This month we had E3, and sure enough a fair amount of new games surfaced – mostly stuff coming up in the future, but there were some rather pleasant surprises that were stealth dropped as well.
I certainly won’t be lacking for games to feature here, but it is only one in particular I shall highlight. The others will be honourable mentions.I’ll kick off with the honourable mentions. First goes to Atelier Lulua ~The Scion of Arland~, which I have been enjoying immensely. Atelier Lydie & Suelle was my first foray into the Atelier series, but I have to say that I am enjoying Lulua a bit more – various things have been refined to make for a more satisfying experience.
The second honourable mention technically goes to three games, all included in the Collection of Mana: Mystic Quest (Final Fantasy Adventure for Americans), Secret of Mana and, available for the first time outside of Japan in English, Trials of Mana (which some might know better as Seiken Densetsu 3). A nice collection of some great action JRPGs.
The main game that I want to highlight this month is Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer featuring The Legend of Zelda. It is an indie rhythm roguelike game, a spin-off and crossover of Crypt of the NecroDancer with The Legend of Zelda.
Cadence of Hyrule uses the same top-down perspective that earlier Zelda titles used, and there’s plenty of familiar elements from that franchise as well. The Bow, Bombs, the Hookshot… there’s plenty of familiar items for long time Zelda fans.
The game also presents you with the choice to play as Cadence (Crypt of the NecroDancer‘s main protagonist), Link or Zelda.
The music is a key part of the game, as you move and fight enemies to the rhythm. Combat differs a bit from Zelda games – you simply need to press the direction an enemy is in to attack them, providing they are in range. Enemies move in patterns according to the rhythm, so you’ll need to try and work out where the best position is to defeat your foes.
Cadence of Hyrule has proven to be quite tricky – though I suspect that’s mostly just a case of me getting used to the gameplay. I’d guess that Crypt of the NecroDancer veterans will have an easier time settling into the gameplay.
You do start to get into the rhythm of things eventually, and it is so satisfying to clear out enemies without missing a single beat. It looks great, and you get greater rewards for doing so.
It may be tricky, but Cadence of Hyrule has proven itself to be a whole lot of fun as well. I’m not typically into roguelike games, but the combination of rhythm action and The Legend of Zelda was just something that I couldn’t pass up.
Get into the rhythm of things, and Cadence of Hyrule becomes a rewarding experience.
Rory Muses 