Daily Debate: What is the Best Zelda Clone?
Posted on June 03 2015 by Rod Lloyd
With a series as popular and groundbreaking as The Legend of Zelda, it stands to reason that other games would want to emulate the series’ tried and true formula. Zelda‘s signature action-adventure gameplay and satisfying sense of exploration are things several other games have also tried to capture. Today, we want to look at the games that best copied The Legend of Zelda, taking the gameplay qualities of Nintendo’s flagship and repurposing them for themselves.
A popular answer I see brought up in the comments quite often is Capcom’s 2006 action-adventure epic Ōkami. The game’s mix of exploration, platforming, and puzzle-solving seems ripped straight from Nintendo’s Zelda book. And it is fantastic! The gameplay is satisfying, the world is engaging, and the art style is absolutely gorgeous. Rather than strictly copy the Zelda formula like it easily could have, Ōkami crafts a beautifully unique gaming experience around the Zelda-esque gameplay; the use of brushstrokes and restoring the world were amazing features. Plus, with Ōkami releasing half a year before Twilight Princess, this game has the distinction of having wolf gameplay before the Zelda series.
There are many other answers out there. THQ’s Darksiders series also takes on 3D Zelda gameplay, but with an interesting post-apocalyptic setting. As well, retro style games like Ittle Dew or 3D Dot Game Heroes wear their Zelda influence on their sleeve.
What do you think? What is the absolute best Zelda clone out there? What about this game best repurposed the Zelda formula? Let us know in the comments and join the Daily Debate!
Rod Lloyd is the Editor-In-Chief at Zelda Dungeon, overseeing the news and feature content for the site. Rod is considered the veteran of the writing team, having started writing for Zelda Informer in 2014 as a Junior Editor. After ZD and ZI officially merged in 2017, he stepped into the Managing Editor role and has helped steer the ship ever since. He stepped up to lead the writing team as Editor-In-Chief in 2023.
You can reach Rod at: rod.lloyd@zeldadungeon.net
