The Legend of Zelda franchise has had an incredible influence on modern gaming. Each new entry in the series improves upon and challenges the conventions of the game before it.
But what makes a video game like Zelda? The series consists of action-adventure games, where exploration and secret hunting is just as important as combat.
Legend of Zelda is also known for its sprawling dungeons, which are usually a separate instance away from the main world. These dungeons are the highlight of the game for many, with incredible boss battles, and are the perfect playground for all the game mechanics.
The Zelda franchise also has some incredibly smart puzzles. They often require you to track down new items or to learn new items, which naturally encourages you to keep exploring.
The games in this list fall into a variety of different genres, and they incorporate a number of the elements I’ve already looked at. Here are the 21 best Zelda-like games on Nintendo Switch to pick up and play today.
2D Zelda-Like Games
Death’s Door
| Genre | Action-adventure, arcade, Souls-like, RPG, hack-and-slash, dungeon crawler |
| Buy from | The official Nintendo store or Amazon |
| Length | The main campaign takes roughly 9 hours to finish and completing everything in the game will take you 15-16 hours |
| Developer | Acid Nerve |
| Release date | 23rd November 2021 |
| Co-op | No, single player only |
Death’s Door is a charming action-adventure. It channels the very first Legend of Zelda game and manages to handle macabre subjects in an enchanting manner.
You play as a Crow who has the monotonous job of reaping souls. One day, a mysterious figure takes your assigned soul and escapes with it during your work day. You have to find the thief, reclaim what’s yours, and unravel a grand conspiracy on the way.
It’s important to note that Death’s Door doesn’t have a map. Instead, you have to rely upon your sense of direction and the signs in-game to navigate.
The game evokes the enjoyable confusion of wandering around a map full of secrets that Zelda fans are sure to love. Make sure to keep a note of inaccessible areas so you can backtrack and explore them later.
Among the various treasures that you can find in the world, you’ll find lots of weapons. There are also magic abilities which double as utility spells for traveling and solving puzzles.
Where Death’s Door truly shines is in its stellar world-building and level design. This game has a compelling story with stand-out comedic moments that will keep you playing until the end.
CrossCode
| Genre | Adventure, RPG, puzzle, story-rich, action, sci-fi |
| Buy from | The official Nintendo store or Amazon |
| Length | The main story takes 34-35 hours to finish and doing a full, 100% completionist run will take you 74 hours overall |
| Developer | Radical Fish Games, Deck13, and Radical Fish Games GmbH |
| Release date | 8th July 2020 |
| Co-op | No, single player only |
CrossCode is a game within a game. It has thrilling combat and gripping adventure sections, and it’s one of the best games on the Switch with a Zelda feel.
Play as Lea, who was Isekai’d into an MMORPG called CrossWorlds. She has no memories of her life outside the game and must play through the game to recover them.
The colorful cast of pixelated characters you’ll meet are people playing CrossWorlds, and their dialogue reflects that. You can bring them along as a party member, and they’re surprisingly competent in a fight.
Lea is buttery smooth to control; she dances and spins around the field, jumping in and out to attack in melee or range.
You’ll quickly learn to master the combat because difficult enemies will halt your progression. Therefore, it’s crucial to exploit their elemental weaknesses if you want to crack their high HP pools.
These elemental attacks feed into CrossCode’s complex skill tree system.
RPG fans will get a kick out of the variety of customization options and ability to exploit enemy weaknesses.
Of course, this wouldn’t be a good Zelda alternative unless it had solid puzzles.
CrossCode has a lot of them—almost too many, at times. These puzzles are usually physics-based conundrums that test your knowledge of your abilities.
To top it all off, CrossCode has lengthy dungeons that can last up to an hour or more each. This game deserves more attention and praise, so be sure to check it out.
Hyper Light Drifter
| Genre | Action-adventure, RPG, hack-and-slash, Metroidvania, Souls-like |
| Buy from | The official Nintendo store or Amazon, both as a special edition |
| Length | The main campaign takes around 8 hours to finish and a full, 100% completionist run will take roughly 27-28 hours |
| Developer | Heart Machine, Abylight Studios, and Abylight Studios S.A. |
| Release date | 6th September 2018 |
| Co-op | Single system, 2 players supported |
Hyper Light Drifter takes inspiration from A Link to the Past and Diablo.
It’s an game with an ambiguous story that you’ll need to interpret and uncover as you progress. The art style is haunting and incredibly well made.
