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00:00If you were making your own video game, what sort of things would inspire you?
00:04Perhaps it would be Nintendo's high-fantasy series that has ventured across a wide variety of game
00:09genres. Indeed, the legend of Zelda's influence can be felt in much of gaming, from hobbyist
00:14projects to high-budget titles. Lookin' at you, paraglider mechanic. As today, I wanted to pick
00:20out a few slightly smaller-scale video games that thoroughly deserve your attention. And while not
00:25all of these indies are out yet, you may find the next Zelda-like of your dreams in need of
00:30your support. Preamble over, like, and subscribe to show us you have a want for indie game coverage,
00:35and let's go.
00:42Arzette, the Jewel of Theramore
00:45I've been expecting you, Arzette. All alone? What a pity.
00:52Arzette is a side-scrolling action-adventure which masterfully achieves a feat that no one
00:57else wanted, to be a spiritual successor to the terrible yet hilarious Link and Zelda CD-i games.
01:04I'm so hungry, I could eat an Octorok.
01:07Its cutscenes resemble that of the inspiration source material,
01:10having reportedly given their animators free reign to make the visual gags as wacky as they wanted.
01:15Meanwhile, the gameplay segments use pixel art sprites that look hundreds of times better than
01:20the Wand of Gamelon over here, with the exact same color palette.
01:23The developer company, CD-i Software, is of course a soundalike to CD-i, which also hired the original
01:30voice cast of CD-i Link and Zelda, plus other notable YouTube talent to star in the game.
01:35Aesthetics aside, the gameplay takes the original side-scroller formula,
01:39and makes it digestible, featuring locked pathways you can return to later,
01:43and key items tied to interacting with goofball NPCs.
01:47Overall, one of the greatest high-effort meme posts I've seen in a while.
01:54Seed of Life
02:02Seed of Life is an old-school Zelda-like, aiming to recreate the visuals of the GameCube and PS2
02:08era. The player controls a wolf with an itty-bitty companion flying alongside them,
02:12which are two feelings that traditional dungeon-based Zelda enjoyers will be oddly familiar
02:17with. Speaking of dungeons, you can expect them as a major element of this indie, complete with
02:22large-scale lock-on boss battles and tons of little puzzles to solve along the way.
02:27A glance at some of the sliding block puzzles, which the dev has shown off in particular,
02:32took me right back to my days of struggling in the Twilight Princess Ice Temple. I would be lying
02:37if I said I wasn't a little excited to see if these ones will be just as nostalgically annoying.
02:42Other visual elements like the player's HUD are equally Zelda-themed, with items and abilities
02:47being equippable to certain buttons that are present on the screen during gameplay,
02:51plus a floating camera system that seems reminiscent of Ocarina of Time,
02:56with the maneuverability of something like Skyward Sword. It nails the PS2 look with grace,
03:01its Steam page is up now with no set release date.
03:07Moonshire
03:12Moonshire has been an ongoing project by YouTuber Chalicade, who has been documenting his progress
03:21right here on YouTube. Originating as a teaching slash learning project on recreating early Zelda
03:27games, the project that would eventually become Moonshire took on an identity of its own once
03:32original art, animations, and gameplay ideas began to be implemented. Most uniquely is Moonshire's
03:38current gameplay loop of picking up weapons and sacrificing them at the player's benefit.
03:43Breaking your weapon to heal encourages continuous experimentation with other items,
03:47and is a super unique way of incorporating a self-inflicted durability system. The classic
03:52top-down visuals and tight action can be experienced in Moonshire's current demo, out now.
04:03The Plucky Squire
04:08Join Jot and his friends as they escape a 2D world for a 3D one. From trailer impressions,
04:18the Plucky Squire is somewhere between Super Mario meets a Zelda, and that certainly sounds
04:23like a recipe for success. A link between worlds fans might feel right at home as you scale walls
04:29and clear obstacles by entering a 2D plane, then fight off little goobers with your sword in 3D,
04:35all rendered in this adorable storybook style. The indie team under the name All Possible Futures
04:40is led by two co-founders, one of which spent a large part of his career designing Pokemon at
04:46Game Freak. So it's no surprise the game looks as charming as it does, having incorporated a
04:50somewhat self-aware element by mixing various art styles and genre references. The Plucky Squire is
04:57out now? Uh, not at time of recording, and I imagine it's a hoot of a good time.
05:09Maple Forest
05:18If you didn't immediately fall in love with this Gameboy-esque RPG, I don't know if we can be
05:24friends. Maple Forest is a Zelda-like, starring a woodland fox and some adorable creatures. The
05:29visuals are super unique, using a very limited palette, but at an extremely high level of detail
05:34in texture and lighting. The game seems to have loads of items planned, judging by the menus,
05:39and the dev has currently shown off classics like a bow, bomb, and fire rod equivalent.
