Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda Reviews

Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda is ranked in the 96th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Jun 14, 2019

Cadence of Hyrule is a fresh approach to the classic 2D Legend titles that looks and sounds amazing, but it doesn't last long.

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Drew Hurley
Top Critic
9 / 10
Jun 30, 2019

Developer Brace Yourself Games has knocked this one out of the park, making something that feels like a perfect follow up to their wonderful Crypt of the Necromancer, but also manages to perfectly capture the magic innate to a full, first-party The Legend of Zelda title.

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Gamers Heroes
Johnny Hurricane
Top Critic
9 / 10
Jun 16, 2019

If you are a Zelda fan, then this should be a no brainer. Anyone who likes great music, fun gameplay, and action RPGs should also pick this up.

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9.1 / 10.0
Jun 14, 2019
Cadence of Hyrule: REVIEW | A Beat to the Past and a Bolero of FIRE! video thumbnail
9.5 / 10.0
Jun 14, 2019

Still, I had doubts as the game got closer to release, like maybe it would be too hard or too disparate from regular Zelda, but after spending a fair bit of time with it, those doubts washed away. This isn't Link to the Past; it's something new and different. Cadence of Hyrule successfully earns its place in the pantheon of Zelda adventures by carving a distinctive rhythmic path that brings new ideas to the series while also hitting the right nostalgic keys.

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7.9 / 10.0
Jun 15, 2019

Cadence of Hyrule features incredibly appealing visuals and music as well as a gameplay dynamic that's fresh and exciting.

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XGN.nl
Top Critic
8.8 / 10.0
Jun 21, 2019

Cadence of Hyrule is one of the best Zelda spin-offs to ever appear on a console. Brace Yourself Games can be proud on this achievement as it manages to combine the music elements of Crypt of the Necrodancer with Zelda.

Review in Dutch | Read full review

8.2 / 10.0
Nov 25, 2020

SNES flair and a really good soundtrack are a good basis for a video game. All in all, the difficulty level of Cadence of Hyrule - Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda is noticeably lower than NecroDancer, but for the target group it is certainly still relatively high. If this is not enough, simply activate permanent death in the settings. Personally, the game demanded a lot of patience from me, especially in the beginning. It wasn't until I finished Cadence of Hyrule that I got a taste of NecroDancer, which I found to be much harder. Nevertheless, I describe the gameplay as easy to learn, but difficult to master. Mistakes are severely punished and often result in a loading screen and the loss of all rubies. A run-through of the story doesn't take that long, but the randomly generated map offers a certain amount of replayability, although exactly this can lead to frustration under certain circumstances. A vicious circle! 🙂 For me personally, the difference between Link and Zelda was/is not big enough. The characters are quite similar, but all in all, Cadence of Hyrule - Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda can definitely be recommended, especially since it's not really expensive with an RRP of 24.99€.

Review in German | Read full review

9 / 10.0
Jun 17, 2019

So here we are at the conclusion. Is Cadence of Hyrule a great game? Hell yes. Is it a good ZELDA game? HELL. YES. Is it the best Zelda spin-off game? I don’t think you could ever top it, to be completely honest.

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9.5 / 10.0
Jun 20, 2019

It’s everything a Zelda spinoff demands: wisdom in design, courage in concept, and power in music — culminating in the one of the most epic video game crossovers this side of Hyrule.

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Worth your time
Jul 1, 2019

A different yet familiar Crypt of the Necrodancer experience with a Legend Of Zelda skin that may take some time to get used to, but is worth it in the end.

Review in Greek | Read full review

4 / 5.0
Jul 6, 2019

Originally conceived as DLC for the game’s Switch port, the franchise’s catalog of celebrated musical compositions and Nintendo’s unusual interest in lending its crown jewel to an indie developer quickly turned Cadence of Hyrule into a standalone entry that somehow manages to combine the best of both worlds.

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90%
Aug 1, 2019

Cadence of Hyrule is a fantastic mix of two great series: The Legend Of Zelda and Crypt of The NecroDancer. It takes the best elements of both properties and marries them perfectly into what I’d consider an instant classic.

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9 / 10.0
Jun 24, 2019

Borrowing from Crypt of the Necromancer's DNA, Cadence of Hyrule is a fantastic fusion between roguelike and rhythm with beautiful visuals, sharp gameplay, and a soundtrack fans the world over will love.

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88%
Jul 11, 2019

Brace Yourself Games, creators of the rhythm-based dungeon crawler Crypt of the NecroDancer, have been given the keys to the kingdom of Hyrule, imbuing the signature gameplay of the original while mixing in all the characters, locations and melodies you love from the Zelda universe. What results is a clever blend of action and music that might be the best Zelda spinoff in history.

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Jul 1, 2019

"The legend of disco dancers."

Review in Finnish | Read full review

8 / 10
Jun 16, 2019

Like the best roguelites, when it works it's great: when you do a good run, Cadence of Hyrule makes all its pieces work together --it sounds good.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

8 / 10
Jun 17, 2019

Crypt of the NecroDancer invades the world of The Legend of Zelda in such faithful way, it easily becomes a Zelda game itself. With an addictive gameplay and a lot of replayability, Cadence of Hyrule is a must-have for every Nintendo Switch.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

USgamer
Top Critic
Jun 19, 2019

Cadence of Hyrule is the Legend of Zelda and Crypt of the NecroDancer crossover we never knew we needed, but now that it's here, we want the song to go on forever. Brace Yourself Games' expert handling of the Zelda property is commendable. Here's hoping we get an encore with some DLC.

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Jun 16, 2019

The Legend of Zelda series has one of the most beloved video game scores, and for a good reason. From the sweeping melodies that play as your enter Hyrule field, the rhythmic beat of drums on death mountain, the relaxing twang of Romani Ranch, and everything in between, the music is an integral part of what makes going on an adventure in Hyrule so wonderful. Cadence of Hyrule aims to take those familiar songs and remix them into something familiar, but new and capable of delivering the signature Crypt of the NecroDancer gameplay. Does Cadence of Hyrule succeed at this? Or does it have two left feet? Read on in this Rapid Review to find out.

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