The best Zelda-likes to play while you wait for Tears of the Kingdom

With the recent influx of Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games to Nintendo’s online subscription service, it’s easier than it’s ever been to play most of the mainline Zelda games. We here at Polygon have been blazing through the series’ classic catalog in the lead-up to Tears of the Kingdom: Zelda’s Legend In May. It’s a joy to play the games back to back and watch the series evolve in microcosm between each subsequent entry.

Polygon has announced a Zeldathon for 2023. Follow us as we journey through The Legend of Zelda, starting with the 1986 original game and ending in The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom.

But sometimes, it’s just as much fun, if not more so, to play the games that were Inspire by Zelda — to see how different studios interpreted the pillars of Nintendo’s action-adventure franchise.

You know, because it is the characters. It could be the characters. Are the puzzle-based, dungeons responsible? Is it collection of cool new tools, which you’ll need to master in order to take down the next boss? Each Zelda new game reinforced the pillars. But, many others came along to challenge them. I am partial to Majora’s Mask, perhaps the most subversive chapter in the “let’s shake things up” line of thinking.) It’s this malleability that has led to such a diverse range of “Zelda-like” games.

If you are like us and have exhausted the Zelda games that you have not yet played in the run-up to, The Wild Breath’s direct sequel, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite alternatives that embody the term “Zelda-like.” Some focus on puzzles; others embrace time manipulation; one gives us the strongest glimpse yet at a Zelda game entirely focused on combat. The criteria we used were not clear enough. And that’s why it’s so fun.

Eastward

Pixpil/Chucklefish via Polygon

The Legend of Zelda’s influence on EastwardYou will notice this the instant you launch the game. Its gameplay and style are reminiscent of Zelda down to the heart-meter which indicates your hit points. From Chinese developer Pixpil, EastwardThis role-playing game takes you eastward in a post-apocalyptic mysterious world. You play as John, a gruff man, and Sam, a magic kid. The world’s puzzles require the player to use both John and Sam in different ways; John’s got a frying pan good for whacking enemies, while Sam’s magical powers stun enemies. They’re controllable simultaneously, using a controller’s trigger to bring one or the other to the front. Part EarthboundAnd part Zelda EastwardIt is essential for any pixel-art enthusiast. —Nicole Carpenter

Eastward It is compatible with Mac, Nintendo Switch and Windows PC.

Death’s Door

Image: Acid Nerve/Devolver Digital

If EastwardIt is EarthboundThe Legend of Zelda is then met. Death’s DoorThis is an amalgamation of Zelda & Dark Souls. Death’s DoorIt features the same top-down exploration as many Zelda games. Players collect tools and upgrades while moving through puzzles. However, it pairs this with a darker world and more difficult boss battles that are similar to Dark Souls. It’s about a crow, named Crow, who’s a reaper of souls — their journey takes them from the bureaucracy of the afterlife into the world where souls reside. It’s a simple game that does everything near perfectly, a kinder “hard” game with a difficulty level that ramps up as the game continues. —Nicole Carpenter

Death’s Door It is also available for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 as well as Windows PCs, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox One.

Okami HD

Clover Studio/Capcom Image

OkamiIt is well-known for the apparent similarity it shares with Twilight Princess Link is a Zelda character that appears in lupine form. But the similarities extend beyond this superficial character comparison — to the extent that fans consider it one of the best unofficial Zelda games. It’s speckled with puzzles, and clearing regions adds to the protagonist’s toolkit: a series of Celestial Brush powers that let you modify the environment around you. The game seems to have Zelda in its DNA, even in its smallest moments, which I’ve unpacked in another piece:

As in Zelda, dungeons were based on elemental themes. I used levers in Zelda’s pirate ship to lower waterline, while in Zelda’s lava-themed dungeon, firepowers in the lava-themed one. There are some limitations. Okami’s puzzles are less open-ended than those of The Wild Breath — it’s pretty obvious which brushstrokes you use to solve things — I was still wowed by the powers I amassed, and how they let me modify the world.

—Nicole Clark

Okami HD It is now available for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Windows PC.

The World is not Saved by Anyone

Image: Drinkbox Studios

Drinkbox Studios’ top-down dungeon crawler is Zelda for a new generation, from its zany overworld encounters to the procedurally generated grottoes underneath. You can play in any direction you like, but still have the ability to see and unlock everything. And most importantly: NobodyIt is located in an once-cheerful fairyyland that’s worth saving. The NPCs who give the mission are kooky and always make you laugh. —Owen Good

The World is not Saved by Anyone Available on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Windows PC.

