- Pronouns
- She/Her
... What?
I know, and I understand the confusion, since I coined this phrase roughly 5 minutes ago.
Please explain!
It's a distinct, very specific and sort of timeless feeling to play the original Legend of Zelda on the NES - a feeling that remains quite unique in the series, even when compared to its closest contemporaries: Zelda II, A Link to the Past and later, Breath of the Wild. In this game, you're dropped into a world that stretches in all directions. You're free to explore all on your own, with no one there to guide your hand. You're blocked off here and there by some item-gating, but you're largely open to roam the world with only one singular goal in mind - defeat Ganon. The world itself is hostile and dangerous, but above all, it's filled with secrets. Arbitrary, cryptic and far-fetched secrets, like walking inside a mountain, a silent lady, GRUMBLE GRUMBLE and the fact that if you really do bomb every wall and burn every bush, wondrous things await.
There's been a fair few games, especially in recent years, that has seeked to emulate the feeling that Zelda 1 so effortlessly captivates. These have become so distinct in their common design goals that they all sort of fall into a common denominator at this point - hence "penninsula action", named after a particularly devious clue from The Legend of Zelda. Unlike its sister genre, search action, penninsula action games are defined by top-down gameplay and less item-gating, but a similar focus on challenge, exploration, an expansive toolset and also lots of enticing secrets.
What games, then?
Below is a small list of what I personally consider some of the more prominent penninsula action games today - but I might be missing something. So feel free to fill me in!
The original game that started it all remains one of the most influential games not only as an originator of sorts for the penninsula action games, but among all games of all time. And as I mentioned before, there really is something truly special about Zelda 1 and the way its obtuse nature makes the world feel so alluring.
But it is of course not the only penninsula action games in the franchise - though the following 2D games became more linear, narratively prominent and comparatively more handholdy, all 2D Zelda games are of course proud inheritors of the original Zelda's design ideas and innovations.
Hyper Light Drifter is a game made by Heart Machine that tells a story without words in a flashy, heavily stylized world that is just begging to be explored. The intense action brings a certain edge to the gameplay loop that might seem intimidating at first, but once you properly dig into the game, you'll find that the world is a fascinating, mysterious place that may or may not hide the answers you seek.
A penninsula essential. Tunic expertly challenges the cryptic and obtuse nature that makes these kinds of games so exciting in the first place. The game is built on the ingenious concept of a cryptically worded instruction manual that not only is a callback to the game manuals of old, but also works as a core mechanic of the game and a crucial tool in uncovering every last one of the world's many secrets.
A game not released yet - so we have to hold back our verdict on it a bit. But from material released so far, it looks like it heavily lifts influences from 2D Zelda games like Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons. It looks like a game primed to do for top-down old-school games what Shovel Knight did for sidescrollers - truly something to look forward to.
Minit rests on a cool and off-beat mechanic - the world ends in a minute, and you have to make your way through the world one reset after another. The heavily tool-based gameplay loop makes for some really cool puzzle-solving along the way, and it's a really unique experience to say the least.
A little push for a personal favourite here - Unsighted is a gem. Like Hyper Light Drifter, it leans heavily on style, and flashy, harsh combat. But there's still a lot of penninsula-traits to distinguish here as well, with plenty of mysterious dungeons to explore and a vast array of tools to utilize and unlock new paths with. The game has a punishing time constraint that drastically alters the world depending on how you play, which makes skill and perseverance essential.
The most recent addition on the list, as Master Key just released! It's about a creature finding a big key, whose use remains a mystery. You explore a wide world filled with secrets, where NPC's communicate with monochrome emojis.
Why a thread?
Penninsula games are amazing, and you often hear the question "What are some Zelda-like games?" or "What are some games inspired by 2D Zelda out there?" on forums. So I figured that we could have a little ST for these kinds of games to be discussed and highlighted. While the definition of the term is distinct in a way - "Games like 2D Zelda" - what this thread is essentially about is top-down/isometric action adventure games focusing on exploration, combat, secrets, tools and puzzle-solving. Sometimes they may have roguelike elements, or might not be as obtuse or filled with secrets as Zelda 1, so the thread's premise might require some stretching in order for it to fully flourish, but in general, I hope I made my point come across well here.
Zelda 1 was magical then, is magical now, and the games listed that share its DNA are all also amazing in their own right - so let's talk about it, and share more games of this kind!
(EDIT: Fine, I updated the title)
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