Exploration also follows the same design philosophy. It’s refreshing to have no explicit objective; instead, you have to wander the world searching for it yourself.
Combat is spectacular, and it’s uber satisfying to land hard-hitting attacks with your sword and gun. Movement is fast-paced and chaotic, and you can upgrade and swap out all of your combat elements.
The amazing synth soundtrack is the cherry on top.
This is a truly enjoyable game and it stands out from the other Zelda-like games on Nintendo Switch by having a unique story, beautiful art style, and fun movement style.
Ittle Dew
| Genre | Action-adventure, RPG, puzzle, funny |
| Buy from | The official Nintendo store |
| Length | Main story takes roughly 2-3 hours to finish and a completionist run will take you 8 hours or so to complete |
| Developer | Ludosity and Ludosity AB |
| Release date | 15th August 2019 |
| Co-op | No, single player only |
Ittle Dew is reminiscent of Link’s Awakening in both gameplay and story. However, this game offers a lighthearted experience focused on consecutive puzzle solving.
Ittle and her magic fox partner named Tippsie are drifting at sea until they land on a strange island. After meeting a shopkeeper named Itan, he promised to craft a raft for the duo if they retrieve an item for him at the island’s castle.
Combat is straightforward in this game, but it’s not too polished. Instead, there’s more of a focus on Zelda-like puzzles that you can solve with enchanted items.
These enchanted items play a big role in completing the game. There are three items, and they’re all incredibly well-rounded. Each of the items interact with each other, and you can complete the game with just two of them if you choose.
The game’s map will tell you if you’ve missed any items or treasures when entering dungeons. But, it’s still up to you to find it and solve the corresponding puzzle.
Finally, Ittle Dew’s optional master dungeon is a real challenge that will test even the most seasoned of Zelda fans. It’s a real head-scratcher and is absolutely worth doing.
Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion
| Genre | Action-adventure, RPG, puzzle, funny |
| Buy from | The official Nintendo store or Amazon |
| Length | The main story takes around 2 hours to finish and a full, 100% completionist run will take you just over 3 hours |
| Developer | Snoozy Kazoo and Snoozy Kazoo LLC |
| Release date | 22nd August 2021 |
| Co-op | No, single player only |
It’s almost worth playing this game for the name alone.
In Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion, you (unsurprisingly) play as a sentient turnip who has been accused of committing tax evasion.
Mayor Onion offers you a deal to do his personal errands in exchange for your house. However, the light-hearted quest with supposedly funny vegetables quickly becomes a slight jab at corrupt governments.
Combat and exploration will take you back to A Link to the Past.
While swinging your sword is reasonably simple, quickly switching between different items to interact with the environment is a highlight of the game.
This game is quite short, but it’s full to the brim with eccentric characters and references to pop culture. It’s an absolute blast and worth playing today.
Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King
| Genre | Action-adventure, RPG, fantasy, story-rich, open world |
| Buy from | The official Nintendo store |
| Length | The main story takes around 7-8 hours to finish and a full, 100% completionist run can take you around 13-14 hours in total |
| Developer | Castle Pixel, LLC |
| Release date | 21st December 2017 |
| Co-op | No, single player only |
Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King is a great tribute to The Minish Cap and A Link to the Past.
You play as a brand new knight, Lily, who serves the Kingdom of Blossom. After her evil brother curses her king with endless slumber, Lily has to go on a quest to find magical items across the land to cure him.
The story is told by a grandfather reading to his grandchildren, which also factors into the narrative. This storytelling structure is similar to another excellent Switch FPS game, Call of Juarez.
Combat is similar to 2D Zelda titles, where you primarily use short-ranged swords and block attacks with a shield. However, other useful items also come into play, like bombs and boomerangs.
Zelda-like dungeons, secret hunting, and puzzles are also present in this game.
Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King makes no effort to hide its inspirations, and it’s all the better for it. It’s one of the best Zelda-like games available on the Switch today.
Yono and the Celestial Elephants
| Genre | Adventure, cute, puzzle, family-friendly |
| Buy from | The official Nintendo store |
| Length | Main story takes 5 hours or so to complete and a full, 100% completionist run will take you around 9 hours |
| Developer | Neckbolt |
| Release date | 12th October 2017 |
| Co-op | No, single player only |
Yono and the Celestial Elephants is the easiest title on this list, and it’s a perfect game for a novice or young gamer. It stays true to the Zelda formula and charm, but it’s very accessible too.
