Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda

 Switch
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 304 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 242 out of 304
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 304
  3. Negative: 44 out of 304

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  1. enterfusion
    Nov 20, 2022
    8
    An Rythm game with the best franchise of all Time: The Legend of Zelda?!? With the Iconic Themes from Koji Kondo reinterprated?!?
    A master idea. This game is awesome.

    Shut up and take my rupees
  2. ELYS1UM
    Sep 21, 2022
    6
    Fun, yes, but not my cup of tea. It feels like a watered-down Zelda experience, and as someone who's never played crypt, I don't think I will. I don't dislike the game, but I would have rather put my money towards something else.
  3. otmiyo
    Jun 18, 2022
    8
    Fun gameplay, catchy music, attractive graphics and enjoyable story, totally recomendable
  4. martincito
    Feb 26, 2022
    10
    superó mis expectativas, es corto pero muy rejugable por las partidas aleatorias, lo mejor es la musica :)
  5. Za_Uvek
    Jan 27, 2022
    7
    Pretty much Crypt of the Necrodancer with a Zelda skin. The graphics have been given a fresh coat of paint and the sound consists of Zelda track of course. The big change is the slight increase in difficulty due to most levels being a lot more puzzle based than it's predecessor. My biggest criticism is that the start of the game you are spammed mercilessly with tutorial prompts.

    If you    Pretty much Crypt of the Necrodancer with a Zelda skin. The graphics have been given a fresh coat of paint and the sound consists of Zelda track of course. The big change is the slight increase in difficulty due to most levels being a lot more puzzle based than it's predecessor. My biggest criticism is that the start of the game you are spammed mercilessly with tutorial prompts.

    If you love love love Necrodancer and are a Zelda fan, then this should be a no brainer. But if this is your first taste of Necrodancer, then maybe jump into the original first.    … Expand
  6. calvinbrine
    Nov 15, 2021
    9
    this is an S tier game in my opinion. And it's my favorite zelda game.
    I'm not really a fan of zelda, but... this is a phenomenal game
  7. T_leaf
    Dec 29, 2020
    9
    Great spin on a classic franchise! This is a fairly short experience at about 5 hours. I am not usually in to rhythm games but the way the rhythm elements mixed with elements of action-adventure and rogue-like genres really had me hooked! The soundtrack is phenomenal: remixed classic Legend of Zelda tracks that really immerse you in the action. I found this to be unlike anything else IGreat spin on a classic franchise! This is a fairly short experience at about 5 hours. I am not usually in to rhythm games but the way the rhythm elements mixed with elements of action-adventure and rogue-like genres really had me hooked! The soundtrack is phenomenal: remixed classic Legend of Zelda tracks that really immerse you in the action. I found this to be unlike anything else I have played and highly recommend it for any Zelda fan, or anyone looking for a shorter but fun experience.… Expand
  8. rookfire
    Dec 25, 2020
    7
    this was a nice find. this is a roguelike rhythm game. what i really liked about this game was really the music and it was quite fun fighting to the beat of it
  9. IIIAHMIII
    Oct 26, 2020
    0
    Just bought the game for 40 euro. And i never played a game this short in my entire live of 27 year of gaming. It is a joke. The art style and the camera from above a way to far away to even see what is going on. I loved donkey kong jungle beat so i thought he why not try out this bad boy. It is really not for everyone. 3 Minutes into the game and im already bored to death. Watch outJust bought the game for 40 euro. And i never played a game this short in my entire live of 27 year of gaming. It is a joke. The art style and the camera from above a way to far away to even see what is going on. I loved donkey kong jungle beat so i thought he why not try out this bad boy. It is really not for everyone. 3 Minutes into the game and im already bored to death. Watch out before you buy it. it looks way more fun then it is.… Expand
  10. Syhlcam
    Sep 27, 2020
    10
    Découvert le jeu en tant que fan de The Legend of Zelda, j'ai découvert un style de jeu extrêmement plaisant. Le gameplay est très bien réussi, les musiques très bien réalisées avec des combats de boss très bien penser. Ce cross-over est une excellente idée.
  11. GabFire
    Aug 9, 2020
    7
    Passei horas jogando isso aí, tentando descobrir porque falam tão bem, realmente não consegui ver nada de bom no jogo, me decepcionei um pouco e não recomendo.
  12. RVPar
    Jun 21, 2020
    0
    Эту поделку нельзя называть игрой. Это пиксельная каша для умственно отсталых. Что дальше? Переиздание Super Maro Bros. в оригинальной графике? Идея мертворождённая. И ни о какой новой механике не может идти речи.
  13. bancandrei
    May 16, 2020
    6
    Outstanding idea, very good implementation, great music but I just couldn't get into it because of the rythm based movement. Will have to retry it at some point, maybe with the rythm turned off.
    Try the demo, see if you get into it
  14. Baltifru
    Apr 25, 2020
    9
    A lovely surprise. I'm a big Zelda fanboy and this game is not only a deserving tribute to the series, but an awesome experience by itself.

