I think you can play this plotwise without playing the first. there are a few like nods to the first game but i don't think they're essential for understanding this one.

So far, Tunic is the best Zelda like game I've played in terms of challenge. Ocean's heart was fun though I would rec. playing on the cursed difficulty setting.

Curious about what other Zelda clones pop up in this thread...

I suggest Ittle Dew; Lenna's Inception; and Minit.

It's hard to reach the same quality as Nintendo when it comes to action adventure.

Rogue heroes is good and has multi-player. It's a little weird if you play with random people but I have a twin sister and we beat Link to the past so damn many times... so that was fun (online or local co-op)

I will warn you though... when you're doing dungeons and they die, don't break their skulls... idk why I did, thought it might revive them? A couple rooms later I find this shrine that revives a team mate if you bring the skull to it. Man... I can only imagine how pissed those guys were watching me break the skulls. Fortunately I beat the level and they got credit/Rewards too.

I did check Steam to make sure it is on here. I played it on switch. It is on steam and is on sale right now for 5.99USD.

There are multiple classes you can play but I beat it with one and didn't replay. There are no achievements/trophies etc on Switch so I didn't care about "completion"

As far as Blossom tales goes.. I don't remember the first one. I played that a while ago. I am a little disappointed in 2 but I probably just remembered enjoying #1 so I had high expectations. The games great though, don't get me wrong.

I wish that movement speed was faster because you basically just run around constantly hitting the dodge/roll button because you move faster - or at least feel like you do. The second thing I would have liked more is that when you spam your sword it does a spin attack. I wish that only happened when you charged your sword.

I mean, if you're looking for more good 2d zelda games, then the first Blossom Tales is also a must play yes, absolutely.

Originally posted by DL:

I mean, if you're looking for more good 2d zelda games, then the first Blossom Tales is also a must play yes, absolutely. :BTlily:

The first is better than the second? I plan to do the sequel as I appreciated the original.


PS: great pfp by the way, I plan on doing the original Black & White version as it'd feel even closer to an actual dream.

I really like both Blossom games so far, although they lack some things I love about the old GB Zelda games (most notably the amount of dungeons/bosses and the unique charm/quirkiness of many NPCs).


Other top-down adventures I recommend (in no particular order):

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1114870/Lennas_Inception/
Just look at the title font! This game knows what it is and is not the least bit ashamed of it. And it really shouldn't be, as it has multiple endings, offers a variety of challenges and the dungeons/map are procedurally generated. It's a great game, especially if you also happen to like playing Zelda randomizers. As far as I can remember, the story is also decent.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/368340/CrossCode/
One could argue, if it makes sense to recommend this one to a Zelda fan. It has dungeons filled with puzzles, plenty of bosses, exploration and secrets... but the focus on combat and skills is much higher. At it's heart it is an ARPG, similar to games like Secret of Mana, but comes with a lot of things I love about the old Zelda games.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/342490/Shipwreck/
If you need a really quick fix, you can probably finish this game 100% in under two hours. It is very minimal in what it has to offer and has some issues, but I think it's pretty neat for what it is. Don't prioritize getting this, but keep in mind that it's there, for when you're desperately thirsting for some GB Zelda. You won't be fully satisfied, but it'll be enough to keep you going.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/234900/Anodyne/
The description in the store calls it "Zelda-lite". It reminds me of Link's Awakening, but with more eerie and melancholic vibes. Also, instead of a sword, you get a broom. I'm sure there's a lot of deep psychological symbolism and whatnot going on in this game, but what I really love about it is that it simply draws you in with it's surreal atmosphere and great soundtrack. I'm sure a lot of people don't like it for being rather atypical, but that's makes it worth playing, IMO.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/412270/Stories_of_Bethem_Full_Moon/
Another atypical one, if not in tone, then definitely in how it feels to play. To be clear: At first this game felt very uncomfortable to play, just wrong and clunky. You don't have a sword, but use magic instead, which in turn uses mana (you have mana regen though). So no running around whacking bushes with your stabby stick.
However, you'll get used to it and learn to properly manage your spellcasting. Everything will feel more natural and actually quite enjoyable. It's like playing a Zelda game with another class archetype and it makes for a decent experience. The overall tone is rather humorous, but gets oddly serious toward the end.


Alundra (PS1)
A great old game, deserving of the title "hidden gem". It is very much like a 2D Zelda, but way harder and much darker in tone. Story-wise there's a lot to compare to Link's Awakening, but I think both have their own merits. Highly recommended.


Marvelous: Mōhitotsu no Takarajima (SNES) (JPN only, but there's a fan translation)
Another game that's not really a straightforward recommendation for a Zelda fan, but in itself is absolutely terrific.
This game was directed by Eiji Aonuma (Nintendo's Zelda-guy), after he played A Link to the Past and it shows very clearly (just look at the graphics!).
You control three characters at once, each with their own skills and limitations and it plays incredibly well. The gameplay is fun and very close to an actual Zelda game, but without backtracking. Make no mistake, there is some exploring going on, but once an area is completed, you move on with the story and can't return. It doesn't mean that there's anything meaningful to miss though, you'll always get your fill of interesting and quirky characters, plus fun and engaging puzzles.
Very highly recommended, I think the game lives up to its name and it is oozing with charm.


Gunple: Gunman's Proof (SNES) (JPN only, but there's a fan translation)
It's far from being the Earthbound of Zelda-esque games, but the game's look and strangeness does remind me a bit of it. If anything, it's like A Link to the Past with kind of an arcade feel to it.
The main difference though: Instead of sword swinging hero, you play as an alien possessing the body of a cowboy. If that alone doesn't convince you, just go try the game, it's fun.

