The time spent between officialLegend Of Zeldareleasesis usually a long one, especially for the fans. So to pass the time, fans have come together to create their ownZeldatitles. Some are less than stellar while others are so impressive that they could fool people into thinking they’re an official game.
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There have been a lot of great fan games over the years. However, Nintendo is known for its tight grip on its IPs so many have been deleted or shut down. This is unfortunate as many deleted ones showed the passion of the creators. There’s still plenty to talk about out there, especially when it comes toThe Legend of Zelda.
Updated April 19th, 2021 by Melody MacReady:Over the many years, some fan games based on The Legend Of Zelda fell through the cracks. Whether it was because they were outshined by other and more famous fan games or simply went under the radar. However, after some more digging, more fan games have been rediscovered and have proven to be worthy of the attention of gamers everywhere. Along with adding extra games to be showcased, the grammatical errors were resolved to provide a smoother reading experience. Unfortunately, Nintendo is still very hostile towards fan game creators so how long these games remain online and/or updated could always change.
12Zelda: Realm Of Shadows
Taking assets and elements from other 2D games such asA Link To The Past,Minish Cap, and theOraclegames,Realm Of Shadowsis sure to please fans of classicZelda. With over four hours' worth of gameplay and visuals based on the Gameboy games, there is a lot to enjoy.
Realm Of Shadowsnever goes overboard in trying to make things too difficult like many fan games do. Instead, it relies on feeling like a trueLegend Of Zeldatitle one might have had on their GameBoy or GameBoy Color in the 1990s. It’s fun and definitely worth at least checking out if one wants a more forgiving experience.
11The Legend Of Zelda: Book Of Mudora
Eight large dungeons, a fully explorable Hyrule, and manages to have several side quests? This not only deserves to be in Nintendo’s library but deserves a remaster. The creators of this fan game clearly understand what makes Zelda so iconic. Despite it clearly being a ROM hack ofA Link To The Past, it passes off as a true follow up much like howMajora’s Maskdoes toOcarina Of Time.
There is enough content in the main quests to keep a player entertained for almost eight hours alone. With all the side quests and bonus activities, it’s a good twelve to fifteen hours.
10The Legend Of Zelda: Return Of The Hylian
A pretty straightforward setup: the light and dark worlds fromA Link To The Pastare unified. This is good in theory, but it causes the resurrection of Ganon and his minions. Thus, Link must head off on another adventure to stop his mortal enemy.Return Of The Hylianis a ROM hack ofA Link To The Past. This sequel doesn’t attempt to be an expert mode of the original game; instead, it’s just more of what fans love aboutA Link To The Past.
9Dawn & Dusk
Child Link must intervene in a war between the Dawnside and Duskside factions.Dawn & Duskis a ROM hack ofOcarina Of Timedeveloped by Captain Seedy-Eye. Even though the player can only play as Child Link, he now has access to adult Link items and abilities like the fireproof tunic.
This ROMhack is so well done that one could easily mistakeDawn & Duskfor a lost Nintendo 64 game. The only downside is thatDawn & Duskcan be beaten within an hour.
8Ocarina Of Time: Randomizer
A Link To The Past: Randomizerbecame a fan-favorite ROM hack for Let’s Players on YouTube and streamers on Twitch. Naturally, this would spark the idea for more randomizers, including one forOcarina Of Time.
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Ocarina Of Time: Randomizerdoes exactly what the title suggests; it takesOcarina Of Timeas a whole and randomly generates an entirely new experience. This includes locations and items, thus allowing for a fresh experience for those who have mastered the original.
7The Legend Of Zelda: Parallel Worlds
One of the most fleshed-out ROM hacks in existence;Parallel Worldsis a brand new game all done withA Link To The Pastas the base. A new map and new dungeons await the player who dares to tackle this challenge. When we say challenge, we mean challenge.
As great asParallel Worldsis, it suffers from one problem: major difficulty. SometimesParallel Worldsgoes way too far, especially since Link doesn’t get his sword for a good while. However, that doesn’t stop this from being an impressive creation.
6The Legend Of Zelda: Voyager Of Time
Taking place after the events ofMajora’s Mask, Link has returned to Kokiri Forest and is trying to find peace after what happened in Termina. It is very clear from the start thatVoyager Of Timeis aMajora’s Maskfan game.
Everything from the story, the characters, and the dialogue fit the dark tones of that game.Voyager Of Timeis a very fleshed-out ROMhack and shows the passion of the creator. As a bonus, there’s tons more time traveling!
5Project Restoration
Many fans ofMajora’s Maskwere not fond of the remakeon the Nintendo 3DS. It was critiqued for holding the player’s hand too much and felt too much like a watered-down version of the Nintendo 64 game despite impressive visuals.
Project Restorationis a mod ofMajora’s Mask 3D; it intends to marry the differences between the original Nintendo 64 release and the 3DS remake.Project Restorationis successful in many ways as it removes flaws from both versions while keeps the beautiful visuals.
4Zelda’s Birthday
Much likeMajora’s Mask,Zelda’s Birthdayrecycle’sOcarina Of Time’s assets and structure to create a new game. It can also be compared toParallel Worldssince it has a steep difficulty spike from the very beginning.
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Link is not given a sword for a while and some ofOcarina Of Time’s most challenging enemies are present. This results inZelda’s Birthdaybecoming an incredibly frustrating experience. It is a lot of fun but be ready to use save states and/or die a lot.
3The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild 2D
ImagineBreath Of The Wildbut in the style of the original NESLegend Of Zelda.Breath of the Wild 2Dgame is more than just a ROMhack. There are different animations, new environmental mechanics, crafting, food preparation, etc. If someone is a fan ofBreath Of The Wildand looking for something more classic, this is the best choice. It can be a little challenging at times but it remains fun every step of the way.
