Best 12 Games Like The Legend Of Zelda With And Without Puzzles

We love the distinctive and traditional feeling hybrids of RPG and journey expertise can ship. We considered these parts when looking for different video games like Zelda. 

The Legend of Zelda has 19 canon video games since its 1986 debut. The franchise follows a formulation, anesthetic, and storytelling throughout its a few years.

Selecting Games Like the Legend of Zelda

We already really useful video games like Breath of the Wild, which reinvented the sequence with a free-roam open world. For this time round, we’re specializing in the traditional Link adventures.

So, we expect followers like you desire to video games with a combination or a twist of traditional Zelda parts:

• Genre: These are action-adventure / JRPG video games. Across its titles, there’re parts of platforming, puzzle, exploration, and action-RPG as nicely.
• Setting: You play in a medieval fantasy land, Hyrule. Unlike most different myths, it has distinctive creatures, magic, and lore.
• Map design: The traditional formulation has these space varieties: the semi-open map that connects all areas; hubs to work together with NPCs; and dungeons.
• Plot: Each title is a stand-alone entry. You’re an incarnation of Link, a person who saves Hyrule and helps or saves Princess Zelda.
• Silent character: Link doesn’t converse in any recreation; he simply listens, acts, and makes noises throughout fight. 
• Storytelling: The story comes by dialogue with different characters and cinematic cuts. The saga is heavy on plot, lore, and occasions. 
• Tone: The basic fashion is usually charming and quirky, with a touch of severity. Children and adults can take pleasure in and perceive its heroic tales. 
• Character development: You can’t stage up, however you possibly can unlock more HP fight strikes and stamina or discover instruments and equipment.
• Items and equipment: Another pure development is discovering new gadgets and instruments. These embrace magical swords, bows, slingshots, shields, and magical units.
• Combat: Combat varies throughout the video games. However, it focuses on a hack-and-slash fashion the place you block, swing, and use ranged and melee talents. 
• Bosses: Boss fights are memorable due to their mechanics, design, music, and problem. Moreover, you must establish how to defeat them.
• Metroidvania: Sometimes, it’s essential discover gadgets or be taught talents to unlock areas and puzzles within the overworld.
• Temples: Most gameplay occurs in temples, dungeon-like areas filled with puzzles. You’ll typically have to discover a particular software to finish its challenges.
• Puzzles: Zelda video games are filled with puzzles that don’t embrace many pointers. You combine using instruments, leaping, and particular talents to unravel them.
• Exploration: Zelda video games have minimal facet quests and map markers. However, exploring rewards with further gadgets, talents, HP, and equipment. 
• Quality: Lastly, every Zelda recreation appears forward of its time. You’d see it in its gameplay, music, story, and easy efficiency. 

We assume the saga is a hybrid between action-adventure and RPGs with puzzles. Other video games like The Legend of Zelda ought to keep these core qualities, plus different features from the checklist above. 

Games Like the Legend of Zelda

Ori and the Will of Wisps

Ori And The Will Of Wisps shouldn’t be the clearest title. Yet, Zelda fan, I assure you’ll love the second a part of Ori’s journey. It’s a puzzle-platformer and action-adventure RPG with fight impressed by Zelda video games.

The title has a 2D semi-open-world map that connects all areas. The different areas are hub-like locations the place you work together with NPCs and labyrinth-like dungeons and caves the place you’ll defeat a boss to discover a key plot component. 

The fight is hack&slash, the place character development is studying strikes and discovering gadgets. You combat in 2D with a sequence of evolving fight, ranged, magical, and traversal strikes. In explicit, boss fights are particularly memorable due to their distinctive mechanics and puzzle-solving necessities. 

Then, talents you be taught as you progress the story serve to unlock map areas and dungeons and full quests. It’s the “Metroidvania” function it has as a part of its DNA. Moreover, you possibly can assist develop a hub city by discovering assets and aiding the NPCs. This unlocks gadgets, expertise, and lore data.

As for plot and presentation, Ori units a excessive commonplace. You play as a silent spirit on a journey of bravery and self-discovery to heal the forest. The expertise goes together with a stellar OST, and should you play it on the Xbox Series X, it performs with enhanced 4K graphics and body charge.

