A Zelda game starts you off with a sword and a world you can't fully reach yet. Each dungeon gives you a new tool, a hookshot or a bow, and that tool opens a path you walked past an hour ago. The puzzles ask you to study a room before you swing. Then a boss checks whether you learned how to use what you just found.
Plenty of games have chased that feeling, on consoles from the Game Boy to the Switch. These are the 22 games players recommend most to Zelda fans, ranked by how many different people named each one.
22 Games Like Zelda Where You Explore Dungeons and Solve Puzzles
Secret of Mana (1993)
Secret of Mana is the sequel to the 1991 game released in North America as Final Fantasy Adventure, which sits at number 13 on this list. Like many role-playing games of the 16-bit era, it shows the world from a top-down view, and you fight creatures in real time as you walk the map. Critics now count it among the greatest games of all time, and Hiroki Kikuta's soundtrack got special praise.
The big difference is the party. Three heroes travel together, and you can take control of any of them while the computer runs the other two. A second or third player can drop in and out at any time. Play it on Switch in Collection of Mana, on Wii or Wii U, or as the 2018 remake on PS4 and Vita.
Kingsley's Adventure (1999)
Kingsley's Adventure is a 1999 action-adventure made by Psygnosis' studio at Camden Town, and it plays like a storybook Zelda for the PS1. It opens with training under Old Wrinkle, a badger who sets an obstacle course that tests your agility, combat, archery and puzzle solving. Then you travel through foxholes to collect the weapons a True Knight needs, helping people in distress on the way.
The big difference is the arsenal. Instead of a hookshot and bombs you collect an axe, a sword, a crossbow and a dagger. There are fifty characters to talk to, and beating the Dark Knights turns them back into True Knights before the trip to Skull Island and the fight with Bad Custard. Play it on PS1.
Immortals Fenyx Rising (2020)
Immortals Fenyx Rising is the closest thing on this list to Breath of the Wild, and many critics pointed out the similarities. You explore the Golden Isle, a large open world of seven regions inspired by Greek mythology, and the full map is open from the start. You climb cliffs and fly with the wings of Daedalus to cross it fast.
The big difference is the tone. Prometheus tells the whole story to Zeus, and the two gods talk over your adventure. Rifts in the world teleport you to the Vaults of Tartaros, a series of platforming challenges that play the part of Zelda's shrines. You can also change how Fenyx looks at any point in the game. Play it on PS4 or Switch.
Dark Cloud (2000)
Dark Cloud was meant to launch with the PS2, and it is an action RPG where you take Toan through dungeons, battling monsters and collecting items. When it came out, reviewers compared its combat to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The dungeons are procedurally generated, and some floors have a back door area with stronger monsters and rarer treasure.
The big difference is the building. Toan carries the Atlamillia, a stone that gives him the power to rebuild the destroyed lands, and the pieces you find go back together in Georama mode, which works like a city-building game. You also watch a thirst meter in the dungeons. It sold over a million copies. Play it on PS2, or on PS4 as an emulated release.
Beyond Good & Evil (2003)
Beyond Good & Evil is an action-adventure from Ubisoft Montpellier with puzzle solving and stealth mixed in. You play Jade, who fights with her Daï-jo staff and works her way through guarded buildings to reach the proof of an alien war. It sold poorly at launch, then built a cult following, and some now call it one of the greatest games ever made.
The big difference is the camera. The evidence you hunt for is photographs, and you can also take pictures of animal species in exchange for money. A hovercraft carries you around the world and into races. Critics praised the setting and story but not the combat. Play it on GameCube or PS2, or in HD on PS3.
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (1999)
Soul Reaver is the sequel to Blood Omen, number 9 on this list, and it moves the series into 3D with the camera behind its hero. You play Raziel, a disfigured and ghostly vampire, and the sword he picks up during the game shares his title. Critics praised its gothic story and graphics, and it sold 1.5 million copies by 2001.
The big difference is the two realms. Many puzzles depend on the gap between them: a platform in one realm can change shape and open a new path in the other. Critics did call the gameplay repetitive and the ending a letdown. Play it on PS1, PS3 or PSP, or in the 2024 remaster on PS4 and Switch.
Alundra 2 (1999)
Alundra 2 keeps the name and changes nearly everything else. It switches to a 3D look, which opens up a new world of puzzles, and you play Flint, a young swordsman with a sword and a shield. Collect the items called Puzzle Pieces and Lord Jeehan trades you new sword combos for them. Magic rings let Flint float in place or walk over lava.
The big difference is the reception. Reviews were average, and one critic advised players to pretend it has nothing to do with the original Alundra or Zelda, and they would enjoy it just fine. Take that advice and you get a decent dungeon adventure on its own terms. Play it on PS1.
