The greatest compliment I can give to Cadence of Hyrule is that if I didn’t know any better, I would say this was made by an in-house Nintendo development team.

This play-how-you-want mentality aligns perfectly with some of Nintendo’s latest releases like Breath of the Wild. If this sort of randomness appeals to you, the settings are fully customizable, letting players experience a brand-new map layout every time they play.Īnd, if you’ve really got a masochistic streak, there’s even a permadeath mode, truly starting you from scratch after every death, à la NecroDancer. The map has also been shifted around from Link’s world, with specific landmarks and power-ups scattered in different locations. Switching over to Zelda in another campaign, I find a completely different set of powers at her disposal, complete with her reflecting crystal ability from Super Smash Bros. I feel like I’m getting stronger and more capable as I play, just like I would in a traditional Zelda game. NecroDancer was fully randomized after every death, but here I can to return to areas I’ve already visited, besting enemies that were previously too strong. I uncover more of the map as I explore, moving screen-by-screen in the same manner as the classic Zelda games. Hyrule remains as well, at least in story mode. Heart containers carry over, too, letting me explore deeper into the world without the insta-deaths that make the first few hours of NecroDancer so punishing.

This gear, usually hidden underground in mini-dungeons, sticks with me, even after death, making subsequent playthroughs much easier. That mechanic is at odds with the Zelda franchise’s tenets of free exploration and character progression, and major changes were made in Cadence of Hyrule to hew closer to classic Zelda.Īs I start exploring the world of Hyrule (playing as Link, though Zelda is also an option), I quickly stumble upon a few classic staples: a small blue shield, a sword and, a few screens later, a hookshot. NecroDancer is punishingly difficult, for instance, starting players mostly from scratch after every death.

īut Cadence of Hyrule isn’t just a reskin of NecroDancer with some Zelda tunes mixed in. If you want curated lists of our favorite media, check out What to Play and What to Watch. When we award the Polygon Recommends badge, it’s because we believe the recipient is uniquely thought-provoking, entertaining, inventive, or fun - and worth fitting into your schedule. Polygon Recommends is our way of endorsing our favorite games, movies, TV shows, comics, tabletop books, and entertainment experiences.

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