Okami HD

Okami HD goes for these of you who beloved Twilight Princess. Moreover, the gameplay is like taking part in because the Shadow Wolf. And even with out the similarities and the data of the Zelda recreation, Okami is a masterful motion RPG.

But Okami nonetheless has its distinctive qualities. For instance, it has a hand-painted fashion, a deep and evolving fight system, thrilling character designs, and a colourful, folkloric world to discover. Specifically, the sport makes use of a SUMI-e ink artwork fashion, and the HD model is a full-screen 1080p of the 2006 recreation. 

You play as Amaterasu, a white wolf serving to the world in opposition to darkish spirits. You’re the Japanese solar goddess, and the search is defeating the eight-headed demon Orochi. Your job is to convey life back to the cursed land. The plot is epic and options legendary characters like Zelda’s deities and races.

The setting is a semi-open world the place the principle map connects varied hub areas, cities, fields, and dungeons. Yet, the sport’s construction is generally linear. You want to finish story factors and earn new powers to unlock areas. 

Lastly, Amaterasu is silent, however she travels with slightly companion that hints on the steps it’s essential take. It’s additionally a component it takes from Twilight Princess and different Zelda video games the place fairies and different beings information your manner.

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is a rogue-like dungeon-crawler. It’s additionally a remake of The Binding of Isaac, an indie title by Edmund McMillen. Additionally, it’s a extremely in style recreation with over 12K each day concurrently gamers on Steam. 

It’s the darker recreation on our checklist, actually. It follows Isaac, a younger boy making an attempt to flee his murderous mom, who believes God sentenced his son to dying. The setting received’t take you to attractive sights, fairly miserable and bleak dungeons.

Moreover, there’re no puzzles within the recreation. It’s as a substitute a rogue-like dungeon-crawler the place you “run” a sequence of ranges, so far as you possibly can, till you die and return to the start. It will really feel acquainted should you just like the traditional Zelda dungeon design, interface, and mechanics. 

The gameplay delivers randomly generated areas, and also you combat with RPG shooter mechanics. You’ll discover treasures that grant supernatural talents and secrets and techniques to uncover more plot factors alongside the journey. For instance, a few of these secrets and techniques are further playable characters. 

Because of the rogue-like design, the title options over 500 gameplay hours. There’re additionally dozens of challenges, lots of of things, and varied endings with animated cinematic cuts. Lastly, you possibly can play it in co-op with one other particular person on-line or domestically. 

Death’s Door

Death’s Door is an action-adventure isometric RPG with a stellar presentation. You play as a Reaper, an worker of a bureau that delivers souls to the otherworld. The plot begins with a quest to trace down a stolen soul within the realm of the useless.

Here, you’ll be taught a fast-paced hack & slash fight with a top-down perspective. You use melee, ranged, and magical talents to defeat beasts and demigods with overlapping battle mechanics. One of those mechanics is dodging, a key defensive potential to outlive a number of boss fights. 

The RPG programs will let you customise your character stats and unlock or improve new talents as you stage up. Moreover, you’ll unlock talents and gadgets that grant entry to areas in earlier ranges. There’re additionally puzzles within the recreation, which require a mixture of instruments and expertise. 

The map design is just like Zelda’s. The world is a semi-linear open world, whereby you typically have a single path, but it surely feels such as you’re making a discovery. And except for the principle world, there’re additionally dungeons and areas you possibly can probe for secret upgrades. 

The principal character is silent, and the story comes by dialogue and interactions. You’ll uncover a conspiracy round Death’s Door, the reapers, and souls all through the journey. That stated, the world is bleak and has a hand-drawn fashion. The story, although, is somber, darkish, but in addition comedic and light-hearted. 

Nobody Saves the World

Nobody Saves the World is an enthralling, hilarious, fast-paced 3D motion RPG with a top-down perspective. It appears to be like like traditional Zelda video games, specializing in procedurally-generated labyrinthic puzzles.

You play as “Nobody,” an unexpected hero who learns the flexibility to shape-shift. As you play, you’ll unlock new shape-shifting forms, every bringing a set of buffs and skills. This is, basically, your ability tree, however it’s also possible to combine and match shapes with expertise and buffs of different forms. 

