any games similar to these below?

[koifish | 589]

Had the thought of mentioning some games I like and asking if there were more games like them. Below is the thoughts, add your own if you want, lest this thread be in and out too quickly.

Zelda 2 - I know it was a meme for a while to talk about Zelda 2 as the "dark souls of nes games" or something comical like that, bit I do really like the way that it plays and would like more games like it (overworld with 2d action scenes), but maybe taking some new direction as well instead of just a romhack or retread. I didn't care for Battle of Olympus when I played it. Only other game I know of is Ys III. Maybe Odallus is similar?

Sonic CD - this might be fangame territory, and that's fine if it is. I enjoy the exploration focus of this game (I often hit timer limit in other sonic games from exploring too much) and wish it was expanded further, maybe even to the point of being a metroid-like exploration game. Added item collecting (like the flickies in sonic 3d blast) would also be a good addition.

 

[Sumez | 3,151]

I didn't really get any Zelda 2 vibes from Odallus.

Maybe Faxanadu is more to your liking? Or Legacy of the Wizard? Both Falcom games like Ys 3. The latter can get pretty obscure, but it has a very devoted fanbase.

Gargoyle's Quest 1 and 2 Getsu Fuma Den also had the top down overworld with platform stages (and GQ1 even has the random encounters), but they don't really manage to have the same feeling of adventure as Zelda 2 does.

Edited April 14, 2021 by Sumez

[Code Monkey | 2,127]

1 hour ago, koifish said:

Zelda 2 - I know it was a meme for a while to talk about Zelda 2 as the "dark souls of nes games" or something comical like that, bit I do really like the way that it plays and would like more games like it (overworld with 2d action scenes), but maybe taking some new direction as well instead of just a romhack or retread. I didn't care for Battle of Olympus when I played it. Only other game I know of is Ys III. Maybe Odallus is similar?

 

Wonder Boy and Monster Boy. And hopefully the upcoming Asha In Monster World.

[Sumez | 3,151]

18 minutes ago, Code Monkey said:

Asha In Monster World.

AFAIK it's just a port of the original Monster World IV. (which is a much more straight forward platformer than the other Monster World games)

[fox | 1,759]

@koifish

Zelda 2 vibes.  Very overlooked.

[mbd39 | 2,092]

The old DOS game Zeliard always reminded me of Zelda 2.

 

[Sumez | 3,151]

Although no strangers to that style of game, I wonder if Falcom wanted to make a game like Zeliard with Ys 3. It's striking how much they look like eachother, but Zeliard came out in 1987, two years earlier. And both are PC-88 games originally.

 

Edited April 15, 2021 by Sumez

[spacepup | 2,481]

I love Zeliard! I've always enjoyed that game, and I like the music quite a bit too.

The gameplay / controls and character movement might feel a little bit clunky by today's standards, but I still think it's a fun game and definitely pretty challenging. 

[Deadeye | 1,601]

14 hours ago, Sumez said:

Maybe Faxanadu is more to your liking

Faxanadu is a favorite of mine.  Played through it a few years ago and loved it.  Highly recommend it. 

[AstralSoul | 522]

Castlevania 2 is kind of Zelda 2 in structure. The solutions to progress in the game are much more obtuse but I still think it's a decent game.

Also just remembered a game called Aggelos, it's a relatively new indie on modern systems. It's got a Zelda 2 vibe.

Edited April 15, 2021 by AstralSoul

[Sumez | 3,151]

Much more than Zelda 2, Aggelos has a Wonderboy/Monster World vibe to the point where I'd say it's a borderline fangame. It's wonderboy in anything but name, and also better than any of the classic Wonderboy games. It's super good.

But if you file the Wonderboy games (namely Dragon's Trap and Wonderboy in Monster World) under this subgenre trope, definitely include Aggelos as well.

Edited April 15, 2021 by Sumez

[phart010 | 1,779]

Super Adventure Island 2

[Ninja Warriors | 95]

7 hours ago, phart010 said:

Super Adventure Island 2

One of my favorite games on the snes.

[Tanooki | 5,103]

The first adventure time game on 3DS is a very intentionally direct knock off of Zelda 2. 

[Sumez | 3,151]

4 hours ago, Tanooki said:

The first adventure time game on 3DS is a very intentionally direct knock off of Zelda 2. 

You thinking of "Hey Ice King! Why'd You Steal Our Garbage?!"? Because if you go in expecting a Zelda 2 like, you'd probably come out very disappointed.

