The Legend of Zelda is not pumped out as much as Mario. Which is to say that even with spinoffs, fans may have to wait awhile before a new release. That’s a good thing as it shows how dedicated Nintendo is to their craft.
However, it can also be frustrating for fans eagerly anticipating each new release. That might be why some of them decide to make their own games. Wouldn’t it be nice if these ten projects were official? Some are more amazing than others but what is great about them is the passion driving their development. It just goes to show how much love Zelda fans have for the franchise.
10 Ocarina Of Time Co-Op
Right now this game is in beta and it’s more of a mod than an actual game. A group of six developers are banding together over Discord in order to make The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time a co-op game. Their scope goes beyond two, even four players right now– the beta supports up to fifteen simultaneous players. This is starting to sound like Destiny with a Zelda vibe and that sounds promising.
9 A Link To The Past: Randomizer
This is one of the first games that started to popularize the idea of randomizing classic games in 2017. It operates similarly to a roguelike. While the game in question is still A Link to the Past, the locations and items have been randomized. This was done with the idea of creating a fresh experience for fans that played the original repeatedly. Other than Zelda, another SNES game that got this treatment was Super Metroid.
8 The Legend Of Princess
Joakim "Konjak" Sandberg is an indie developer most known for Iconoclasts. Before he made his own games, he put out this fan homage to The Legend of Zelda franchise. It came out in 2009 and is basically just one dungeon (aka it’s only about ten minutes long.) It’s a 2D action game in the same vein as Zelda II: Link’s Adventure on the NES with stunning sprite animations. Nintendo should fund him to finish this game and make it official.
7 Chrono Killer
OpenBor is an engine that people have used to make brawlers akin to Streets of Rage and Double Dragon. Chrono Killer is based on the SNES classic, Chrono Trigger, and reuses sprites and locations to create a beat ‘em up. It also has some guest characters including Link, Trunks, and Samurai Jack. While Mario has his own OpenBor game, the Zelda series does not but this was close enough. The model used for Link even looks like an original creation.
6 Card Sagas Wars
MUGEN is another fan created engine, but in this case it is used for fighting games. Card Sagas Wars is a mod of a mod– a 2D, card based fighter that crosses over tons of properties. Some fighters include Link, Cloud, KOS-MOS, Master Chief, and more with twelve playable characters altogether.
There are also guest characters for support akin to Super Smash Bros. The project started in 2007 by AbyssWolf, as they are known on DeviantArt. The game went dark in 2010, but it came back in 2018 with a public version to test out.
5 The Legend Of Zelda: Time's Menagerie
This was started in 2010 by a development team under the name of Undyingnephalim. It appears to be using one of the RPG Maker engines and is actually a sequel to a previous fan game, The Legend of Zelda: The Fallen Sage. Both games are rather crudely put together with this being a marginal improvement. That said, it deserves to make this list for the sheer idea of creating a turn-based game in the Zelda franchise.
4 Paper Zelda
Undyingnephalim was not the only team thinking about creating a Zelda RPG. The YouTube Channel, 64 Bits, put together a mockup of a Paper Mario style game but with Zelda characters in it. It isn’t so much a game so much as it is a tech demo, but it’s close enough to make this list. Plus the cool factor is too grand to let it slip by. Nintendo, get on this idea right away.
3 Final Fantasy Tactics: Journey Of The 5
This is a mod of the original PS1 version of Final Fantasy Tactics. The project began in 2013 and so far only one chapter has been released.
It takes place where the story wraps up with a portal opening up, inviting other characters to join Ramza and Cloud in the fight against evil. This includes Link, Dante from Devil May Cry, and Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid. That’s why the mod is titled 'Journey of the 5.'
2 The Legend Of Zelda 3D Remake
This is a 3D remake of the first game. It’s actually more of a top down, 3D rotation of the camera to make The Legend of Zelda appear as a 3D rendered game with big chunky pixels. It’s very reminiscent of 3D Dot Heroes from the PS3, which was in-turn paying homage to The Legend of Zelda. It was made to celebrate thirty years of the franchise in 2016 by two guys, Scott Lininger and Mike Magee. Unfortunately, Nintendo has since taken it down.
1 A Link To The Past Remake
This is another mockup via a YouTube video, but in this case user BlobVanDam actually finished it in 2019. He just never released it to the public. It’s also only the beginning section of the game. The style looks like it is trying to ape that of Nintendo’s official remake of Link’s Awakening from the Switch last year, but with a painting like quality to it.