You play as the cutest elephant in the world of gaming, a celestial elephant named Yono.
The story in this game is similar to Avatar: The Last Airbender, as Yono is on a mission to restore peace and balance to the different races in the world.
The puzzles in this game all revolve around helping the different residents in the game world. You’ll need to use your massive strength to push objects around and your versatile trunk to sprinkle water or blow air.
There are other ways to assist townspeople, like interacting with them and accepting side-quests. As a mighty protector, you’ll also need to battle monsters and bosses in Zelda-like dungeons.
For older audiences, the game breaks down complicated philosophical topics, like existentialism and power politics, into digestible chunks. There are many hidden letters you can find to piece together what divided these once-peaceful races.
Moonlighter
| Genre | Action-adventure, roguelite, RPG |
| Buy from | The official Nintendo store |
| Length | The main story takes 13-14 hours to finish and a full, 100% completionist run will take you 26-27 hours in total |
| Developer | Crunching Koalas, Digital Sun Games, and Digital Sun |
| Release date | 5th November 2018 |
| Co-op | No, single player only |
Moonlighter delivers intense back-to-back Zelda-like combat alongside a shop-keeping feature. Diving deeper into dungeons and collecting loot becomes much more fun when you have to flip it back at the shop.
The game is a roguelite, action RPG which puts you in the shoes of an ambitious shopkeeper Will. Will has an adventurous spirit, and you’ll need to steer him through various dungeons, pick up treasures to sell, and keep the town safe, too.
Combat is similar to 2D Zelda titles, where you’ll have various weapons to fend off all manners of creatures.
It’s important to take it slow while exploring dungeons. Combat can ramp up in difficulty and if you faint while exploring, you’ll lose all your items.
Once back on the surface, you’ll display these trinkets and manually set their price. Then, you’ll have to observe whether the citizens demand the product and think if your prices are fair.
Don’t forget to keep an eye out for pesky thieves who’ll try to steal your hard-earned loot.
You can use your money to set up different shops in town to upgrade your weapons and items, and you can also upgrade your shop.
This is a truly unique game, and it’s a fantastic alternative to Zelda.
Hob: The Definitive Edition
| Genre | Action-adventure, Metroidvania, hack-and-slash, puzzle, platformer, open world |
| Buy from | The official Nintendo store |
| Length | The main story takes 10-11 hours to finish and completing everything in the game will take you just over 17 hours |
| Developer | Runic Games and Runic Games, Inc. |
| Release date | 4th April 2019 |
| Co-op | No, single player only |
Hob distills the familiar Zelda-like formula and applies it to a post-apocalyptic future.
Puzzles are abundant, and you’ll find them everywhere in this game, dotted around the world in amongst tricky fights, beautiful environments, and memorable characters.
The machine planet that you inhabit is plagued by a purple alien-like substance, corrupting it from within. You’ll have to venture across the surface and within the core to rid your beloved home of this virus.
During combat, the little robot Hob attacks with its sword and multi-faceted larger gauntlet. Of course, you’ll also need to dodge roll out of the way of danger and avoid hazards.
Hob’s gauntlet is the star of the platforming and puzzle-solving sections in this game. You’ll use the gauntlet and other new abilities to bring the mechanical planet back to its old glory.
The game world is beautiful, and it’s full of secrets too.
The developers of Torchlight I and Torchlight II brought their fondness for steampunk to new heights with this title. If you haven’t played it yet, add it to your library today.
Eastward
| Genre | Action-adventure, atmospheric, story-rich, ARPG, atmospheric |
| Buy from | The official Nintendo store or Amazon |
| Length | The main campaign takes around 20 hours to finish and a full, 100% completionist run will take you 29-30 hours overall |
| Developer | Pixpil and Pixpil Games |
| Release date | 16th September 2021 |
| Co-op | No, single player only |
Eastward combines 2D top-down Zelda action-adventure elements with EarthBound’s quirky characters and emotional plot.
Eastward stands out from the other Zelda-like games on Nintendo Switch thanks to its meaningful story and magnificent pixel art.
You play as a miner named John and his foster child Sam, who he found inside a tank underground. After being exiled from their underground colony, the duo has no choice but to explore the surface.
The world is dangerous and teeming with environmental puzzles that the duo must overcome. You’ll switch between John’s trusty frying pan and Sam’s kinetic superpowers for all this.
The father-daughter bond between the two characters is the heart of the story.
