The Best Games That Play Like 3D Zelda

The Legend of Zelda franchise has made numerous important contributions to the video game industry, like laying the groundwork for the 2D adventure genre back in the 80s, revitalizing the modern open-world genre with the release of Breath of the Wild and, most important of all, changing and revolutionizing the 3D action-adventure genre forever with the release of Ocarina of Time.

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By  Eduardo Ariedo

3D Zelda games work so well because they follow a strict formula, as they all feature a third-person perspective, a semi-open world, multiple 3D dungeons to explore, and many fun items to find and use. However, Nintendo released just six excellent video games in this style, which has left some longtime fans of the franchise wanting more. Fortunately for them, those titles have inspired many other developers to come up with their own take on the 3D Zelda formula, and these next games are some of the best examples of this practice.

8 Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets

A Fun Licensed Game From The Early 2000s

If there’s an IP that could rival The Legend of Zelda in popularity back in the early 2000s, it would be none other than Harry Potter. The massive success of the first two films was met with similarly-successful video game tie-ins, with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for the PS2, Xbox and GameCube being so good that it’s fondly remembered by fans even to this day.

The secret behind this game’s success is the fact that its developers replicated the 3D Zelda formula from Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask and gave it a Harry Potter coat of paint. Hogwarts serves as the main hub world, its different areas function like dungeons, Harry’s spells work similarly to Link’s items, it features many fun mini-games randomly spread out across the map, and it even has a camera and a locking system that works almost exactly like Ocarina of Time’s revolutionary Z-targeting.

7 Kingsley's Adventure

The PlayStation 1 Needed Its Own Zelda Equivalent

• Platform: PlayStation
• Released: September 28, 1999
• Developer: Psygnosis Camden
• Genre: Action-Adventure

While gamers are still debating which was the better fifth-generation console, the PlayStation 1 or the Nintendo 64, there’s no denying that the exclusivity of Ocarina of Time gave Nintendo’s system a huge advantage. The PlayStation needed a similar 3D adventure game that could satisfy its player base and, in 1999, this finally materialized with the release of Kingsley’s Adventure.

Of course, this game is nowhere near as exciting or polished as Ocarina of Time, but it's still a surprisingly solid 3D adventure title, which was clearly made with a younger audience in mind. It has adorable animal characters, a colorful overworld, a lovely soundtrack, fun dungeons to explore, and many classic Zelda items like a sword, a shield, and a bow and arrows. Kingsley’s Adventure may not be perfect, but it definitely satisfied PlayStation 1 users who wanted to experience a solid adventure game like what N64 fans had access to.

6 Dual Hearts

An Excellent Hidden Gem On The PlayStation 2

• Platform: PlayStation 2
• Released: September 23, 2002
• Developer: Matrix Software
• Genre: Action-Adventure

The PlayStation 2 was home to many high-quality video games during its surprisingly long lifespan, so it’s no surprise that some of them flew under the radar for most gamers. Dual Hearts is one of the best examples of this phenomenon, as this is basically the console’s equivalent to Ocarina of Time and/or Majora’s Mask, and yet not many people have heard of it.

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By  Julián Jorge Fernández Loyarte

Dual Hearts has everything a longtime fan would expect from a 3D Zelda title, like important items that change both combat and exploration that can be assigned to three context-sensitive buttons, numerous dungeons that take place inside people’s dreams, a day-night cycle that affects the routines of its NPCs, and even an irritating companion named Tumble. The anime-like art style and strange plot may not be for everyone, but this is still one of the best games that play similar to 3D Zelda in the PS2’s entire catalog.

5 Star Fox Adventures

Another Beloved Nintendo IP That Replicated The 3D Zelda Formula

There’s no denying that Star Fox Adventures is an odd video game, and most Nintendo fans are already familiar with its backstory. During the late 90s, Rare was working on a 3D adventure game called Dinosaur Planet, until Shigeru Miyamoto convinced them to turn it into a new entry in the Star Fox series. While longtime fans of this franchise originally criticized it for not being a shoot 'em up, this title has gained a sizable cult following in the last few years.

