditional control scheme of Link’s Awakening. Mechanically, the game was good for a smartphone app. Its controls were smooth and the…