Hob (2017)
Hob was the last game from Runic Games, set in a science-fiction world of bizarre wildlife and arcane machinery. At the start you can only reach a small area. You solve puzzles and unlock powers, and each one opens more of the map. Players describe its combat and puzzles as Zelda-like.
The big difference is the silence. There is no dialogue or written language, and every clue comes from the places and creatures you meet. Combat sticks to four moves: a quick sword attack, a slow punch, a slower charge attack and a roll. Items hidden around the world raise your damage and your health. Play it on PS4, or on Switch in the 2019 enhanced port.
Hyper Light Drifter (2016)
Hyper Light Drifter is a 2D action RPG fashioned after The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, drawn in pixel art. Its lead developer, Alx Preston, calls it a combination of A Link to the Past and Diablo. You control the Drifter, who carries a hard light energy sword and finds modules that add new weapons and abilities.
The big difference is the storytelling. When you talk to people in the world, you see images in place of dialogue. Preston drew the story from his own heart disease. The game started on Kickstarter in September 2013 with a goal of US$27,000. Play it on PS4, or the Special Edition on Switch.
Final Fantasy Adventure (1991)
Final Fantasy Adventure plays roughly like the original Legend of Zelda with role-playing stats added on top. It was first developed under the name Gemma Knights, and Secret of Mana, number 22 on this list, is its sequel. Over time reviewers have come to rank it among the best action adventure games on the Game Boy.
The big difference is the story. A hero and a heroine try to stop the Dark Lord of Glaive and his sorcerer Julius from destroying the Tree of Mana. In towns you buy and sell equipment, and Final Fantasy touches like chocobos turn up along the way. In Europe it came out as Mystic Quest. Play it on Game Boy, on Switch in Collection of Mana, or as the Adventures of Mana remake on Vita.
Monkey Hero (1999)
Monkey Hero borrows openly from The Legend of Zelda and Secret of Mana, with a top-down view and large dungeons full of puzzles. Its hero is loosely based on the Chinese god Sun Wukong, and he finds a bamboo staff in a treasure chest that stays his main weapon for the rest of the game. The look is whimsical and manga-inspired, mixing 3D and 2D graphics.
The big difference is where the dungeons go. Monkey travels from a graveyard crawling with zombies and ghosts to the heart of a crashed alien spacecraft, all to stop the Nightmare King, who looks like a roach. Reviews were unfavorable at the time. Go in for the charm. Play it on PS1.
Gurumin (2004)
Gurumin is a 3D action RPG built on real-time combat and platforming, and players compare it to Zelda. You play Parin, a girl with a drill, who fights phantoms attacking a village of monsters. Her drill has up to four power levels, which rise through combat and drop when you take damage.
The big difference is the difficulty menu. Beginner and Normal are open from the start, and finishing them opens Hard, Happy and Crazy. In Crazy mode you can only damage enemies with critical hits. It began on Windows in 2004 and reached PSP in North America in 2007. Play it on PSP, or on 3DS.
Darksiders II (2012)
Darksiders II gives you a horse and a huge map. Its open world regions can be explored on foot or on Death's horse Despair, and numerous dungeons hold the quest objectives. Players say it plays like a more action-heavy Zelda, with side quests, hidden power-ups and puzzles to solve.
The big difference is the hero. You play Death, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, trying to clear the name of his brother War, and a raven named Dust guides him to his objectives. Dungeons lean on levers, doors, elevators and portals. You can fast travel out of a dungeon and come back later without losing progress. Play it on PS3 or Wii U, or the Deathinitive Edition on PS4 and Switch.
Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (1996)
Blood Omen is a top-down Zelda with fangs. You play Kain, a slain nobleman brought back as a vampire, and the game splits between outdoor travel and dungeon crawls with hack and slash fights and puzzles. As the quest goes on, Kain picks up items and abilities that make the world more open to explore.
The big difference is the blood. You can kill the people and creatures you meet, or wound them and feed on their blood. Your goal is to hunt down the Circle of Nine, who serve as the bosses, and return their tokens to the Pillars of Nosgoth. Reviewers praised its scope and storytelling but disliked the long loading times. Play it on PS1, or on PS3, PSP and Vita.
Star Fox Adventures (2002)
Star Fox Adventures exists because Shigeru Miyamoto convinced Rare to merge two projects, bringing Star Fox characters into the world of Dinosaur Planet. Its Adventure Mode works much like The Legend of Zelda, especially Ocarina of Time. You play Fox McCloud on foot, eight years after Star Fox 64, and explore thirteen locations that unlock as you finish tasks or gain new skills.
The big difference is the staff. Fox uses it as a weapon and as a tool for exploring: it opens containers and lifts stones, and it gains new powers as the story goes on. Between areas you fly Arwing stages, rail shooter segments in the old Star Fox style. Critics praised the detailed graphics. Play it on GameCube.