    The gameplay basically feels like it would be a 2D zelda focused on fights, and where you have to follow the rythm of the music to execute your actions. The first hour/2 hours can be a little painful, until you understand well how to follow the    A lovely surprise. I'm a big Zelda fanboy and this game is not only a deserving tribute to the series, but an awesome experience by itself.

    The gameplay basically feels like it would be a 2D zelda focused on fights, and where you have to follow the rythm of the music to execute your actions. The first hour/2 hours can be a little painful, until you understand well how to follow the rythm, how to hide from your enemies and read their patterns (which is the central aspect of fighting). Beyond this the game starts to be really fun.

    The OST is absolutely godlike. Nothing less. If you've played a few Zelda games it will be an absolute delight to listen to the reorchestration of these already legendary themes. As an ALTTP fanboy, I was pleased to see that most of the themes come from this episode, and I had a crush on the Death Moutain theme. In the middle of this overall amazing soundtrack, only one disappointed me: the Hyrule Castle, which seems at times like inspired from the ALTTP version as well, but is otherwise really so far from it that I couldn't really enjoy it.

    The layout of the world tiles being generated randomly, you can enjoy redoing this game multiple times, especialy since you can get to try the different characters then. This is an "open world" in the sense that, apart from the latest part of the game, no step requires the prior acquisition of an item or a competence, so you're free to go where you want.

    The only little flaw I see in Cadence of Hyrule actually lies here: although you'll be able to acquire many objects symbolic of the Zelda series, none of them is indispensable. Consequently, many objects will end up being gimmicks that you'll use occasionally to fight the mobs in a different way, and will go back unused in your inventory after a while. I would have liked to have maybe less objects, but with more importance along the game.

    Otherwise, if you've ever liked any Zelda, just get this game, you won't regret it.    … Expand
  15. Poppyspy
    Mar 8, 2020
    5
    It's an average mess of a game and should be 5-10usd... the art style lacks height perception, and they knew this because they needed to put yellow edged squares where you will jump down, because otherwise it's not clear if you can move another square or fall off certain cliffs. This alone makes it an 8 at best already. Now many areas just have tons of enemies, and for whatever reasonIt's an average mess of a game and should be 5-10usd... the art style lacks height perception, and they knew this because they needed to put yellow edged squares where you will jump down, because otherwise it's not clear if you can move another square or fall off certain cliffs. This alone makes it an 8 at best already. Now many areas just have tons of enemies, and for whatever reason they expect you to learn to toggle back and forth in place, when they could of implemented a jump in place mechanic for sitting still and maintaining beat. I like the music, but why does it have to play like DDR where you have to constantly choose a direction. The concept can certainly be improved upon, and probably should have been, instead of just cloning necrodancer with zelda skin and charging too much for it.

