The dance floor is open, the playlist is set, all that’s left to do is press play.
Developer: Brace Yourself Games
Publisher: Nintendo
Reviewed on: Switch
Purchased.
In all seriousness Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer featuring The Legend of Zelda, or Cadence of Hyrule for the remainder of this review, could stand alone as a traditional Legend of Zelda game. It features all the elements that make classic 2D entries in the series so endearing. However, it’s the Crypt of the NecroDancer part that transforms what would otherwise be a fairly standard action-adventure game into something truly significant.
We open up on Cadence, the heroin from Crypt of the NecroDancer, being teleported to Hyrule. Her arrival has coincided with evil that has taken over Hyrule Castle and infected the land with dangerous creatures. Cadence meets up with Link and Zelda, and all three venture out to stop the darkness from spreading. On your journey you’ll get explore a huge world filled with secrets, delve deep into treacherous dungeons, defeat monstrous bosses, and acquire an arsenal of useful tools. Pretty standard, stuff right? The things Cadence of Hyrule cribs from The Legend of Zelda formula are obvious, but also familiar. It’s also short-lived, however, because as much as the set up sounds like another typical romp through Hyrule, the actual execution is anything but.
From the start, you get choose to whether you play as Link or Zelda, a significant differentiator even at face value. However, each character actually has a different skill set, arsenal of weapons, and even starting location. You do end up unlocking the ability to play as up to four characters, but your starting character is who you will play as for most of the game. The changes aren’t limited to character selection either, and you don’t get a sense of just how much this Legend of Zelda mixes things up until you take your first… step.
If you’re not familiar with Crypt of the NecroDancer, it’s a rhythm-based action game. What this means is that all characters, player and non-player, move inline to a beat. You hop around the play area, which is essentially broken up into dozens of tiles, and attack by trying to move into a tile occupied by an enemy. You don’t have to move or attack on EVERY beat, but your enemies will move whether you do or not, so standing still isn’t always a safe bet. It’s important to learn the patterns of each enemy and learn to anticipate their next move. While most enemies will attempt to move straight at you, some can only be defeated if attacked from the side or behind, so you have to use their predictable patterns to put yourself in the best possible position. As you can probably imagine, this takes the typical hack and slash combat of The Legend of Zelda to a whole new level.
What’s more infectious is the soundtrack that underscores each area and how intrinsic it is to the gameplay. The Legend of Zelda series and its music are inseparable; it not only has an iconic soundtrack, but the music is very often tied to the game’s gameplay and themes (OCARINA of Time, anyone?). Here it is cranked up to 11. Literally every action in the game is tied to the beat of a remixed Legend of Zelda tune. From the iconic build up of the main theme, to the acoustic plucking of the Gerudo Valley theme, all these tracks are here, but remixed to extenuate their beats. Heavy electric guitars, drums, and synths are added throughout to assist you in combat, while never straying too far from the source material. For a long-time Zelda fan (like myself) the result in nothing short of exhilarating. But even if you don’t have any nostalgia for these tracks, the execution is still spot-on enough to get your thumb clicking that d-pad in line with the beat.
But maybe you’re not here for “Just Dance meets Diablo”? That’s fine and dandy because Cadence of Hyrule has a variety of tools to make the game more accessible to players. For instance, the beat is always displayed along the bottom of the screen, so even if you can’t hear the music, or catch the beat, you can still play. Furthermore, you can actually turn the beat mechanic off entirely. This actually transforms the game into more or less a turn-based action game in which enemies and projectiles only move when you do. Everything still follows the same patterns, it just allows you the time to survey the playing field and plan your moves without the audio-visual overload of the standard gameplay. In all honesty, it makes for a very different play experience and is worth checking out even if you enjoy the standard mode.
Cadence of Hyrule is a Legend of Zelda game. From the pixel-perfect art style, to the expertly remixed soundtrack, to the familiar, yet shuffled up layout of the adventure itself, the game looks and sounds like it was made by Nintendo. By dropping in the rhythm-based gameplay of Crypt of the NecroDancer into this familiar template, Brace Yourself Games has made not only one of the best action-adventure games, but also one of the best Legend of Zelda games. It’s a testament to what can happen when the talent and freedom offered in the indie game space is applied to a series as iconic as The Legend of Zelda. It’s in that sense that we can see the real significance of Cadence of Hyrule. The dance floor is open, the playlist is set, all that’s left to do is press play.