Ever Oasis (2017)
Ever Oasis is an action RPG directed by Koichi Ishii, known for the Final Fantasy and Mana series, and it mixes dungeon crawling with town building. You head into the desert to fight enemies and explore dungeons, with a party of up to three characters recruited from your town. You can switch between them at any time.
The big difference is the town. A water spirit named Esna asks you to build the last oasis in a desert threatened by Chaos. Travelers you recruit move in and open Bloom Booths, shops you keep stocked with materials from the field for a share of the profits. Some critics found the opening slow. Play it on 3DS.
Darksiders (2010)
Darksiders puts you in the role of War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and reviewers compared its style to The Legend of Zelda and God of War. The world is split into areas you can't reach at first. A hub called the Scalding Gallow sends you out, and newly gained abilities open the paths that were closed.
The big difference is the weight. War starts with only his two-handed sword, Chaos Eater, and gathers more weapons, including a scythe, as the game goes on. Later he can summon a horse for faster movement and harder hits. Play it on PS3, or the Warmastered Edition on PS4, Wii U and Switch.
Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas (2013)
Oceanhorn follows The Legend of Zelda closely, notably The Wind Waker and A Link to the Past. You explore dungeons and fight monsters, and you throw pots and cut bushes to find coins and hearts. TouchArcade called it "a near-perfect, rendition of Zelda" for phones.
The big difference is where it started. It first came out on iOS in 2013, and by October 2016 it had sold over one million copies across all its platforms. Critics liked the visuals and music more than the puzzles and story. A prequel, Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm, followed in 2019. Play it on PS4, Switch or Vita.
Brave Fencer Musashi (1998)
Brave Fencer Musashi is a 1998 Square game for the PS1 with real-time sword fights in 3D and role-playing touches like a day-night cycle and resting to restore energy. Musashi is summoned to another world to defend the Allucaneet Kingdom, and he hunts for five scrolls that power up his sword Lumina and give him new abilities.
The big difference is the second sword. Fusion chains fast combo hits and can absorb an enemy's skill, so the monsters you fight become a source of new moves. Minigames and puzzles stand between you and the next part of the story. Reviewers praised the graphics and found the action very compelling. Play it on PS1, or the PS1 version on PS3 and PSP.
3D Dot Game Heroes (2009)
3D Dot Game Heroes plays like the first Legend of Zelda and Final Fantasy Adventure, rebuilt out of 3D blocks. You move from screen to screen through dungeons, collecting items like a boomerang and a bow and solving puzzles. The story explains the look: the king decided sprites were outdated and had the whole 2D kingdom switch to 3D, pixel look and all.
The big difference is the sword. When your health bar is full, your sword grows to a tremendous size with every swing, and you can level swords up to make them longer and wider. You can also build your own hero in a 3D sprite editor. Critics praised the nostalgic gameplay and graphics. Play it on PS3.
Okami (2006)
Okami was modeled on The Legend of Zelda, one of director Hideki Kamiya's favorite series, and you feel it in the dungeons and the item hunts. You play Amaterasu in a world drawn like a Japanese ink-illustration. The main story is mostly linear, with plenty of side quests and an open world to explore at your own pace.
The big difference is the Celestial Brush. You paint strokes on the screen to perform miracles, and the brush does the job Zelda's items do. Okami was one of the last PS2 games before the PS3 came out. Play it on PS2 or Wii, or Okami HD on PS3, PS4 and Switch. Its spiritual successor, Okamiden, is on DS.
Alundra (1997)
Alundra is a top-down action-adventure with a heavy focus on puzzle solving, and players still call it a Zelda clone in the best sense. You play an elf shipwrecked near the village of Inoa, where the locals suffer nightmares that sometimes end in death. You explore the island and its dungeons, and upgrades get you past obstacles you couldn't cross before.
The big difference is the dreams. Alundra can enter people's dreams, and each dream level has its own twist. The puzzles are hard, and reviewers praised that challenge along with the story and the big overworld. Working Designs brought it to North America in January 1998. Play it on PS1, or on PS3 and PSP.
Which one to play
There you have it, the whole list of games like Zelda. Some copy the old top-down games, and others take the 3D ones as their model.
If you miss A Link to the Past, start with Alundra or Hyper Light Drifter. For the feel of the 3D Zeldas, play Okami or Star Fox Adventures. If Breath of the Wild is your favorite, try Immortals Fenyx Rising. For a darker story, Darksiders II and Blood Omen are waiting. On the go, pick Final Fantasy Adventure on Game Boy or Ever Oasis on 3DS. And for a younger player, Gurumin is the gentlest start.