    Music is great, and it does play ok, but it for sure is not that satisfying.    … Expand
  16. ianhsieh2008
    Oct 30, 2019
    8
    Awesome soundtrack but frustrating gameplay. I'm not a fan of this rogue-like (or rogue-lite) gameplay.
  17. rjb86
    Oct 13, 2019
    9
    Sumamente original y entretenido, me trae recuerdos de A Link to the Past en Super Nintendo
  18. Ayiurah
    Oct 1, 2019
    10
    I rarely buy game full price, but I absolutely did not regret with this one. Cadence of Hyrule is one of the best games, if not the best one, I played on the switch.
  19. Sijun
    Sep 16, 2019
    9
    This game is so gorgeous! It reminds me of the 90s Zelda games in the best way. Sure, the focus doesnt lie in dungeon secrets but they are there. All in all it combines both genres/games really well and it is just fun to have a breath of fresh air to the whole Zelda franshise. I really do hope they bring a sequel (maybe with a greater world and more secrets) so we all can enjoy this gemThis game is so gorgeous! It reminds me of the 90s Zelda games in the best way. Sure, the focus doesnt lie in dungeon secrets but they are there. All in all it combines both genres/games really well and it is just fun to have a breath of fresh air to the whole Zelda franshise. I really do hope they bring a sequel (maybe with a greater world and more secrets) so we all can enjoy this gem again. If you read this and are looking for a nice game to spent some time in, look no further, it is worth every penny. Have great fun!… Expand
  20. ZeoN
    Sep 6, 2019
    8
    Título recomendado para los amantes de Zelda que quieran probar una nueva jugabilidad.
    No es un Zelda al uso pero tiene muchísima diversión que aportar con su tremenda jugabilidad, su banda sonora perfecta y sus variados enemigos
  21. DVitreous
    Sep 3, 2019
    10
    Es una gran colaboración con una empresa indie, no hubiese imaginado lo bien que sería esta combinación rítmica con un juegos de Zelda. Lo que más descaré es el gameplay y la música sobretodo, ya que te lleva a tener una mejor sincronización y aprender más patrones de forma natural.
    Empecé a jugar este juego sin haber jugado Crypt of Necrodancer, así que si eres un fan de los juegos de    Es una gran colaboración con una empresa indie, no hubiese imaginado lo bien que sería esta combinación rítmica con un juegos de Zelda. Lo que más descaré es el gameplay y la música sobretodo, ya que te lleva a tener una mejor sincronización y aprender más patrones de forma natural.
    Empecé a jugar este juego sin haber jugado Crypt of Necrodancer, así que si eres un fan de los juegos de Zelda, no te preocupes, la dinámica y los elementos en este juego te recordarán a otros títulos de la serie.    … Expand
  22. Dazan
    Sep 3, 2019
    10
    Excelente banda sonora, excelente diseño artísitico y animaciones. La jugabilidad es muy divertida aunque no creo que todo el mundo se sienta cómodo si no tienes ritmo. Una partida puede durarte unas 7-8 horas, pero como el mapa está generado proceduralmente invita a rejugarlo pero esta vez con un personaje distinto.
  23. Edyhoshi
    Sep 1, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Estou amando o jogo, a trilha sonora é cativante, conseguiram transformar a franquia Zelda em algo muito bacana e interessante. Amo forte… Expand
  24. SenseiMiguel
    Sep 1, 2019
    9
    Me encantan los remix de este juego. Sistema de juego distinto con skin de link to the past. Es adictivo y la mezcla con Necrodancer quedo muy bieb, siendo un indie.
  25. lucasfk
    Aug 30, 2019
    8
    At the beginning I was all like "why do people like this game so much?". Then it simply happens. It's adorable, fun to play.
  26. Segajorn
    Aug 12, 2019
    10
    I love how Nintendo was able to trust an indie developer to make a Zelda game, that won't happen again soon and it never happened before.
    Also the game was basically perfect, music, playability, graphics.
    Nothing bad to say about the game
  27. B-Bog
    Aug 5, 2019
    3
    I'm writing this review for anyone who was not into Crypt of the Necrodancer, but is still thinking about getting Cadence because they love Zelda and the franchise's music, and the reviews are great. DON'T DO IT. I was in the same position and asked other people for their opinion, which was pretty encouraging. They said it was much more accessible than Crypt, and, aside from the rhythmI'm writing this review for anyone who was not into Crypt of the Necrodancer, but is still thinking about getting Cadence because they love Zelda and the franchise's music, and the reviews are great. DON'T DO IT. I was in the same position and asked other people for their opinion, which was pretty encouraging. They said it was much more accessible than Crypt, and, aside from the rhythm elements, just a damn good Zelda game on its own. Once again, listening to others instead of my own gut proved to be a mistake.

    Cadence is really just Crypt with a Zelda coat of paint, in terms of items, characters, enemies, overworld etc. And it's got the exact same issues as its predecessor: There's next to no tutorial and the learning curve is not so much a curve, but more of a brick wall. It starts out fair enough and pretty slow for a few screens, but then it's the exact same BS as with Crypt: You walk into a screen or a dungeon and ten different enemies come at you from all directions, and you're supposed to just figure out on your own what their attack patterns are and when you can attack them; and of course do it fast and without missing a beat. It's a really punishing experience and aside from the look, gameplay-wise, it hasn't got all that much to do with a regular Zelda game.

    I should also say that I don't dislike games just because they're hard. For example, I absolutely loved Furi. But Furi, even though it throws you basically right into action and the tutorial is brief, does a much better job of explaining its core mechanics and GRADUALLY raising the difficulty. In that game, I could always conceive of how to do things better the next time, if I died. I knew what to do in principal, I just didn't have the skill to execute it yet. I knew what my mistake was, what got me killed. With Cadence, oftentimes I've got absolutely NO clue what would have been the right thing to do. There's just so much confusion because nobody explains anything to you and things aren't clear enough by themselves, as with the enemy attack patterns. One enemy I encountered REALLY early on could kill me in two hits and had a hitting range of two squares. How tf am I supposed to figure out how to take care of this dude, if going anywhere near him is likely to get me killed, which means all my rupees and breakable items get taken away from me?? But he keeps following me all over the screen, and if I want to progress and get diamonds, I have to kill ALL the enemies on one screen.