The gameplay loop is satisfying, but it’s not as active as other games in this list. There’s a lot of dialogue and plenty of cutscenes, which all add to the overall atmosphere.
Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas
| Genre | Action-adventure, RPG, puzzle, open world, fantasy |
| Buy from | The official Nintendo store or Amazon |
| Length | The main campaign takes around 9 hours to finish and a full, completionist run will take you 16-17 hours overall |
| Developer | Cornfox & Brothers Ltd. |
| Release date | 22nd June 2017 |
| Co-op | No, single player only |
Personally, my favorite Zelda game is Wind Waker, and Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas successfully recaptures that magic. This charming game is, without a doubt, one of the best Zelda alternatives. The protagonist even looks and dresses like Link!
In the game, you’ll travel from island to island on your boat. These islands are rich and vibrant, with enemies to fight, caves to search, and treasures to loot.
Oceanhorn also features a light RPG system, where every time you level up you’ll receive a bonus. These bonuses include passive effects, like having more inventory space for new equipment.
Combat and puzzle-solving are fairly simple, yet still enjoyable. If you want an alternative to Zelda that’s nice and relaxing , this is the perfect pick for you.
Minit
| Genre | Action-adventure, puzzle, minimalist, funny |
| Buy from | The official Nintendo store or Amazon |
| Length | The main story takes around 1 or 2 hours overall and completing everything in the game will take you close to 4 hours |
| Developer | Kitty Calis, Jan Willem Nijman, Dom, and Jukio |
| Release date | 9th August 2018 |
| Co-op | No, single player only |
Minit’s core gimmick gives you exactly one minute to beat the whole game. Failing that, you have to start from the beginning. It’s a unique experience.
While Minit is an action-adventure game, it’s a puzzle game at its core. As a result, you need to think fast and execute your ideas before 60 seconds run out.
It’s an exercise in trial and error, and it’s a test of patience as some of the solutions are frustratingly obtuse. Some puzzles require you to die and reset, and some reward you with shortcuts that persist through resets.
Enemies also hinder your progress but, fortunately, you have a reliable sword to solve that. Minit even features boss battles like a proper Zelda title.
If you’re done with the game, Minit offers you a mode called Second Run. This makes the game harder, changes the layout of essential items, and only gives you 40 seconds to complete the game.
3D Zelda-Like Games
Okami
| Genre | Action-adventure, mythology, story-rich |
| Buy from | The official Nintendo store or Amazon |
| Length | Main storyline takes around 33-34 hours to finish and a full, 100% completionist run will take you 54 hours overall |
| Developer | Capcom, Clover Studio, Hexadrive, and Ready at Dawn |
| Release date | 9th August 2018 |
| Co-op | No, single player only |
Zelda games often take inspiration from Japanese mythology to tell their stories. Okami does this perfectly, and even styles the game like a Sumi-e ink painting.
You play as Okami Amaterasu, a white wolf who is the sun goddess of Nippon. In this adventure, she’ll save Japan from falling into cursed darkness at the hands of a serpent demon named Orochi.
One of the unique features in this game is the Celestial Brush.
You’ll use it to create useful combat items, like bombs, and to solve puzzles around the world.
Zelda-like dungeons are also present in the game and it’s a ton of fun experimenting with the different brush techniques. Overall, this is a well-made game that feels like Skyward Sword and Twilight Princess.
Blue Fire
| Genre | Action-adventure, fantasy, Souls-like, platformer |
| Buy from | The official Nintendo store or Amazon |
| Length | The main story takes around 10-11 hours to finish and completing everything in the game will take you roughly 14 hours |
| Developer | ROBI Studios |
| Release date | 3rd February 2021 |
| Co-op | No, single player only |
Blue Fire is an intense game with a focus on platforming that takes clear inspiration from The Legend of Zelda.
You play as a mysterious white-haired character who resembles Link in Ocarina of Time. This game will let you explore the abandoned and desolate land of Penumbra.
Blue Fire has phenomenal art direction, especially inside its massive dungeons.
You’ll have to master platforming in this game, and there’s a lot of trial and error involved. There’s also light combat to break up the intensity of the platforming levels.
The game is at its best when you enter the Void zone. In this section, you’ll face off against an incredibly difficult obstacle course. If you can beat it, there’s lots of loot at the end.
Throughout your adventure, you’ll meet other friendly survivors who will tell you more about what happened to the land. Sometimes, they’ll even have fun side quests to take on.
