10 SHAMELESS Zelda Knock-Off Games
10 Shameless Zelda Knock-Off Games
10 Shameless Nintendo Knock-Off Games
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re looking at 10 Shameless Zelda Knock-Off Games. For this list, we’ll be looking at video games that leaned a bit too closely towards “The Legend of Zelda” when it came to style and mechanics. To be clear, we’re not saying all of these games are bad; some are actually pretty good. But it’s very obvious where their inspiration came from. Have you played any of these “Zelda”-likes? Which ones do you enjoy the most? Let us know in the comments!
“Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King” (2017)
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“Breath of the Wild” wasn’t the only “Zelda” experience available in the Switch’s first year. “Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King” is a “Zelda” clone that is more than worth checking out. As you can probably tell, it’s “A Link to the Past” for a new generation. It follows Lily, a newly appointed Knight of the Rose, as she goes on a journey to find a cure for the sleeping curse placed on her king by a villainous wizard. Everything from its delightful 16-bit presentation to its puzzles to its weapons is classic “Zelda.” Lily even has a spin attack, hearts as health, and a green magic meter. It was such a well-made clone that it earned itself a sequel!
“Golvellius: The Valley of Doom” (1988)
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In the early days of Sega, the company had to think of as many ways as it could to compete with Nintendo. While this wouldn’t be Sega’s last stab at a “Zelda” clone, “Golvellius: The Valley of Doom” didn’t just attempt to copy a single game. Players controlled Kelesis, a warrior who had to slay seven bosses, collect their crystals, and defeat Golvellius to rescue a princess. Which, obviously, is very close to most “Zelda” story structures. There were a couple of things that made it unique. It was much more linear in nature than the two “Zeldas” of the time. And it featured a mix of top-down gameplay from the original and the sidescrolling gameplay of its sequel.
“Mysplaced” (TBA)
While this indie title hasn’t released yet at time of writing, it’s too blatant of a knock-off not to include. Introduced through IGN’s Rogue Jam competition, “Mysplaced” immediately started getting comparisons to the 2019 remake of “Link’s Awakening.” According to developer Clearskygames, the homage was entirely intentional. That should be obvious; it legitimately looks like a mod of the game. The story is also incredibly reminiscent as it follows a hero who finds himself in a world he shouldn’t be in. The gameplay we’ve seen so far shows the hero using items and weapons that we’ve all seen before. However, Clearskygames maintains that its structure will borrow from another Nintendo franchise, calling “Mysplaced” a Metroidvania. We’ll have to wait and see how unique the game is, if at all, when it launches.
“Star Fox Adventures” (2002)
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Even one of Nintendo’s own IPs has a “Zelda” knock-off. Rare’s “Star Fox Adventures” began life as “Dinosaur Planet” for the N64. When development started, “Ocarina of Time” wasn’t out yet. It was only after Rare was forced by Nintendo to make it a “Star Fox” game that the team looked to “Zelda” for inspiration. To be fair, “Ocarina” was groundbreaking. But Lead Software Engineer Phil Tossell has stated he understands the criticism and comparisons as the team relied too heavily on “Zelda.” Some diehard “Star Fox” fans were upset by such a drastic change. The series had long stuck to, and returned to afterwards, intense space combat gameplay. It seems puzzle-solving and dungeon-exploring isn’t what “Star Fox” should focus on.
“Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm” (2019)
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The first “Oceanhorn” was essentially isometric “Wind Waker” (Xref). Instead of sticking with that format for the sequel, or rather prequel, developer Cornfox & Bros. looked to the then newest entry in the series to replicate: “Breath of the Wild.” This is plain to see from literally any frame you look at. While obviously much smaller and more linear than its inspiration, the game’s aesthetic is remarkably similar. Despite a definite lack of personality, the game is actually a solid experience. Gameplay may be more shallow than what “Zelda” fans would expect, but there are far worse action adventure games you could play. It may be one to check out while you wait for “Breath of the Wild 2.”
“Final Fantasy Adventure” (1991)
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“Zelda” has always had some light RPG elements, but nothing close to the same level as “Final Fantasy.” In 1991, Square attempted to blend the two. “Final Fantasy Adventure” plays and looks very similar to the original “Legend of Zelda.” However, different stats, unlockable spells, and companions made it a bit more unique. Still, some of these dungeon layouts and puzzles seem like they could’ve been ripped straight from the NES classic. What’s cool is that it was released on the Game Boy before “Link’s Awakening,” making it one of the earlier portable “Zelda” experiences. It also spawned the “Mana” series (Xref), which managed to outgrow its “Zelda” similarities and, in some people’s eyes, even surpass them.
“Crusader of Centy” (1995)
Another “Zelda” clone from Sega, “Crusader of Centy” attempted to bring the same experience as “A Link to the Past” to Genesis players. But as it was released in 1995, they were a bit late to the party. The story follows Corona, a 14-year-old boy who inherits his sword and shield from his deceased father and must battle monsters to save his kingdom. There are a handful of features that are different, such as Corona collecting animal companions, each of which has a special ability. But for the most part, “Crusader of Centy” didn’t leave much of a mark and, of course, didn’t come close to matching “Zelda” in acclaim. It’s far from the most egregious “Zelda” knock-off from Sega, but we’ll get to that in a bit.
“3D Dot Game Heroes” (2010)
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Silicon Studio’s nostalgia heavy action RPG uses voxels to create its graphics, resulting in a 3D game that mimics a 2D style. The story is, quite literally, a plot straight from “Zelda.” The opening, which seems to be heavily inspired by “Wind Waker,” tells of a Dark King that captured Six Sages that upheld peace within the kingdom and the young boy who vanquished him. The story was passed down as legend until one day evil returned… Yeah, that’s “Zelda.” Gameplay has you using nearly every weapon of Link’s classic adventures as you explore its overworld and delve into dungeons. Speaking of its overworld, the theme music sounds about as close as you can get to the “Zelda” theme without risking copyright infringement.
“Golden Axe Warrior” (1991)
The original “Golden Axe” is an arcade beat ‘em up classic. The same year it saw a sequel released on the Genesis, Sega released this spin-off on its older console, the Master System. And it is, by far, one of the most flagrant “Zelda” rip-offs we’ve ever seen. Your quest takes you through nine labyrinths (i.e. dungeons) to collect nine crystals (i.e. Triforce pieces) before you can stop the big bad. It is, for all intents and purposes, the first “Zelda” game. It just looks a little bit nicer. Everything from its overworld to its enemy designs to its level layouts look modeled after those in the NES game. Given that other “Golden Axe” games were styled completely differently, it’s pretty obvious what was happening here.
“Immortals Fenyx Rising” (2020)
“Breath of the Wild” was so monumental, it forced AAA studios to change how they made open-world games. Some adapted smaller elements, like putting in a glider, while others were more liberal. Ubisoft’s “Immortals” is one of the latter. It’s easy to tell that its art style is similar, especially considering the realistic look of most other open world games from the studio. On top of gliding far distances, Fenyx also has a stamina bar for climbing and a perfect dodge that slows down combat. Additionally, the world is littered with physics-based puzzles and Tarataros Vaults that are essentially Shrines. While there are still plenty of elements that make “Immortals” more action-centric than “Breath of the Wild,” it was clear Ubisoft was trying to follow a trend here.
