Cadence of Hyrule Is a Bold New Zelda that Might Frustrate Purists

Cadence of Hyrule plays like an endless Zelda game, but it comes with a catch.

Whether Breath of the Wild was your first Zelda game or you’ve spent decades adventuring across both 2D and 3D quests in Hyrule, chances are you have some assumptions of what to expect when you sit down to play a brand new Zelda. Sure, examples like Four Swords Adventures and Tri Force Heroes take the recognized 2D Zelda formula and subvert it a bit, throwing multiplayer in the mix and streamlining the overworld, but Cadence of Hyrule is planning to take the series in an even crazier new direction on Nintendo Switch.

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Zelda games have had musical themes for ages now with things like flutes, harps, conductor wands, and Ocarinas being integral to progression, but music (and rhythm) is connected to practically everything in Cadence of Hyrule, right down to moving your character in any direction. If this sounds sort of familiar, it’s because it’s pretty much a spiritual successor to 2015’s indie darling Crypt of the NecroDancer, a rhythm-based rogue-like dungeon crawler where player movement is essentially tied to a metronome. Every step you take is expected to be to the beat, and missing your timing leads to your run getting dinged a bit. Cadence of Hyrule infuses that gameplay with The Legend of Zelda’s characters and world, creating a flow that feels very, very different than your usual “play and explore at your own pace” Zelda.
The Triforce shaped beat counter in 'Cadence' determines Link's movement speed.. and dings him for not sticking to it.


From what I’ve played so far, Cadence of Hyrule feels more like an injection of Zelda personality and aesthetic into the Crypt of Hyrule format rather than a traditional 2D Zelda with a brand-new rhythm gimmick. That means NecroDancer fans will likely love it while Zelda fans might need some time to adapt. Even though the beat counter is clearly visible at the bottom of the screen (and the poppy, dancey remixes of classic Zelda songs were bumping on the speakers, guiding the tempo), I still found myself wanting to explore freely, in traditional Zelda fashion. The overworld and much of the dungeon design is procedurally generated outside of a few key locations that will appear in relation to each other in every run. Any given overworld or dungeon screen might contain things like four or five distinctly different enemy types, a puzzle or two, and a hidden item just out of reach. On top of that, floor panels with large icons that speed up or slow down the rhythm tend to be scattered about as well, leading to a decidedly busy looking Zelda. Every new run brings with it totally new layouts of puzzles, environments, heart containers, and more stuff to keep series veterans on their toes.
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This means that Zelda fans finally have what is essentially an endless Zelda game - one that can be replayed infinitely with different set of maps each time - but it comes with a catch: Cadence of Hyrule plays quite differently than what fans are used to, and if that doesn’t click with you, you may find yourself frustrated with basic things like traversal and combat. Speaking of which, combat focuses more on making your character bump repeatedly into the front or side of an enemy perfectly to the beat rather than diving in with a flurry of hack and slash attacks at your own leisure. You’ll gather iconic Zelda items and weapons along the way to spruce things up a bit - some permanent and others temporary - but Zelda fans looking for the depth and nuance found in the dungeon design and combat from traditional titles in the series might be caught off guard here.

Procedurally generated overworld and dungeons can get a bit cluttered and chaotic.

Occasionally, you’ll clear an entire screen, causing the metronome timer to vanish, which allows Link or Zelda to explore the area at their own desired pace without losing the metronome counter and having the rhythm come crashing down just for missing a beat. These parts feel like a classic 2D, explore-at-your-own-pace Zelda, but they’re fleeting compared to the main rhythm-based portions. Cadence is consistently pretty to look at, with gorgeous chibi-style sprites abound and a vibrant, colorful palette that evokes classic pixel art Zeldas like Minish Cap or A Link to the Past.

Ultimately, Cadence of Hyrule looks like Zelda, sounds like Zelda, and (mostly) moves like the Zeldas you know while attempting something entirely new. It’s a bold choice as the first follow-up to Breath of the Wild, but I do commend it for trying something unique.

Brian Altano is a host and producer at IGN. Follow him on Twitter where he frequently yells about how much he loves Zelda.

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Cadence of Hyrule Image

Cadence of Hyrule

DeveloperBrace Yourself Games
Release DateJune 13, 2019
PlatformsNintendo Switch