Similarities embrace a silent character, a dream-like world, and quirky NPC characters. Also, there’re not many facet quests within the title, however there’s a rogue-like component:  once you die in a dungeon, you’ll return to the beginning of the world. 

Also, you purchase new forms fairly than getting new gadgets and expertise. These are vital to finish puzzles and unlock areas. For instance, turning right into a rat permits you to slot in wall cracks. Or turning right into a ghost allowed you to journey by biochemical areas. 

The fight focuses on hack& slash, though there’re positively more RPG parts. You’ll end up biking between the shapes for his or her distinctive talents and bonuses. Battles as quick and options dozens of enemy varieties, environmental challenges, and a troublesome AI. 

Hyper Light Drifter

Hyper Light Drifter is a 2D motion RPG. It has lo-fi visuals, a haunting soundtrack, and loads of secrets and techniques to find. Aside from these profitable parts, it’s a homage to 16-bit and 8-bit video games.

Lead developer Alx Preston describes the sport as a mixture of Diablo and A Link to the Past. So, you discover, dungeon-crawl, remedy puzzles, unlock gear and instruments, and use an addictive and evolving fight system. 

You play because the Drifter, a personality with entry to long-forgotten expertise. You’re exploring the world to assist remedy the thriller of an unspecified sickness affecting the survivors. The world is totally open, and you’ll free-roam in direction of dungeons, cities, and different areas. 

You have an vitality sword for fight, and the motion is hack&slash. Character development depends on discovering modules to broaden your arsenal, weapons, and skillsets. You’ll discover these modules as you discover the world. It’s a necessity, because the world options more and more difficult monsters and difficult puzzles.

The recreation options no voice-acting. The story depends completely on the music and the visuals. That’s a function it takes from SNES video games. Lastly, the tone is savage, bloody, and filled with hand-animated characters. 

Shadow of the Colossus

Shadow of the Colossus is the evolution of the Zelda formulation up till Breath of the Wild. The PlayStation unique is an open-world action-adventure RPG with puzzles, epic storytelling, no markers, and no facet content material.

You play as Wander, a younger warrior touring by horse throughout an unlimited territory. The objective is to defeat 16 giants, the “Colossi.” The entire story revolves round these monsters, as there’re no dungeons, NPCs, or enemies to defeat except for the Colossi.

So, your entire gameplay revolves round these huge boss battles. Each battle can take as much as an hour should you don’t understand the way in which of using your instruments and expertise to take them down. The puzzle a part of the expertise is that discovering the boss’s weak spot is a core mechanic.

The title begins at a central level of the map. Here, you’re free to look and combat in opposition to both a Colossi. However, discovering the monsters additionally revolves round puzzle fixing and using distinctive mechanics to disclose a path on the map. Remember, there’re no markers.

Combat is complicated however acquainted and straightforward to be taught. You combat as you proper your horse, however it’s also possible to climb the monster, swim, dodge, block, and slash. Lastly, there’s no development past what you, as a participant, be taught and uncover.

Eastward

Eastwards is a story-rich action-adventure RPG recreation with a comedic tone, charming characters, and pixelated graphics. The expertise appears to be like, feels, and sounds attractive, and it comes from a Chinese indie developer.

You play as a hardworking miner, touring with a younger lady, e seeking to discover a place to dwell fortunately in an unlimited, collapsed world. The setting is a wasteland the place a toxin is placing humanity at peril.

The title focuses on lo-fi exploration and fluid fight. You have varied melee talents and psychic powers you possibly can develop over time. Also, you need to use a number of weapons, like a frying pan or a flamethrower. Similarly, puzzles are simple however significantly satisfying as they require simply sufficient brainpower to unravel. 

The map design is semi-open. You discover the story largely in a linear method. Still, to unlock secrets and techniques, you possibly can return to earlier areas along with your newfound powers. You’ll discover cities, forests, campsites, dungeons, and a cross-country railway. 

Lastly, you possibly can swap between John, and the lady Sam, to unravel environmental puzzles and fight. You can even separate the duo to find further paths, or they’ll work collectively to unravel the best challenges.

Anodyne

Anodyne is an action-adventure title with NES-era graphics and music. Moreover, the mechanics, map design, and tempo cues from traditional Zelda video games like Link’s Awakening and different 16-bit entries.  

