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Zelda fans are calling out indie game Mysplaced for copying the Link's Awakening remake art style.
Yesterday, IGN shared some of the contestants for the winner of the Audience Choice award for its Rogue Jam, a new game jam in partnership with Rogue Games that offers publishing deals to indie developers and $800,000 in prize money to help develop their game. The Rogue Jam allows developers all around the world to submit their games and have them be judged by a panel including former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé.
One of the indie games that was judged as part of the Rogue Jam is Mysplaced, from developer Clear Sky Games. Ghiami claims that the game is closer to a Metroidvania than it is Link's Awakening, but fans have noticed that the art style is incredibly similar to the Link's Awakening remake that was released on Nintendo Switch back in 2019. Some have claimed that it must be some kind of mod or hack of the original game, as it's far too close to the original style to be a coincidence.
Some fans have started combing the footage shown from IGN's preview of Mysplaced and comparing it to the Link's Awakening Remake to find any instances of outright copying. YouTuber TheLonelyGoomba shared a comparison on Twitter that seems to show a very similar layout with assets that looks to be ripped and modified from Link's Awakening. Others have pointed out that the font used when opening a chest is almost exactly the same, that combat and movement animations are identical, and that even the main menu looks to be the same.
There are some differences between the two, such as the Rupee equivalent looking different and having a different font, the trees being pine trees instead of oak trees, and the layout of the world being generally different, but it's still a remarkable similarity that seems a little too close to be a mistake.
Zelda fans have rushed to IGN's preview of Mysplaced to call out the developers for plagiarising the Link's Awakening remake. Whether it's truly using the same assets or if it's a very purposeful recreation isn't clear yet, as Clear Sky Games have yet to respond to the accusations.