Cadence Of Hyrule Review: Zelda Games Get Rhythm

One of the reasons why “The Legend of Zelda” resonates with so many people is its music. I may not be one of the most “hardcore ‘Zelda’” fans, but I’ve always appreciated pieces like Saria’s Song from “Ocarina of Time” and the Temple music from “Zelda II: The Adventure of Link”. The series manages to encapsulate an atmosphere with its music that very few games can accomplish. So, when Nintendo announced “Zelda” was crossing over with one of my favorite indie games, “Crypt of the Necrodancer”, I was both shocked and ecstatic! Could this be a match made in harmonious heaven, or an out-of-tune crossover? Welcome to MojoPlays, and this is our review of “Cadence of Hyrule”! When the King of Hyrule is visited by a mysterious music man named Octavo, his majesty is placed under a sleep spell by the trickster’s Golden Lute. Link and Zelda also find themselves trapped in a deep slumber, allowing Octavo to take over Hyrule. Upon being teleported to this new world, Cadence realizes her mission to get back home - wake up the courageous hero and wise princess, and help them restore Hyrule to its original state. “Cadence of Hyrule” combines the mechanics of “Crypt of the Necrodancer” with “Zelda’s” world design and puzzles. As you explore Hyrule, you’ll have to move around to the beat of whatever song is playing. Failing to stay in sync with the beat will result in delayed inputs as well as losing your Rupee multiplier. You’ll also have to be careful about where you move as enemies will be moving in time with the music as well. So, there isn’t much time to sit and plan ahead. Once you’ve defeated all enemies on the screen, you can freely move about at your own pace and explore. Open chests, move rocks to reach an item, destroy mother nature for your own personal gain...you know, the usual habits in a “Zelda” game. I will admit, though, my first hour with “Cadence of Hyrule” was about as sour as a glass of expired Lon Lon Milk. Each time you die, you can exchange any Diamonds you’ve collected for different weapons, equipment, or additional bombs. The only things you lose (and lose forever) are your Rupees and Keys. Once you jump back through the portal, you can choose to spawn in wherever a Sheikah Stone is located. Given how “Crypt of the Necrodancer” is more punishing in loss of progress, it was nice that “Cadence of Hyrule” was more forgiving. Only problem was that I quickly reached a point where I wasn’t being offered much equipment to help me. While I, personally, don’t have a problem with this design choice, it’s important to bring up for those less patient and easily frustrated. Despite this minor concern, I charged on, feeling quite proud of myself for bludgeoning my enemies in time with some tasty jams. As fun as it was to create a slaughter symphony out of my foes, rhythm is just as important when solving puzzles. Most dungeons I encountered mixed enemies into the puzzles, making it much harder to keep in line with the beat WHILE figuring out what I need to do WITHOUT losing my multiplier and getting killed! There are even some puzzles where you will have to swap between characters! Yes, these moments can be a lot to process, but solving them proved to be almost as satisfying as mercilessly impaling an Octorok with a spear. When it wasn’t busy kicking my teeth in, “Cadence of Hyrule” managed to accomplish what a crossover game is meant to do - show the best sides of each franchise represented. As a fan of 2D “Zelda” games like “Link’s Awakening” and the classic NES title (as well as “Crypt of the Necrodancer”), “Cadence of Hyrule” was magnificent through and through. The game manages to blend “Necrodancer’s” rhythm-based mechanics and techno-rock style with “Zelda’s” melodious music in such a unique way that I couldn’t stop hearing the songs during my downtime. There’s a soundtrack here for both fanbases to appreciate from the chill rendition of “Song of Storms” playing at Windmill Hut to the epic, hard rock opera mashup of “Zelda” and “Necrodancer’s” iconic music! Composer Danny Baranowsky and his team ought to be proud! Even after beating your first run, there is still more in store for you. While you could start another run with whoever you didn’t save first, “Cadence of Hyrule” offers other means of replayability thanks to its hearty selection of custom modes. For starters, there’s Story Mode, which you could take as a casual playthrough or do what I did - use it as practice for future campaigns. Story Mode provides an experience where you can stroll through various landmarks between your musically murderous rampages across Hyrule. You can even turn the fixed beats off, if you want to make things easier for yourself. However, those looking for a challenge will enable permadeath, double the speed of the beats, and possibly do it under Single-Character mode with a random spawn seed. At least, that’s what I’d do if I was a masochist. Regardless of how many times I died and needed to “git gud”, “Cadence of Hyrule” has not left my mind, and I’m eager to get back to playing more. With its contagious music and ability to adhere to both novice and experienced players, “Cadence of Hyrule” was a philharmonic phenomena of a game to play. It’s almost hard to believe the game only costs twenty-five bucks because it feels more like I got a new, full-blown “Zelda” adventure out of it. “Cadence of Hyrule” isn’t just one of the best music games I’ve played - it’s one of the best crossover games due to how it mashes two games and their best qualities into one immersive experience. Nintendo could not have chosen a better developer to team up with than Brace Yourself Games, and “Cadence of Hyrule” gives me hope that Nintendo will team up with more indie studios to make games of this caliber. Now, when can we get Cadence in “Smash Bros. Ultimate”?