Cadence of Hyrule Review A must buy for Zelda fans?

Cadence of Hyrule might be my "Surprising Game of the Year"...no, not Game of the Year 2019 I'm saying it was the most surprising game OF 2019 for me so far! It might be the best indie game I have played this year and honestly, was the first "Zelda" I enjoyed in a long, long time possibly since Link Between Worlds. While my indie experience may not be vast and the indie games I have played are the most mainstream and cream of the crop (CupHead, Hat in Time, Celeste, Shovel Knight, and the Messenger), I do have to say I came into this game not knowing what it was based of, or even an inkling of what to expect.

(Video Review on Youtube)

Cadence of Hyrule starts you off playing as Cadence, the hero of her own title Crypt of the Necrodancer, and shows you that Vaati err Octavo defeating Link and Zelda and casting a curse on Hyrule. From there after a quick tutorial your adventure begins as either Link or Zelda (don't worry you can always switch to the other later on in the game and even Cadence herself!) The only major difference between the two is the way they start off (location and start characters) and the way their shield mechanic works, with Zelda using Naryu's Love. After that you'll be hopping through all of Hyrule following the CADENCE......(I'll see myself out).

Obviously the first thing anyone who plays this will talk, first and foremost, is about the music and the amazing remix's the team behind Cadence of Hyrule has given its players. Every remix be it the title theme, Gerudo Valley, Death Mountain, all of it is a pleasure to listen to and its really catchy, which make following the beat/rhythm easy (don't worry you can change the game to be a steady tempo if you are having trouble from each songs different tempo). The map and style of the game is like a rhythm rouge-like, and you collect items all along the map from Pieces of Hearts, potions, ruppees, keys, and scrolls. Diamonds are another key item you get for defeating all enemies in the map area you are in, once you defeat them you can "free-roam" so you aren't limited to the evil Octavo's Cadence. What I mean by saying it is rogue-like is that once you die, you re-spawn everytime but you only keep your main items and Diamonds (so more Majora's Mask than a true rogue-like). From there you will need to recollect your boots, torches, shovels, ruppees, and non-main items (so potions you don't lose your hookshot!) This concept is actually very addicting because each map has a there own unique sub-dungeon, different tactics to approach, and unique enemies; every area in the map feels like a fully unique and fun, different experience. I had the urge to explore the entire map before I even completed my first main dungeon!

What sold me on this game of being my Indie Game of the year is honestly the style this game is presented....like it reminded me of the Zelda of old. It was like Minish Cap meets Link to the Past meets new game. I couldn't get over how great every characters looked, how amazing some items looked in their 2D debut, how amazing the entire game was in every aspect EXCEPT ROC'S CAPE err "Rito's feather" (such a bad useless item). The minigames in each town were fun, they brought back some unexpected things and the best part is there are a ton of secrets and replay-ability in this game!



Honestly, I didn't know what to expect going into this game and I never watched any trailers or knew the original game but I'm glad I gave it a shot as did Nintendo! I would definitely recommend checking it out and its a must-buy for all Zelda fans out there!

Overall Score: 9/10

Graphics: 10/10
Music: 10/10
Story: 8/10
Replay-ability: 9/10


Michael Troina plays games for his Twitch Channel EVERYDAY @ Troyfu7and his Youtube Channel: SuperNintenbros