With the familiar opening from Ocarina of Time, remixed in the style of the inventive rhythm-action game Crypt of the NecroDancer, the creative team at Brace Yourself Games instantly set the nostalgic tone, even before introducing any gameplay whatsoever. Blending nostalgic elements from the fantasy Kingdom of Hyrule, Cadence of Hyrule is fresh, yet familiar.
This is an important game on the Switch eShop, as it marks the first occasion in which Nintendo has opened up one of its most beloved franchises – stretching back to 1986 on the NES – to an indie developer. The question remains whether this new indie offering will go on to Hyrule the indie eShop and win over the hearts of nostalgic Zelda fans, or find itself sealed in the Dark World to be forgotten alongside the CDI atrocities…
If you consider yourself a veteran Hyrulian, Cadence of Hyrule retains many familiar elements with its own Crypt of the NecroDancer spin – or twirl? – on the formula, whether it’s the visuals, enemies, or music. Even the plot is somewhat conventional of Hyrule, in which an evil wizard Octavo – who sounds like a dastardly villain from the days Adam West donned the cape and cowl – has placed the King of Hyrule in a deep sleep. In typical fashion, Link and Zelda join forces to try to take him down, but are overpowered and placed in a magical catatonic sleep themselves. This is where Crypt of the NecroDancer protagonist, Cadence, must ‘Step Up’, drawn to the distant land of Hyrule to awaken one of the two heroes.
Initially, players must choose between Link or Zelda – with the other hero as well as Cadence becoming unlockable later in the game – before setting off to defeat four members of Octavo’s evil dance troupe, leading to an intense dance-off against the musically-inclined wizard himself. Interestingly, this is the first time players have been able to play as Zelda in a more traditional adventure style, outside those other games we don’t speak about. It seems Hyrule has also had a history of bad luck when it comes to visiting wizards: one turned out to be an evil Picori, hellbent on destroying Hyrule, while another turned out to be the pig-demon Ganon.
The four chief minions of Octavo possess a magic instrument, each of which must be obtained in order to awaken the King and defeat Octavo – think along the lines of the Wind Fish in Link’s Awakening and the climactic duel with Ganon from Link to the Past. These bosses are creatively augmented versions of familiar Zelda bosses, with the likes of Gohma taking on a new musical persona – Gohmaracas (and yes, there are more wonderfully bad music-Zelda puns) – to fit with the music rhythm theme.
While the story itself is easy enough to follow, the gameplay, music, and visuals take on a more vital role. Gameplay wise, if you happen to have played Brace Yourself Games’ breakout Crypt of the NecroDancer beforehand, you will already be accustomed to the rhythm based gameplay. For those who haven’t, your movements and attacks revolve around keeping in time with the beat of the music playing in the background, while maintaining a wary eye on what the enemies on-screen are doing, based on a grid-space system. Blue ChuChu’s will characteristically move up and down between two tiles, while Lizalfos wait for you to cross their path before making a charge. Like NecroDancer’s Skeletons, Bokoblins will move a tile every other beat, indicated by raising their hands. Your success at clearing a screen will depend on paying attention, not only to the beat of the music, but memorising enemy weaknesses and movements, adding a greater sense of challenge to the gameplay. While it is admittedly a tad easier than Crypt of the NecroDancer, there is still a decent learning curve to overcome, especially early on. This is largely down to practice and getting used to the idea of moving in harmony with the beat (so to speak), which is made all the more captivating thanks to the remixed soundtrack, making rhythm practice more enjoyable than practicing alongside the monotonous beep of a metronome.
Slaying enemies and opening chests may grant the player better items, such as broadswords and spears, or even torches and boots with different abilities, each with their own advantages and shortcomings. This keeps combat fresh and fast paced, as well as rewarding, especially when using notably more powerful weapons along with key button presses. On top of this, different weapons feel unique – with swords, spears, bows, and magic – and there are also special items that can drop to increase attack or abilities, somewhat like Link’s Awakening or the Oracle games, as well as Diamonds which act as an additional form of currency alongside the series staple, Rupees.
While the base gameplay stems from sharp rhythm-based movement, there are many familiar Zelda mechanics present as well. From the conventional bombs, bombchus, and grappling hooks, as well as heart containers, you’ll also find hidden walls, side-quests, and dungeons that make the game feel more quintessentially ‘Zelda’. These dungeons manage to balance action with puzzle-elements harmoniously, though while they are rarely more challenging than the many Link has conquered in the main series, thanks to the rhythmic action, they are satisfying to beat, and lead to even more satisfying boss fights that offer some of the most dynamic sequences in the game.
As you might expect from past expeditions to the Kingdom of Hyrule, exploration is important, with a semi-procedurally generated element in its design. While certain map placements will remain consistent – Death Mountain, for instance, will always be in the north – each screen and dungeon layout will be different, maintaining a distinct ‘Hylian’ identity that allows for a different gameplay experience in future playthroughs.