05:45Expect to fight some skeletons, maybe a weird bug thing, and all the RPG staples.
05:50This thing oozes charm, and I'm hungry to learn more about Maple Forest's
05:54charming dialogue and storyline. The Kickstarter is listed as launching soon.
06:10Tunic
06:11I probably don't need to sing Tunic's praises. It's a smash hit, using a completely unique in-game
06:24mechanic of a virtual manual, which can slowly be understood by the player as they gain knowledge
06:30and solve puzzles. There's coins to collect, a freely explorable world, baddies to dodge,
06:35and lots and lots of secrets. Tunic features an isometric view,
06:40which can obscure hidden pathways, and prompts the player to explore the nooks and crannies
06:44they can't immediately see. This is a perspective seen primarily in strategic games, which rely on
06:49thinking. That was the perfect choice for this problem-solving adventure, but is also a fairly
06:55unique look for a Zelda-like action-adventure. Tunic has won the Outstanding Achievement for
07:00an Independent Game award, and racked up loads of nominations since its release.
07:12Sheep Lad
07:23Sheep Lad, true to its name, is a side-scrolling action-adventure RPG inspired by the Black Sheep
07:28of the Zelda series, Zelda II The Adventure of Link. Occasionally seen as one of the quote-unquote
07:35bad Zelda games, this developer has taken it upon himself to show how the core of the original game
07:40had a lot of untapped potential. The awesome visual style and unique interpretation seems
07:45to be a first of its kind, with a heavy focus on tight swordplay. The game features a purposeful
07:51nuance, like the learning of perfect timings, the different weapons the enemies may use,
07:56and the multiple movement options the player has available at any given encounter,
08:00as well as the dev's commitment to their vision for players having to work for their win.
08:05It's reported that Sheep Lad proudly features no map, a get lost. While we're waiting on the
08:11Kickstarter to launch, the dev does have a smaller side-projects page available now,
08:16known as Sheep Lass.
08:31Chloa, Child of the Forest
08:33What if you took the visual palette and soundscape of a Studio Ghibli project and
08:44met it with a top-down Zelda action-adventure? Well, you'd have Chloa, a cozy yet fast-paced
08:51RPG with folkloric figures and epic bosses. The player can dash, shoot, and slash, as you may
08:58expect, across some glorious landscapes. Gameplay details are not fully revealed as of yet,
09:03but there will be some kind of combo system, as well as guards, deflects, and piercing shots.
09:08Currently, the animations present in all the basic attacks alone are impressive on their own,
09:13and the Japanese art style influence will be a major selling point for the project moving forward.
09:19Chloa has a Kickstarter page available, and a public demo is stated as coming soon. I'm
09:24personally looking forward to the reveal of other characters, as this Tanuki fellow in a straw hat
09:30is already a winner.
09:41Legend 64
10:00Legend 64 may be one of the most captivating work-in-progress indies ever. That is, if you're
10:07into masterfully recreated Nintendo 64 charm. The dev who has documented his progress here on YouTube
10:13under the same handle of Legend 64 has utilized similar techniques and limitations as the original
10:19Nintendo hardware for a fully authentic fifth-generation feel. The result is this purposefully
10:25haunting atmosphere of a game that feels like you should know of, like a lost game from the past,
10:31or a nostalgic hidden gem that somehow hasn't ever been released. The player fights monsters
10:37with their lantern and glowing ember friend, in a lock-on style battle system that rivals or
10:43perhaps will improve on that from Ocarina of Time itself. Big-scale boss battles and stunning NPCs
10:49are in the works. The Legend 64 project dev is cooking something truly amazing, and while
10:55progress continues well here on YouTube, we are eagerly awaiting more pages like Steam to go up.
11:06Mika and the Witch's Mountain
11:08Have you seen Kiki's Delivery Service? Have you ever wanted to live in a world like that?
11:19How about The Legend of Zelda Wind Waker with its bright, comical visuals and light-hearted evils?
11:26Mika and the Witch's Mountain tells you exactly what it is at a single glance, a relaxing broomstick
11:31flying chore venture game. Mika wants to be a witch, but finds herself delivering mail, ice cream,
11:37and just generally being a helpful little fella. The main hook is being able to glide around the
11:41world and hit air drafts to help you reach townies and get them their packages. If you're looking for
11:47cozy and have always enjoyed the Toon Link approach to visuals, this is absolutely the
11:51game for you to spend a couple calming hours in. Out now on everything you'd expect.
12:00Thanks for watching! Did I miss any Zelda-like indies you have your eyes on? Let me know in the
12:05comments, be sure to subscribe, like the video for more, and check out our other The Legend of
12:10Zelda content right here on Mojo Plays!