Zelda being made by some other studio besides Nintendo is a rare sight. Nintendo is – and rightly so – quite protective when it comes down to one of their biggest intellectual properties. Seeing an indie developer like Brace Yourself Games work on a Zelda game was something I didn’t expect to see. Hyrule Warriors paved the way but trusting the world of Zelda in the hand of a small studio is really taking the plunge. Cadence of Hyrule is the result and it might just be the thing you need while you wait for Link’s Awakening.

Crypt Of The Past

Cadence of Hyrule is based on an indie game by Brace Yourself Games called Crypt Of The Necrodancer. In Crypt Of The Necrodancer, you are dropped in dungeons and need to traverse while following the beat of the music. Enemies all move in time with the music and each has a distinctive pattern. Maintaining a steady rhythm while moving and attacking grants you bigger rewards. Rewards can then be spent to buff your character out and attempt the harder dungeons. Crypt Of The Necrodancer was super original but completely lacked a backstory. As it happens, Zelda has one of the greatest backstories in gaming history and has been known to dabble in some epic dungeon crawling. Merging these two sounds like a match made in heaven.

A link to the Cadence

Cadence, the main character of Crypt Of The Necrodancer makes her return as she is warped into the Zelda universe. After a brief tutorial as Cadence, you get the choice to wake Link or Zelda. From then on you take control of whichever hero you chose. Cadence does make a few guest appearances but for the most part, you’re playing in Hyrule as either Link or Zelda. All this is to make clear you’re actually playing a genuine Zelda game. A game in which Hyrule is in trouble by the hand of Octavo who has puts the king in a deep sleep with enchanting music. It’s your job to defeat Octavo but in true RPG fashion, you need to first get better. The usual Zelda staples like collecting heart containers, finding the right gear and collecting key items from battling dungeon bosses, are all present.

Rogue Link

As with Crypt Of The Necrodancer, Cadence of Hyrule has permadeath. Those who played Crypt of the Necrodancer will know how hard the first two hours were. Cadence of Hyrule is nothing different in that respect. Dying will result in losing all your rupees and some items but the game does occasionally throw you a bone. Defeating each enemy on one screen gives you a diamond. These diamonds are not lost when you die and can be used to make you stronger before you re-attempt the world of Hyrule. Just as with Crypt of the Necrodancer, persistence is what makes you overcome the challenges thrown at you. Each defeat, and trust me you’ll die a lot, has a purpose. Learn from your mistakes and remember each enemy pattern by heart to avoid fatal mishaps in the future.

A different kind of Hyrule

As you might’ve seen from the screenshots provided, Hyrule in Cadence of Hyrule looks pretty much like it did in Link to the Past. On the other hand, the map itself is different. So different in fact, that it even changes with each playthrough. Now some areas will more or less be in the same place but the “screens” around them will differ making the game very replayable. The dungeons, on the other hand, are totally different each time you play them and feel most like classic Crypt of the Necrodancer gameplay.

A can of earworms

Since the game mechanics are fully based on keeping a straight rhythm, music becomes vital during the game. Zelda has been known to produce some of the most iconic game music ever. Using this music in the right way could be a concern to some hardcore fans. Luckily, Danny Baranowsky, composer of the awesome Super Meat Boy soundtrack, was responsible to implement the Zelda music. He did a great job at remixing familiar Zelda tunes to fit the game mechanics perfectly. Moving to the beat for the Lost Woods theme after just battling it out while the Hyrule Overworld theme played, never sounds dull. The Can of earworms presented with all this great music included will have you humming all the way to school, to work, to home, …

Conclusion

Cadence of Hyrule might be the most unexpected collaboration Nintendo did but It sure was the right one. The Zelda world and music fits perfectly with the innovative game mechanics of Crypt Of The Necrodancer. Fighting Octoroks, Lizalfos and Lynels hasn’t felt this epic in a long time. A must have for any Zelda fan and surely a must try for anyone looking for something different.

9/10

Tested on Nintendo Switch