Star Fox Adventures is basically a 3D Zelda game, set in a fascinating world filled with dinosaurs and with Fox McCloud replacing Link. Aside from those differences, it has everything one would expect from this type of game, like dungeons, items, a semi-open world, unique NPCs, dynamic combat with Z-targeting, and huge bosses. Star Fox Adventures may not have been the follow-up to Star Fox 64 most fans at the time were expecting, but it is an otherwise fun and exciting adventure game that, fortunately, most gamers nowadays recognize for its positive qualities.

4 Sphinx And The Cursed Mummy

A Wonderful Adventure Game With An Egyptian Twist

Egyptian mythology is incredibly fascinating, and it has inspired many great video games, with Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy being one of the best examples. Eurocom’s hidden gem combines satisfying 3D platforming with engaging 3D exploration, all set in a beautiful Egyptian overworld, and it all works extremely well.

As expected, Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy has solid combat with Z-targeting, amazing Egyptian-themed dungeons, a huge open world with weird NPCs, and unique items that can be assigned to context-sensitive face buttons. However, this title stands out from its contemporaries thanks to its two playable characters: The titular Sphinx, who wields a sword and plays exactly like Link, and Tutankhamun, a mummy who uses his immortality to solve some really creative puzzles that keep the experience fresh and interesting. Even the developers of Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy compared their game to The Legend of Zelda franchise, meaning that they were obviously inspired by it.

3 Darksiders 1 & 2

God Of War Meets The Legend Of Zelda In This Exciting Action-Adventure Franchise

What makes the 3D Zelda formula so interesting is that it can be quite easily combined with other genres, like platforming or role-playing, in order to create some truly creative and exciting gaming experiences. This is exactly what Vigil Games did with its Darksiders series, which combines the exploration of a 3D Zelda game with the violent hack-and-slash combat of a God of War game.

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Needless to say, this mainly applies to the first two entries in the series, Darksiders and Darksiders 2, which featured huge dungeons with a lot of complex puzzle-solving, gigantic and challenging bosses to take down, and a huge open world with lots of treasure and hidden items. These two excellent video games are perfect for longtime Legend of Zelda fans who also enjoy a dynamic combat system. Unfortunately for them, however, the third entry, Darksiders 3, feels more like a “Soulsborne” game than the typical 3D Zelda adventure.

2 Beyond Good & Evil

One Of The Best 3D Adventure Games Ever Made

There’s a reason gamers all around the world are eagerly awating Ubisoft’s Beyond Good & Evil 2. The original game was just that good, to the point that it's still considered one of the best action adventure titles in the entire video game industry. Beyond Good & Evil is basically a sci-fi 3D Zelda game, released way before the classic tropes of this genre were implemented in more modern Legend of Zelda titles.

This resulted in an incredible open world with lots of memorable characters, unique locations, engaging side quests and mini-games, and tons of important items to collect. Even the combat system feels exactly like the action in a 3D Zelda game, complete with dangerous enemies, big bosses, and a solid targeting system. The only thing missing from Beyond Good & Evil are different important items that affect gameplay and progression, but none of that matters when Jade can use her camera as a symbolic weapon to fight a corrupt government elite.

1 Okami

A Beautiful Experience With An Adorable Protagonist And A Unique Gameplay Mechanic

Clover Studio’s Okami is such an incredible experience that not only can it go toe-to-toe with any 3D Legend of Zelda game, but many gamers consider it to be even better than most of them. There’s one major aspect of this game that helps it stand out: its beautiful cel-shaded art style, inspired by classic Japanese paintings. That’s just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what makes Okami such a legendary video game.

It obviously follows the 3D Zelda formula to a tee, with a huge open world filled to the brim with bizarre NPCs, important items, fun side quests, and multiple dungeons containing brilliant puzzles and some of the most exciting boss fights in the action-adventure genre. However, Okami’s strongest mechanic is the Celestial Brush, which allows Amaterasu (and the player) to use spells with many different uses by painting specific shapes on the screen. At the end of the day, Okami is an absolutely amazing adventure title that should be experienced firsthand by every seasoned fan of The Legend of Zelda series.