Zelda Clones: Not Just Copycats

Zelda games are consistently some of the most innovative, engaging, and playable games in the industry. Earlier installments especially played a role in shaping the industry and exerted their influence at such a fundamental level that it’s hard to discern just how pervasive this influence is in games we play every day.

There are some games, however, that freely wear their Zelda influence on their sleeves. Much as Doom clones were once a genre of their own before individual games differentiated themselves enough to forge the genre of “First-person shooters,” Zelda clones–always action-adventure games–are easy to spot. Fortunately, the Zelda framework is also malleable enough for these games to differentiate themselves from the Zelda series.

Games like Okami, Alundra, and Beyond Oasis have been widely lauded not just as clones, but as solid experiences with their own strong identity. Some of these games can stand with the best experiences that the Zelda series has to offer, and are a worthwhile investment for any fan of the franchise.

What can Zelda clones say about the series responsible for so much of what makes them good? At base, the Zelda series is packed with exceptionally strong ideas that lend themselves to many stories and many approaches to world construction. Even Nintendo has tried different things. The second Zelda game, a sidescroller, was different from the first but served as the foundation for the magic meter, towns, and to an extent even sidequests. It fleshed out the lore and even the gameplay is echoed in future entries like Skyward Sword. Ocarina of Time set the standard for 3D action-adventures, preserving much of what was great about its predecessors while exhibiting masterful execution of 3D combat, level design, and exploration. The Wind Waker showed that a linear Zelda could work, but also did something totally different with the overworld. At their core, these all still felt like Zelda games.

The great strength of Zelda clones is that they can do so many different, interesting things, feel like Zelda games, and still forge their own identity. Beyond Oasis delivers far more complexity, in terms of action, than any 2D Zelda game. Okami paints an imaginative, enthralling picture and boasts enough secrets to dwarf most Zelda games. Darksiders takes the 3D action in a different, more modern direction. While none of these approaches alone make any of these games better, they also, in many cases, exhibit solid, fun game design that capitalizes on the core addictive qualities we associate with Zelda–character building, exploration, an engaging plot, and well-executed action. For better or worse, but usually for the better, these games are an essential part of that legacy, underscoring what keeps us coming back to Zelda games.

Over the next few months, I will periodically be publishing Friday articles reviewing Zelda clones and discussing the ways the franchise influenced them. The first one in line is Okami, arguably one of the best Zelda games that doesn’t have “Zelda” in the title.

What are your favorite Zelda clones? What do you think makes them like Zelda, and how do they separate themselves from the franchise that influenced them? Do you think the developers of the Zelda franchise can learn anything from these clones? Share your thoughts below.