The gameplay revolves round fixing puzzles and using a brush to combat enemies. However, in contrast to Zelda, the title lacks readability concerning the plot, the character, the story, and the leaping platforming segments. 

You play as Young as you discover a surreal world on a “Zelda-lite” expertise. The setting is creepy, surreal, and summary as you discover Young’s unconscious. In essence, you must discover particular collectibles in every space to progress in direction of the opposite on a linear-progression system. 

You’ll speak to NPCs alongside the journey, discover 16-bit dungeons, and seek out keys it’s essential full temples and castles. Gameplay is about using your broom for preventing and your footwear for leaping. Moreover, most areas are dungeons with rooms filled with puzzles and enemies and open areas for exploring.

The title comes with low-res pixel artwork, however the tone is violent, darker than you’d count on. The motion is descriptive as you stab, slash, and go away useless our bodies behind. We don’t advocate it for kids.

Hob

Hob is a puzzle platformer motion RPG with a fluid fight system. It’s additionally an open-world title with a fantastic world to discover. However, it’s a brief breeze, because it takes about 10 hours to finish. 

The journey is kind of easy. This is an motion/puzzle/platformer with fight and exploration because the core mechanics. And due to its open-world design, you might have extensive paths to probe for secrets and techniques, lore data, and energy unlocks.

The exploration opens up after the small space of the sport’s introduction. Then, because the story flows, you’ll be capable of deviate for puzzles, platforming segments, and more. The recreation will reward you with energy unlocks and additional puzzles. 

Then, the fight system depends on 4 easy actions. You can punch, slash, cost, and roll. You can unlock superior fight actions and discover gadgets to enhance your well being and vitality. All in all, development is kind of just like Zelda’s titles.

Lastly, Hob comes from the group that creates Torchlight and Torchlight II. At the identical time, these builders have been a part of Diablo’s authentic developer group. For these causes, the world feels suspenseful, darkish, and deep. 

Undertale

Undertale doesn’t use widespread conventions of any style, so it doesn’t really feel very similar to Zelda…at first. But when you look deeper, you’ll discover its expansive world feels natural, distinctive, charming, and heartful. Also, this can be a retro 2D RPG the place decisions matter.

The gameplay revolves round exploring dungeons and cities. You play as a human who fell right into a secret underground filled with monsters. The objective is discovering a manner out, however the title has decisions, branching paths, completely different endings, and new endings after a primary playthrough. 

Another distinctive component is how reactive the sport is. On dialogue, you’ll discover NPCs even know what you do in-game. That consists of decisions you made in your final playthrough, NPCs you might have killed, or what number of occasions you might have died just lately. 

Moreover, the title makes use of 16-bit graphics, an offbeat OST, and largely black & white graphics to ship its hilarious story. This goes together with its principal gameplay mechanic, which is fight. The motion is just like traditional house shooters: you time your assaults and dodge enemy assaults on 2D screens. 

Yet, fight begins on a display screen paying homage to traditional Pokemon video games. Here, you might have varied choices for fight, like charming or persuading your enemies. With these choices, you’ll be capable of have a non-violent run if you want.

Bastion

Bastion is a hand-painted action-RPG recreation with distinctive storytelling by a profitable indie firm developer. Like Zelda, the protagonist is silent, a car for the story. But, a narrator guides you thru the sport and reacts by your actions.

The title is linear, although. You discover dozens of hand-painted areas and uncover the secrets and techniques of a surreal disaster that shattered the world. Your job is to cease the occasion, the Calamity.

The gameplay is action-packed, but it surely doesn’t deal with exploration. From a top-down perspective, you wield a rising arsenal of weapons you possibly can improve and battle in opposition to savage beasts. The recreation will reward you with reward alternatives should you play with finesses.

But then, the story presentation is stellar. There’re hours of reactive narration, which explores the story, the backstory, the lore, and the character. There’s additionally a highly-acclaimed authentic soundtrack making the title much more lovely.

Lastly, the title has a New Game Plus mode that unlocks further assault strikes. It additionally permits you to keep your arsenal to maintain taking part in in opposition to more and more highly effective enemies.