Dark Souls: Remastered
| Genre | Action-adventure, Souls, difficult, dark fantasy, open world, fighting |
| Buy from | The official Nintendo store or Amazon |
| Length | Main storyline takes 29 hours or so to finish and completing everything in the game will take you over the 71 hour mark |
| Developer | Virtuos, QLOC, and FromSoftware Inc., |
| Release date | 19th October 2018 |
| Co-op | Online, up to 6 players supported |
At first glance, Dark Souls doesn’t seem like a Zelda alternative. The games fall into vastly different genres for the most part, and are incredibly different in terms of difficulty.
But creator Hidetaka Miyazaki saw the game as a monumental inspiration and put it at the core of the Dark Souls franchise.
Dark Souls is best played without a guide as exploration, hidden secrets, and cryptic lore is the highlight of the gameplay loop.
The world is fairly open and it’s absolutely mesmerizing. You can wander for hours, slowly gaining access to more and more shortcuts and secrets.
Even though you’re given a goal, Dark Souls doesn’t exactly tell you where to go, how to do it, and what obstacles you’ll face. You’ll feel as lost as the very first Legend of Zelda, which is a fun experience.
There are many secret stories, boss battles, and areas to find in the game. Dark Souls is a masterclass in level design, and each area of the world feels alive.
Dark Souls is one of the top action titles on Nintendo Switch, but get ready to start over and over again because of its notoriously difficult combat.
Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition
| Genre | Action-adventure, ARPG, dark fantasy, hack-and-slash, open world, story-rich |
| Buy from | The official Nintendo store or Amazon |
| Length | The main story takes 19-20 hours to beat and a full, 100% completionist run will take you roughly 54-55 hours overall |
| Developer | Vigil Games, Gunfire Games, THQ Nordic, Kaiko, and Kaiko GmbH |
| Release date | 26th September 2019 |
| Co-op | No, single player only |
Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition is a great hack and slash title. It’s a great game to play if you wish Twilight Princess committed to a mature and dark theme.
This is an action RPG where you play as Death, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. The story in this game is set in the same time period as the first game, but takes a different perspective and focuses on Death trying to help his brother.
Darksiders II has some truly impressive dungeons that could stand toe-to-toe with some of Zelda’s best. These instances are full of intense fights and drop lots of great loot.
The puzzles in these dungeons are also fantastic. They require a great eye for detail.
Aside from that, the game has a mostly open world so you can explore wherever you please. If you’re not feeling the main quest, there are many side quests and dungeons to find in the overworld.
This is a great Zelda alternative for people who are on the hunt for a darker, more mythical game to play on their Switch.
Mulaka
| Genre | Action-adventure, historical, platformer, mythological |
| Buy from | The official Nintendo store |
| Length | Main story takes roughly 8 hours to finish and completing everything in the game will take you just over 11 hours |
| Developer | Lienzo |
| Release date | 1st March 2018 |
| Co-op | No, single player only |
Mulaka is a great action-adventure game that takes inspiration from the Indigenous culture of the Tarahumara. This game explores Mexican folklore and is one of the most unique Zelda-like games on the Switch.
You play as a powerful Tarahumara Shaman named Sukuruame. The land has been overcome by corruption and it’s up to you to fight back.
During combat, you’ll fight different enraged animals and corrupted creatures. Sukuruame primarily uses a versatile and throwable spear that mixes light and heavy attacks.
He can also transform into empowered animals for combat and exploration. Learning to master your different transformations is the crux to efficient exploration and puzzle-solving.
Mulaka lets you explore a beautiful and vast area based on real-life locations.
It’s a great game, but most importantly, it also teaches players about the beauty and power of Tarahumara culture.
Games like Breath of the Wild
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
| Genre | Action-adventure, open world, fantasy, RPG, atmospheric |
| Buy from | The official Nintendo store or Amazon |
| Length | The main story takes roughly 37 hours to finish and a full, 100% completionist run will take you well over 250 hours |
| Developer | Bethesda Game Studios |
| Release date | 17th November 2017 |
| Co-op | No, single player only |
Skyrim is the fifth entry in the Elder Scrolls franchise.
It was an innovative game when it first came out, and is still considered to be one of the greatest open world games of all time.
The sheer freedom that Skyrim gives its players more than makes up for any flaws that it has due to its age. Just like Breath of the Wild, you can pick any direction in this vast world and find something to do.
