Guide: 10 Games Like Zelda to Adventure in!

The Legend of Zelda franchise is one of Nintendo's crowning jewels, the first game released in 1986, The Legend of Zelda takes place in the fantasy land of Hyrule, where a boy named Link, who the player controls, must rescue Princess Zelda from Ganon, and to do so his objective is to explore the world of Hyrule to find eight fragments of the Triforce.

The element of exploration is one of the key pieces of Zelda's game design, something that Nintendo itself understood and over the years not only maintained, but also improved and evolved upon, ensuring that the franchise did not become stagnant and repetitive. If you're a fan of this series and looking for similar experiences, check out this list of 10 games for fans who feel like playing something similar, both old and new.

Blossom Tales

Platforms: PC and Nintendo Switch.

This is a game that may have flown under the radar for many fans. Released in 2017, developed by Castle Pixel, LLC, Blossom Tales is an action-RPG with a top-down look and open world exploration.

In the game, a grandfather is telling his granddaughters a story, the king was the victim of a spell that put him to eternal sleep, and the person who bewitched him was his own brother. The magic can only be broken with a potion brewed with unique ingredients. Among the knights is the protagonist, who has just joined the guard and is on her first day of work.

Blossom Tales drinks directly from the source of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, even taking heavy inspiration from the gameplay, and has its own captivating world, with different activities to be done, dungeons to be explored and charismatic characters.

Crusader of Centy

Platforms: Mega Drive and Nintendo Switch

Developed by Nextech and released in 1994 for the Mega Drive, Crusader of Centy is a hidden gem of the console, being considered Sega's "A Link to the Past".

In the game, we control a boy who has just turned 14 called Corona, who inherits his late father's sword, but ends up losing the ability to speak with humans, and can only communicate with animals.

Our mission is to defeat monsters which threaten the existence of humanity, some animals decide to join the journey and each one has unique abilities that help in battles against enemies and bosses, exploring the world and finding secrets, going through dungeons, and solving puzzles.

Ocean’s Heart

Platforms: PC and Nintendo Switch

Ocean's Heart is an action RPG released by indie studio Max Mraz in January 2021, a love letter to games from the Game Boy Advance generation, the entire pixel art look of the game is reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap .

In the game, we control Tília, a young daughter of a bar owner who disappeared after a pirate attack. Tired of waiting, she decides to take a boat and go after her father on her own.

Despite the simple plot, Ocean's Heart has a huge universe, full of dungeons, side missions, treasures and weapons to find.

Minit

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC and Mobile.

Developed by a team of four people, Minit may have a proposal that looks simple, but its execution makes the game unique and special.

In Minit, we are unlucky enough to find a cursed sword, and as a result we only have 60 seconds to live, the time we have to explore the world. All progress made remains with the player, helping us, after death, to advance more quickly in the universe.

It is noted that the developers were inspired by the first The Legend of Zelda on NES to create Minit in the way of exploring the open world, the minimalist level design and how Minit delivers almost no exposition and values ​​exploration.

Tunic

Platforms: PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, PC

As one of the strongest competitors in the 2022 Game of The Year Best Indie category, Tunic embraces the exploration genre of the first The Legend of Zelda.

When starting the game, we just control an anthropomorphized fox that apparently woke up on an island. As we explore, we see that our objective is to find three pieces that can open a door that will free another fox, who is trapped in a prism.

On an island full of secrets, Tunic makes use of the manual, something that came with titles in the past, as one of the main elements of the gameplay, since almost the entire game is written in a language of runes, except for keywords, the manual serves as a guide for the player to understand how the game works, at the same time it omits and is responsible for the biggest secret in the plot. Tunic's entire experience is as if you were a child again, trying out a game and not knowing how to read, playing just by exploring and deducing certain words.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits

Platforms: PlayStation 4 and 5, PC

For fans of The Legend of Zelda 3D titles, Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a game that will win over the hearts of fans who miss the classics from Nintendo 64 and Game Cube

Kena: Bridge of Spirits is an action-adventure story that combines exploration with fast-paced combat. Explore the past as Kena, a young spirit guide searching for the Mountain Sanctuary. Help free the spirits trapped in a forgotten village with the support of Rot, Kena's adorable (but powerful) spirit companion.

In addition to gameplay reminiscent of games in the franchise such as Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess, Kena has beautiful, cartoonish visuals, similar to feature films from Disney studios.

Okami

Platforms: PlayStation 2, 3 and 4, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, PC

Originally released in 2007, Okami mixes action, platform and puzzle genres, and for years was compared by several writers in gaming articles with The Legend of Zelda, due to the similarities in the general style of gameplay. Something that shouldn't surprise anyone, as Hideki Kamiya is a self-proclaimed Zelda fan, and admitted the franchise influenced the creation of its overall design.

Okami lets the player control Amaterasu, in a world with an artistic style entirely done in cel-shading, in the style of a watercolor painting, which resembles a Japanese illustration.

Lil Gator Game

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox Series X and S.

A little alligator who is a fan of a game franchise called “Hero of Legend”, tired of waiting for a new sequel, decides to invent a children's game similar to the game he is a fan of.

Controlling the little alligator, our mission is to play a hero with mechanics that imitate gameplay from the Zelda 3D series, from attacking enemies made of cardboard using your wooden sword, climbing structures, exploring a playground, surfing on your toy shield and gliding using a t-shirt.

Lil Gator Game is not an epic story of the hero saving the world from the forces of evil, it is an exciting and nostalgic experience, not of a video game, but of childhood itself.

Immortals Fenyx Rising

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4 and 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, PC

Developed by Ubisoft, Immortals Fenyx Rising is directly inspired by The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild.

Controlling the winged demigod Fenyx, your mission is to save the Greek gods, the fate of the world is in danger and Fenyx is the last hope. The game takes place on the Golden Island, a large open world made up of seven distinct regions inspired by Greek mythology. Similar to BOTW, the player must explore, fight enemies and solve puzzles.

Despite being similar, Immortals has its subtleties that separate it from Zelda, and can be a good option for fans who want to play something similar.

Genshin Impact

Platforms: Playstation 4 and 5, PC and Mobile.

The impact of Breath of the Wild was enormous, and it was almost impossible for games inspired by it not to be born afterward. Genshin Impact is proof of that.

In an open and magical world called Teyvat, a traveler ends up losing his brother (or sister), and the player is left to explore and learn more about the vast world. As the plot progresses, it is possible to control other characters encountered during the journey, each possessing unique skills, personalities and fighting styles.

In addition to the gameplay, it is clear how the entire artistic style of the world and characters of Genshin were inspired by the Nintendo game, with its strong colors and calm and contemplative environments.

These are some titles that fans of the Zelda franchise may like to try. We tried to get titles for every fan of a specific title in the series, from the classic NES and Super Nintendo, to fans of the most modern games from Nintendo 64 to Nintendo Switch.

I hope this list helps fans who miss the Nintendo game series to discover new pieces of work, each one will provide a different journey and experience, full of adventure, action and discovery throughout the gameplay, always with that feeling of an epic journey that is one of the main reasons fans fall in love.