    Noone ever tells you what your overall objective is in this game, either. It's basically just: Hyrule is in trouble. Go! Story presentation is dysmal/close to non-existent.

    Then there was an item at the fairy fountain just called "Energy Depletion". U-huh. And now I'm supposed to know from this awesomely descriptive name what this item does and if I wanna spend FIVE diamonds on it? Is it depleting MY energy? If yes, to what gain? Is it depleting my enemies' energy? It's unnecessarily confusing and, to be honest, it just seems lazy to me to not have accurate item descriptions.

    I'm also not really a fan of randomly generated worlds and dungeons in this case. While this system does give you something fresh every playthrough, it lacks the charme, atmosphere, and attention to detail that Zelda usually stands for.

    A lot of people seem to be forgiving of these flaws because it's an "indie-game". Well, I expect a bit better from a game that costs 25€ and carries the Legend of Zelda name.

    If Nintendo offered e-shop refunds, I'd probably get one for this. Alas, this is not the case, and I've spent 25 bucks on a game that will probably just collect digital dust in my Switch library.    … Expand
  28. tantrum_chaise
    Aug 4, 2019
    9
    Really fun game. If you like the zelda franchise it's a refreshing experience, and if you liked crypt of the necromancer, I think this game has great changes, though it might be too easy for you. I had tried Crypt of the Necrodancer before but it was way too hard for me, whereas this game was the right difficulty I think.
  29. AngelStarr
    Jul 14, 2019
    4
    I bought this game because I loved Necrodancer. I think most people who wrote reviews for this game are content with anything "Zelda". Not me.
    This is no longer a roguelike dungeon crawler with amazing music, which was everything that was good about Necrodancer.
    The game is downright annoying, the music is just a plain mediocre remix of worn out Zelda tunes. The exploration fun is gone.    I bought this game because I loved Necrodancer. I think most people who wrote reviews for this game are content with anything "Zelda". Not me.
    This is no longer a roguelike dungeon crawler with amazing music, which was everything that was good about Necrodancer.
    The game is downright annoying, the music is just a plain mediocre remix of worn out Zelda tunes.
    The exploration fun is gone. The stages are zelda style screens, except they honestly not fun to play with. Necrodancer used to be an immersive DANCE. Now it's just a mind numbing ambient music that picks up the pace once in a while.
    I'm not feeling the groove! I just threw money down the drain on this one. And let me be very clear: I absolutely love the old Zelda hames.
    Do Not buy into the hype. Some things just don't mix well. Zelda's top down design is a contradiction to everything that made Necrodancer so engaging.
    Unless, of course, you're a Zelda fan, and will be pleased with any game that lets you play as Link. To me, that's just. Not. Enough.
    I do not get The Shivers just seeing Link on the screen or hearing the washed up old tune. I look for originality, or at least immersiveness, and I feel like I was too quick to buy this one.
    Downright silly of me. I just love videogames so much, I sometimes just believe the hype. I'm here to be, apparently the ONLY one to tell you: watch out. Overhyped. Not worth even 50% of it's price.    … Expand
  30. Lewonski
    Jul 8, 2019
    8
    Jogo simplesmente incrível e nostálgico, possui uma trilha sonora impecável e viciante. Sem duvidas um ótimo game para quem curte os jogos da franquia zelda feitos antigamente.
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Awards & Rankings

16
#16 Best Switch Game of 2019
26
#26 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2019
5
#5 Most Shared Switch Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 65 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 64 out of 65
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 65
  3. Negative: 0 out of 65
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Apr 28, 2020
    85
    Cadence of Hyrule is a complicated game that's worth learning how to play, because getting into the rhythm can't be beat! [Issue #41 – September 2019, p. 24]
  2. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Aug 2, 2019
    86
    Cadence of Hyrule might be THE surprise release of the year. Not only Nintendo let third-party studio to use its IP, but the result is on par with mainstream releases of the big N. [Issue#239, p.67]
  3. Pure Nintendo
    Jul 31, 2019
    90
    Cadence of Hyrule didn’t click with me at first but the Fixed Beat Mode really helped. Without that mode, I don’t think this game would have as much appeal but the developers were wise to include it. With such a great visual presentation and an excellent soundtrack, players need to check out Cadence of Hyrule even if they’re just a little curious. The gameplay may trip you up as it did for me, but check out the Fixed Beat Mode–you’ll be glad you did!
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