Experiencing Skyrim for the first time is a gaming experience like no other. Simple conversations can lead to lengthy quests with immense rewards, and walking into a hidden cave could lead to an epic boss battle.
Skyrim gives you access to a legendary fantasy world, and it’s up to you to find what’s fun.
It has almost everything a fantasy fan would want, like dragons, magic, and werewolves.
You can even use Zelda Amiibos to unlock items in Skyrim, like the Master Sword or the Champion’s Tunic.
Immortals Fenyx Rising
| Genre | Adventure, fantasy, mythological, historical, ARPG, open world |
| Buy from | The official Nintendo store or Amazon |
| Length | The main campaign takes roughly 25-26 hours to beat and a full, 100% completionist run will take you around 62-63 hours |
| Developer | Ubisoft and Ubisoft Quebec |
| Release date | 3rd December 2020 |
| Co-op | No, single player only |
Immortals Fenyx Rising is a lighter take on the Ubisoft open-world formula, set in mythological Olympus.
Those who can’t get enough of Breath of the Wild will love this game.
One of the main similarities to BotW in this game is the travel style. You can climb almost any surface, as long as you manage your stamina, and you can use a glider, too. It’s possible to swim and ride mythical animals, too.
The game world feels incredibly rich, and it’s full to the brim with beautiful landmarks.
You’ll grow your arsenal of weapons and magical powers as you explore and progress in the game. This makes combat feel fluid as you’ll need to cycle quickly through your whole inventory to take down all manners of creatures.
Your movement tools also come into play to help dodge, close the gap, and glide around the battlefield.
Immortals Fenyx Rising also has some Zelda-like dungeons with creative puzzles. Additionally, there are platforming segments where you have to use your different movement abilities.
Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm
| Genre | Action-adventure, JRPG, Metroidvania, fantasy, atmospheric |
| Buy from | The official Nintendo store |
| Length | The main story takes around 12 hours to beat and completing everything in the game will take you roughly 26-27 hours |
| Developer | Cornfox & Brothers Ltd. |
| Release date | 28th October 2020 |
| Co-op | No, single player only |
Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm plays very differently from the first game. If the predecessor took inspiration from Wind Waker, the sequel takes after Breath of the Wild.
This game is a feast for the eyes.
The story lets you play as a young hero on an important quest. You’ll have to search the land to find three Sacred Emblems, in order to stop a demon from taking over the kingdom.
This adventure takes you to far-away places where you have to defeat the bosses guarding these Sacred Emblems.
It’s a barebones narrative, reminiscent of Link searching for the Triforce.
Oceanhorn 2 is a bit more heavy-handed when it comes to story and dialogue. You’ll often converse with your companions during the adventure and spend time learning about their motivations.
These companions are always with you and even help during combat. You can command or let them pick their targets on their own. They’re also essential for solving the puzzles you come across in your journey.
Unlike Breath of the Wild, Oceanhorn 2 is quite linear. Despite that, it’s still one of the best Zelda-like games on Nintendo Switch.
Divinity Original Sin II – Definitive Edition
| Genre | Adventure, strategy, CRPG, turn-based, fantasy |
| Buy from | The official Nintendo store or Amazon |
| Length | Completing everything in the game will take you over 200 hours |
| Developer | The Dragon Commanders Ltd and Larian Studios |
| Release date | 5th September 2019 |
| Co-op | Local wireless and online, up to 4 players supported |
What made Breath of the Wild’s combat so incredible was how it utilized the environment. For instance, you could shoot fire arrows into dry grass to create an updraft for your glider.
Divinity Original Sin II is a classic turn-based role-playing game. Its combat system has a heavy emphasis on conjuring elements to take advantage of environmental hazards.
The game lets you control any of the fully voice-acted characters while choosing three others to accompany you on your journey. They’re all wonderfully written, even having their own personal quest throughout the story-rich game.
There’s a lot of thought put into the combat. Enemies come with different resistances so you have to mix and match your party’s damage type.
But the way you interact with the environment is what makes this game such a good Zelda alternative.
For starters, positioning is important. You want your ranged characters to contest the high ground so they have more vision.
You can store oil barrels and throw them during combat, then quickly hit it with a fire-based spell to burn enemies. Or, you could have a party member bring down rain to empower a teammate with lightning-based attacks.
Divinity’s complex combat system definitely makes a great game. But it’s also packed with an engaging story, freedom of choice, and compelling characters.
Looking for some more Zelda inspiration? Check out which Zelda game you should play first.