Tunic

Photo by Andrew Shouldice/Finji via Polygon

Tunic stars a tiny fox that wields a sword and a shield, clearly a nod to The Legend of Zelda’s hero Link — the fox even wears a green tunic. It’s full of mysteries and clues. TunicThis game uses nostalgic games like The Legend of Zelda and other franchises, mainly through the essential manual that is integrated into it. What is the best time to play? Tunic begins, the manual is incomplete, which means there’s tons of information missing. Navigating is the player’s responsibility. Tunic’s world using this incomplete information to find more pages, unlocking new ways to solve puzzles. It’s the secrets and mysteries of the world, which sometimes mean asking friends for help, that make Tunic special — the fighting itself isn’t the draw. This is like playing Zelda as a child, where you could share secrets and strategies with your friends. —Nicole Carpenter

Tunic Available on Mac, Nintendo Switch (PS4), PlayStation 5, Windows PC and Xbox One (MSX)

Unsighted

Image: Studio Pixel Punk/Humble Games

UnsightedA lot of Zelda’s classic elements are given a new twist thanks to an unusual (and often stressful) twist. The role of an automata is to find a gem material in order to survive. Unfortunately this substance is increasingly scarce — as such, everyone’s lives (including yours) are on the clock. You lose your sight and are more likely to harm friends or love ones if the timer runs out. With three layers of map, each region is bound by regions that demand creative problem-solving and flexibility, the game has its Zelda roots. The protagonist’s kit grows after completing each region, with novel traversal tools and weapons that range from a giant top that allows you to travel over high wires to shuriken that set things on fire or turn water into ice. —Nicole Clark

Unsighted It is now available for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Windows PC.

Fez

Image: Polytron Corporation/Trapdoor

If you’ve played FezIf you remember, or at the very least, when it was launched, you will recall the sensation you felt when the 2D landscape spun around and showed you the opposite side of the cave, platform, or cliff. The first publication was made in 2012. It will be republished in 2021 on the Nintendo Switch. FezIt is worthy of Zelda’s Zelda-like status in how it changes the space and works towards unlocking the secrets. —OG

Fez It is now available for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Windows PC.

Outer Wilds

Image: Mobius Digital/Annapurna Interactive via Polygon

2021 may have been the year of time-loop video games, but none of them approached the brilliance of 2019’s Outer Wilds. Set in a miniature galaxy in a lonely neck of some forgotten universe, developer Mobius Digital’s puzzle- and exploration-based adventure game is as much about solving mysteries about specific characters as it is about understanding the intricacies of entire planets. But here’s the catch. You will be sent back to Timber Hearth with only the knowledge from the last loop. Outer Wilds Is a spiritual successor. Majora’s MaskTime, which is both a complicated gameplay system and a specter hovering above every character trapped in its web. —Mike Mahardy

Outer Wilds Available on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Windows PC.

Chicory: The Colorful Story

Image: Greg Lobanov/Finji

Chicory: An uplifting tale You paint the entire world in color one stroke at a. You become a “wielder” by accident — the last wielder, Chicory, crumbled under pressure, locking herself in her room. It’s up to you to make the world beautiful once more. This game is a sharp comment on artistic pressures, community worthiness and community support. It’s also an incredible Zelda-style top-down puzzle game, with the paintbrush enabling you to do outlandish things — like travel through vines and rivers or climb up walls. In 2021 it was voted game of the Year. It is still a great game. —Nicole Clark

Chicory: The Colorful Story Available on Mac, Nintendo Switch (PS4), PlayStation 5 (PS5), and Windows PC.

Hyper Light Drifter

Image: Heart Machine

Another great adventure story, Hyper Light DrifterThis is an unrestricted adventure, similar to The Legend of Zelda. It allows the player to become stronger and more levelled up, before taking on the boss or big bad. Heart Machine’s world, explicitly inspired by The Legend of Zelda – A link to the PastIt is well worth your time to explore, as the reward will be amazing. —OG

Hyper Light Drifter It is compatible with iOS, Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4.

Elden Ring

Photo: FromSoftware via Polygon

What’s left to say about Elden Ring? It’s quite a bit, I believe. It’s as wide as it is deep, as funny as it is melancholic, and as punishing as it is empowering. New DLC is on its way so I’m sure many will return to The Lands Between when it becomes available.

And while it’s easy enough to compare it to The Wild Breath — or at least, developer FromSoftware’s take On The Wild Breath — Elden Ring It owes as much to Zelda, the 1986 Zelda video game that began it all. Elden Ring’s creators refuse to hold your hand as you explore a foreboding, mysterious, often gorgeous wilderness, its dungeons, and a snaking underworld that lies beneath it. Boss fights are as intense as they are terrifying, and finding a boss’s weakness could mean venturing the other side of the map to find its Achilles’ heel. You might like The Wild Breath, Elden Ring Although it may seem new, its concepts date back to an old game that featured a boy who went spelunking through the Japanese countryside. Only it took decades for us to achieve that childhood dream. —Mike Mahardy

Elden Ring It is compatible with PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Windows PC.