I too feel, from what I've seen of many of these Zelda clones, that there's something missing. I can't place exactly what it is. Just not noticing the magic (for lack of better way to put that) nor much of anything exciting & memorable in the details as those first 2 Zelda games had. Hard to say exactly but stuff like with some of the encounters with NPCs, the music, seemingly lacking the weird but fun surprises that you don't soon forget (like swatting chickens was) for a few examples to explain what I can't exactly put a finger on. There was much more to the first two Zelda games that I loved and it takes more than just putting the same look & mechanics in a game for it to grab me.

All that said, I have enjoyed checking out the comments with suggestions. Blossom Tales is one that I have been going back & forth on, to decide if I decide to invest some time in it to see how that goes, I'll try it on Switch for handheld play, which should run it as well as on computer. If I had more free time and way less games to catch up on, I'd just go ahead and try both for myself, which could still end up happening.

CrossCode is a great game but wow is that one hard (long too). After I finally made it to that first boss and managed to defeat it, I stopped because that was a bit much for me. I have Anodyne (and the sequel) on my Xbox. That's been on backlog for a long time, probably should think about booting it up and giving serious play before another year goes by.

Lenna's Inception seems like it may just be what I was hoping for so I've bookmarked that one and will likely give that a try. The procedural generated levels aspect is disappointing but that alone does not make it a deal beaker. Shipwreck interests me too so I may pick that up soon and may even try it first since it's supposed to be bite size game. I wish both of those were on a console but streaming to my TV may be okay for what these are though I'd love to try them handheld on my Switch.

I took a quick look at what Marvelous: Mōhitotsu no Takarajima is like (seems also called Marvelous: Another Treasure Island?) and that does seem really cool. Switching between the characters for different things like Trine or Lost Vikings with the point & click parts that come up in it could be a lot of fun, will have to look more into it. A translation would be a must though and I'm surprised Nintendo kept it in Japan.

You were are right about a cowboy possessed by an alien detail being one to convince me to catch my interest. It definitely piqued my interest and the few minutes of footage of it I saw looked like my kind of fun. Gunple could be closer to what I was hoping Trigger Witch would be like and what I have played of Trigger Witch I do like but it is a lot different than what I expected going in.

Originally posted by cat_lilly:

I think you can play this plotwise without playing the first. there are a few like nods to the first game but i don't think they're essential for understanding this one.

So far, Tunic is the best Zelda like game I've played in terms of challenge. Ocean's heart was fun though I would rec. playing on the cursed difficulty setting.

Curious about what other Zelda clones pop up in this thread...

I own both Blossom Tales and Ocean's Heart and I finished and beat Blossom Tales and got maybe 15 hours of gameplay in Ocean's Heart. Both look and play similar but Blossom Tales does it better. Blossom Tales has a much better story than Ocean's Heart and I played Blossom Tales first so by the time I got to Ocean's Heart.. I was burnt out on "Zelda clones" and just wish it was more original so maybe that had something to do with it

To add to the list, I'd also recommend:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1205450/Turnip_Boy_Commits_Tax_Evasion/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/597230/Shotgun_Legend/
At first glance, this seems like a random ♥♥♥♥♥♥ game made in 2hrs, but is in fact on of the best Zelda 1 like I played (there's not that much tho). The fact that the gameplay is centered around a shotgun that disperce when used, will change a lot of the way you approach the enemies, will hit and run most of the time. You'll upgrade stuff with power ups as any zelda, including number of bullets that will disperce, distance of the bullets, and attack speed.
As of Zelda 1, the game is somewhat a real open world where you can do dungeons in any order as soon as you find how to enter it.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/783180/Fairune_Collection/
Fairune Collection is the collection of fairune trilogy in one. Don't hope too much playtime tho, the 3 games are not THAT long (like 10 hrs to finish the 3 more or less).
That being said, the games are REALLY fun, it's not a common zelda like as you'll not have real combat to begin with, but the gameplay is centered around the puzzle side of the genre with a lot of well thought ones that will ask you to use all your braincells to deduce, observe, think out the box etc.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1020470/Evoland_Legendary_Edition/
Well I think this one is really well known now but I propose it as it's one of the coolest game I could play. So the Legendary Edition is in fact a compilation of Evoland 1 and 2 for the price of Evoland 2 alone.
This is not ONLY a Zelda like as it is a game about how the game industry evolved in graphics and genre through time, so you'll play some parts as a classic Zelda, some other as an ATB Final Fantasy, SHMUP, Megaman, Bomberman ETC ETC ETC. The first game is pretty short but the second one is like 3 or 4 more time, and a lot of side content to do. They both have a cool card game tho that you can play against some NPCs, the first one get a Triple Triad, second one have a sort of Earthstone.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/293440/Elliot_Quest/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1436590/Phoenotopia_Awakening/
As for those two, it's not some kind of Zelda 2D topdown, but more a rarest kind, Zelda 2 likes. So yeah basically Zelda 2 gameplay with a lot more of polish and QOL improvement from recent Zelda. The first one, Elliot Quest, can be rough around the edges sometimes, and unfortunatly the QOL that got rid of those only came on the later 3DS version. But still, the PC version is not bad at all, only some things that can be fixed (and got fixed on another plateform haha). Pheonotopia on his side, is just perfect, a lot of content, even cooking minigames etc, the dugeons are really well designed, nothing that would make it a no go imo.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/269770/Secrets_of_Grindea/

great game, finally finished after like 10 years. bit more action-y than zelda with various skills/builds you can do