Summary
The Legend of Zeldafranchise has made numerous important contributions to the video game industry, like laying the groundwork for the 2D adventure genre back in the 80s, revitalizing the modern open-world genre with the release ofBreath of the Wildand, most important of all, changing and revolutionizing the 3D action-adventure genre forever with the release ofOcarina of Time.
3DZeldagameswork so well because they follow a strict formula, as they all feature a third-person perspective, a semi-open world, multiple 3D dungeons to explore, and many fun items to find and use. However, Nintendo released just six excellent video games in this style, which has left some longtime fans of the franchise wanting more. Fortunately for them, those titles have inspired many other developers to come up with their own take on the 3DZeldaformula, and these next games are some of the best examples of this practice.
If there’s an IP that could rivalThe Legend of Zeldain popularity back in the early 2000s, it would be none other thanHarry Potter. The massive success of the first two films was met with similarly-successful video game tie-ins, withHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secretsfor the PS2, Xbox and GameCubebeing so good that it’s fondly remembered by fans even to this day.
The secret behind this game’s success is the fact that its developers replicated the 3DZeldaformula fromOcarina of TimeandMajora’s Maskand gave it aHarry Pottercoat of paint. Hogwarts serves as the main hub world, its different areas function like dungeons, Harry’s spells work similarly to Link’s items, it features many fun mini-games randomly spread out across the map, and it even has a camera and a locking system that works almost exactly likeOcarina of Time’srevolutionary Z-targeting.
7Kingsley’s Adventure
The PlayStation 1 Needed Its Own Zelda Equivalent
While gamers are still debating which was the better fifth-generation console, the PlayStation 1 or the Nintendo 64, there’s no denying that the exclusivity ofOcarina of Timegave Nintendo’s system a huge advantage. The PlayStation needed a similar 3D adventure game that could satisfy its player base and, in 1999,this finally materialized with the release ofKingsley’s Adventure.
Of course, this game is nowhere near as exciting or polished asOcarina of Time,but it’s still a surprisingly solid 3D adventure title, which was clearly made with a younger audience in mind. It has adorable animal characters, a colorful overworld, a lovely soundtrack, fun dungeons to explore, and many classicZeldaitems like a sword, a shield, and a bow and arrows.Kingsley’s Adventuremay not be perfect, but it definitely satisfied PlayStation 1 users who wanted to experience a solid adventure game like what N64 fans had access to.
6Dual Hearts
An Excellent Hidden Gem On The PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 was home to many high-quality video games during its surprisingly long lifespan, so it’s no surprise that some of them flew under the radar for most gamers.Dual Heartsis one of the best examples of this phenomenon, as this is basically the console’s equivalent toOcarina of Timeand/orMajora’s Mask, and yet not many people have heard of it.
Dual Heartshas everything a longtime fan would expect from a 3DZeldatitle, like important items that change both combat and exploration that can be assigned to three context-sensitive buttons, numerous dungeons that take place inside people’s dreams, a day-night cycle that affects the routines of its NPCs, and even an irritating companion named Tumble. The anime-like art style and strange plot may not be for everyone, but this is still one of the best games that play similar to 3DZeldain the PS2’s entire catalog.
There’s no denying thatStar Fox Adventuresis an odd video game, and most Nintendo fans are already familiar with its backstory. During the late 90s, Rare was working on a 3D adventure game calledDinosaur Planet, until Shigeru Miyamoto convinced them to turn it into a new entry in theStar Foxseries. While longtime fans of this franchise originally criticized it for not being a shoot ‘em up, this title has gained a sizable cult following in the last few years.
Star Fox Adventuresis basically a 3DZeldagame, set in a fascinating world filled with dinosaurs and with Fox McCloud replacing Link. Aside from those differences, it has everything one would expect from this type of game, like dungeons, items, a semi-open world, unique NPCs, dynamic combat with Z-targeting, and huge bosses.Star Fox Adventuresmay not have been the follow-up toStar Fox 64most fans at the time were expecting, but it is an otherwise fun and exciting adventure game that, fortunately, most gamers nowadays recognize for its positive qualities.
Egyptian mythology is incredibly fascinating, and it has inspired many great video games,withSphinx and the Cursed Mummybeing one of the best examples. Eurocom’s hidden gem combines satisfying 3D platforming with engaging 3D exploration, all set in a beautiful Egyptian overworld, and it all works extremely well.
As expected,Sphinx and the Cursed Mummyhas solid combat with Z-targeting, amazing Egyptian-themed dungeons, a huge open world with weird NPCs, and unique items that can be assigned to context-sensitive face buttons. However, this title stands out from its contemporaries thanks to its two playable characters: The titular Sphinx, who wields a sword and plays exactly like Link, and Tutankhamun, a mummy who uses his immortality to solve some really creative puzzles that keep the experience fresh and interesting. Even the developers ofSphinx and the Cursed Mummycompared their game toThe Legend of Zeldafranchise, meaning that they were obviously inspired by it.
What makes the 3DZeldaformula so interesting is that it can be quite easily combined with other genres, like platforming or role-playing, in order to create some truly creative and exciting gaming experiences.This is exactly what Vigil Games did with itsDarksidersseries, which combines the exploration of a 3DZeldagame with the violent hack-and-slash combat of aGod of Wargame.
Needless to say, this mainly applies to the first two entries in the series,DarksidersandDarksiders 2, which featured huge dungeons with a lot of complex puzzle-solving, gigantic and challenging bosses to take down, and a huge open world with lots of treasure and hidden items. These two excellent video games are perfect for longtimeLegend of Zeldafans who also enjoy a dynamic combat system. Unfortunately for them, however, the third entry,Darksiders 3, feels more like a “Soulsborne” game than the typical 3DZeldaadventure.
There’s a reason gamers all around the world are eagerly awating Ubisoft’sBeyond Good & Evil 2.The original game was just that good, to the point that it’s still considered one of the best action adventure titles in the entire video game industry.Beyond Good & Evilis basically a sci-fi 3DZeldagame, released way before the classic tropes of this genre were implemented in more modernLegend of Zeldatitles.
This resulted in an incredible open world with lots of memorable characters, unique locations, engaging side quests and mini-games, and tons of important items to collect. Even the combat system feels exactly like the action in a 3DZeldagame, complete with dangerous enemies, big bosses, and a solid targeting system. The only thing missing fromBeyond Good & Evilare different important items that affect gameplay and progression, but none of that matters when Jade can use her camera as a symbolic weapon to fight a corrupt government elite.
Clover Studio’sOkamiis such an incredible experiencethat not only can it go toe-to-toe with any 3DLegend of Zeldagame, but many gamers consider it to be even better than most of them. There’s one major aspect of this game that helps it stand out: its beautiful cel-shaded art style, inspired by classic Japanese paintings. That’s just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what makesOkamisuch a legendary video game.
It obviously follows the 3DZeldaformula to a tee, with a huge open world filled to the brim with bizarre NPCs, important items, fun side quests, and multiple dungeons containing brilliant puzzles and some of the most exciting boss fights in the action-adventure genre. However,Okami’sstrongest mechanic is the Celestial Brush, which allows Amaterasu (and the player) to use spells with many different uses by painting specific shapes on the screen. At the end of the day,Okamiis an absolutely amazing adventure title that should be experienced firsthand by every seasoned fan ofThe Legend of Zeldaseries.