I saw a tiny bit of the game and figured it could be a hidden gem that would be totally up my alley. I bought it and played it through, and honestly it's one of the laziest WayForward games I've played. It's just one simplistic concept repeated across every stage.
I think the Shantae games usually come way too short short of being what they could have been, but this one comes short of even being a shantae game.

[koifish | 589]

I am happy to see all the posts in this thread. It helped me to realize that I had forgotten that I already owned Legacy of the Wizard, just that it's currently on loan (along with my NES) to a friend, and so I forgot about it. I may have to go back to that at some point.

The other games mentioned are great options that I'm keeping in mind. Though i will agree with @Sumez about the Adventure Time game; I played it and liked it well enough, but felt it was way too short and easy to beat.

Edited April 16, 2021 by koifish

[Tanooki | 5,103]

On 4/16/2021 at 2:24 AM, Sumez said:

You thinking of "Hey Ice King! Why'd You Steal Our Garbage?!"? Because if you go in expecting a Zelda 2 like, you'd probably come out very disappointed.

I saw a tiny bit of the game and figured it could be a hidden gem that would be totally up my alley. I bought it and played it through, and honestly it's one of the laziest WayForward games I've played. It's just one simplistic concept repeated across every stage.
I think the Shantae games usually come way too short short of being what they could have been, but this one comes short of even being a shantae game.

Yeah I own it, finished it.  It basically is the style of Zelda II and they did it on purpose as I recall.  I guess you can either like it or hate it, but it handles about the same, aged play style and all except it's not hard.

[SpoonMan Abrams X | 699]

On 4/14/2021 at 8:17 PM, fox said:

@koifish

Zelda 2 vibes.  Very overlooked.

I am intrigued by this game. Also any excuse to play my Switch more

[Tabonga | 2,532]

On 4/14/2021 at 3:07 PM, koifish said:

 

Sonic CD - this might be fangame territory, and that's fine if it is. I enjoy the exploration focus of this game (I often hit timer limit in other sonic games from exploring too much) and wish it was expanded further, maybe even to the point of being a metroid-like exploration game. Added item collecting (like the flickies in sonic 3d blast) would also be a good addition.

 

You might want to check out the two Ecco the Dolphin games for the Sega CD.  I didn't play them but Mrs. Tabonga liked them a lot - she said there was a lot of exploration in them.

Edited April 28, 2021 by Tabonga

[WhyNotZoidberg | 590]

As I stated in the Zelda II thread, you might enjoy Rygar and Clash at Demonhead for games that are exploration action platformer with RPG elements. They both feature an overworld.

You already knew about Battle of Olympus (Orpheus is almost a Link palette swap) and Faxanadu. Castlevania II has some elements akin to Zelda II.

I haven't played it but Elliot Quest looks like it has a Zelda II hommage thing going on.

Zelda II Randomizer is a thing if you're looking for a fresh experience with the game.

[Tanooki | 5,103]

I think Clash at Demonhead would be a really good call, but also Conquest of the Crystal Palace I think fits quite nicely.  It has similar mechanics, no towns though, but you do come across shops with some nice upgrade items.

[Sumez | 3,151]

Conquest of the Crystal Palace is a bit of an overlooked gem for sure! I'm not sure it really carries the Zelda 2 genes - it has the stores along the way, but it feels more like something akin to Wonderboy in Monster Land, arcade Willow, or Black Tiger, that kind of thing. And also on the NES, you got Mitsume Ga Tooru with a slightly similar approach.

That said, those all come recommended, and might actually be worth checking out too, if that stuff is your thing. RPG'ish arcade platformers is a really interesting curiosity, and on that note maybe Cadash is worth checking out? It doesn't have an overworld, but it has multiple towns and is very exploration heavy. Several fun classes to play as, and lots of secrets to find, but the pressure from the timer can be stressful. The home ports don't have the time limit, but are generally quite different to the original, all of them interesting in their own way.

Also Son Son II on PC Engine is another really overlooked one. It's a quality game from Capcom, and feels like a more cleaned up sequel to Black Tiger (while it's nothing like the original Son Son). It's much better balanced, but it rewards speedrunning the stages rather than taking your time to explore - don't expect to do that until you already know the stages well, though.
It's a surprisingly long game, and if you don't keep up enough money to upgrade your weapon regularly, you'll have trouble surviving on the later stages (something it has in common with Monster Land).

[Sumez | 3,151]

I'm also reminded of Exile, another PC Engine game (but it had an English release on both Turbo CD and Gensis/MegaDrive!). Very reminiscent of both Ys3 and Zelda 2:

 

Edited April 29, 2021 by Sumez