While roguelike’s are notorious for their unforgiving nature, Cadence of Hyrule offers player’s the chance to regain items lost after their (quite literal) untimely demise, though the frequency of item drops also helps in this regard. In addition to this and a relatively simplistic overworld, Sheikah Stones make their reappearance in Hyrule as selectable respawn and warp points, making the concept of death and backtracking rather more tolerable, especially given its Link to a game titled Crypt of the NecroDancer.
Traversing between different screens is consistent and seamless, regardless of the randomly generated elements, with secrets to be found in each screen, reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda on the NES. And as can be expected, it’s always exciting – especially on your first play through – to discover staple landmarks, such as the Windmill Hut from Ocarina of Time, or Kakariko Village. In this sense, procedurally generated screens do not diminish the experience, but rather augment it to keep it fresh for each repeat play, successfully pandering to our nostalgia. It’s almost a shame it’s so short, though this, along with the nature of procedurally generated maps, provides more reason to replay it.
There are options available to customise your experience, including Fixed-Beat mode which enables you free movement without worrying about time signatures, with enemies only moving when you do. In a way, this becomes more like a Mystery Dungeon game, with a slick soundtrack. This might be more preferable for players who want to take time to consider their moves more strategically, without the thrill and intensity of the standard mode.
There’s also an online leaderboard, showcasing who completed the game the quickest, as well as a drop-in/ drop-out co-op mode, making us wonder: when will the next co-op Four Swords game be coming to Switch…?
It’s clear that Cadence of Hyrule has enjoyed a somewhat higher budget over the previous Crypt of the NecroDancer, based on a simple visual comparison, most likely thanks to Nintendo’s backing. Visually it is reminiscent of Minish Cap, with assets that looks like they could have been from the GBA title, or indeed Link to the Past. Even the overworld map will remind player’s of the SNES and handheld titles, with bold colours and clean pixel art. Yet while it is obviously visually rooted in Zelda, it retains NecroDancer characteristics.
The dynamic music and visuals are guaranteed to strike a chord with Zelda fans, especially with its 25 remixed tracks in the style of NecroDancer, including the overworld theme from Link’s Awakening, the ‘Song of Storms’, and the ever nostalgic Ocarina of Time opening theme reprising its role as Cadence of Hyrule’s main menu theme. You’re practically guaranteed to bop along with Link and/ or Zelda as you travel across Hyrule and there’s an unmistakable charm to recognising tunes remixed with heavier beats and electric guitars, which never stave too far from the original soundtracks. It’s no surprise, given the premise of the gameplay style, that music plays a key role in the games design.
Just as the map itself is split into distinct areas, including forests, beaches, and deserts, you can expect to hear soundtracks from the original series to go along with each distinct area. In the forest you will hear a more dance-oriented remix of ‘The Lost Woods’, while the Gerudo Desert transforms the infamous Ocarina of Time theme with electric guitars. Each soundtrack also has two versions: a ‘Peaceful’ version, where there are no enemies and you are free to explore and move as you please without keeping track of the beat, and a ‘Combat’ version which ups the rhythm when there are enemies around. The audio transition between the two versions of any given track are clean and add a clever way to indicate the current mood, with the Combat remixes adding a heightened sense of excitement and energy to the already excellent musical cues from the mind of Koji Kondo. In this sense, there is a great deal of joy and nostalgia to be had while exploring the Kingdom of Hyrule as you rediscover the music, whether it’s the heart-thumping Combat tracks, or the more chilled out lounge tracks.
Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer: Featuring the Legend of Zelda doesn’t just have the catchiest name on the eShop, it’s also more than likely going to make your leg Tingle with nostalgia and the need to tap along to its equally catchy soundtrack. Fans of The Legend of Zelda will get the most out of the visual and music cues, as well as references, recurring landmarks and items, but if you’ve played Crypt of the NecroDancer before, or simply a fan of creative rhythm games, this is an easy recommendation.
It’s not often Nintendo gives their own IP’s out to other developers, especially indie studios: you don’t need to be reminded of certain past experiments, I’m sure. If this is the level of creativity that can be expected, then hopefully this won’t be a one off. With such a massive catalogue of characters and games, and with a platform that has already supported some of the best indie games we’ve seen in a long time, it will be interesting to see if Nintendo works with indie developers more in the future. Perhaps New Donk City Returns: Ape Out: Featuring Donkey Kong, or Hell’s Kitchen: Overcooked: Featuring the Glutinous Kirby?
To the naysayers who may voice skepticism about the concept of Cadence of Hyrule, it’s creative gameplay design, remixes of familiar music and visual cues, along with overall charm, make this a worthy addition to your Switch lineup that plays on your nostalgia for Hyrule, while presenting a fresh sometimes challenging new experience. If you’ve never played Crypt of the NecroDancer then you should absolutely give it a try, just to see how far the game has evolved with Nintendo’s backing. If you’ve never play a Zelda game, shocked as I may be, this will still be an enjoyable game to pick up. With only a few minor gripes, and thankfully more major positives that help establish a consistently entertaining tone throughout, Cadence of Hyrule will tap into your nostalgia with it’s charming use of music and art design.
