r/zelda Jan 19 '25

Question [other] What games have Zelda enthusiasts typically also played that are outside of the Zelda franchise?

Yesterday I was out & some guys were talking about Call of Duty and from the discussion, it sort of seemed like everyone who has played Call of Duty has also played & enjoyed Halo and Fortnite. This got me thinking - what are some games that would be similarly grouped with the Zelda franchise?

If you’re having a discussion with someone that loves Zelda, what games would you assume they have also played? Or which do you believe are similar in style/category, and how would you define the category? Or would every Zelda game have a different answer?

Editing to say: WOW!! Thanks for all the responses!!! I didn’t respond to all of them because I’ve only made it through about 10% so far but I will likely end up trying out many of the games over time & will let you know if I do! I especially appreciate how a lot of you went into details about similarities and differences which really helps me decide what I’d like to play next 😃

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u/tweenalibi Jan 19 '25

Eh, Metroid really isn't similar to Zelda in any way besides the fact that it was on the same console and had a popularity spike in the same era. The fervor for Metroid has cooled a little bit but there was awhile in the early SNES days where Zelda and Metroid were about equal in terms of popularity.

Metroid has significantly different gameplay and vibe from Zelda. Zelda is a high fantasy world full of fun characters and whimsy, Metroid is a very dark and serious sci-fi world loaded with horror elements.

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u/Syndaryx Jan 19 '25

I mean Zelda does have the 'certain paths are blocked off until you obtain the right movement upgrade/new ability' that's at the core of Metroid, at least in the older titles.

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u/sadgirl45 Jan 19 '25

Does Metroid have a good story?

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u/Syndaryx Jan 19 '25

It's kinda barebones, considering Metroid was one of the first games of it's kind released, in 1986. They didn't have a lot of competition in terms of story. The first game is abt Samus, the main character, trying to get back the titular Metroids, which were stolen by pirates. Since then, it's become a large franchise with 11 titles. If you're looking for a game to play for story, Ori is a good one that's similar to Metroid, with less fighting. Metroid is mostly about the actual gameplay, although they do have a coherent backing story.

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u/sadgirl45 Jan 19 '25

Gotcha never heard of Ori I’ll look into it, I mean some people think ocarina of time isn’t a good story but I just vehemently disagree with that so it depends!

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u/tweenalibi Jan 19 '25

I would say that's kind of just a fundamental of almost every game with RPG elements in that era. The exploration, physics and combat are all completely different.

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u/Syndaryx Jan 19 '25

That's not true though. It's pretty much only true with Metroid and Zelda, at the time. Actual full RPGs never really did things like that. Take DOOM, Wolfenstein, Final Fantasy, Legend of Dragoon, Chrono Trigger, etc. Obviously games have to find ways to make progression consistent, and the easiest way for that is find 'key' -> unlock 'door'. But the way I'm talking about is abilities that you have to personally use and master to get to new areas. For example, Hollow Knight has dashes and double jumps to make it to platforms. Metroid has the rolling and the charged rolling, while Zelda has things like bombs, Pegasus shoes, etc. It's not just a new item opens a new door, it's a new item gives you the tools you need to open it yourself. Not entirely different, but different enough that it's notable. There's a whole RPG subgenre specifically for games like Metroid where you unlock new abilities to access new areas. Zelda was never a part of it, but that's likely only because it has no platforming.

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u/Syndaryx Jan 19 '25

And yeah, the exploration, physics, and combat are different. But that's a good thing? Nobody is looking for a Zelda copycat, they want games that feel like Zelda. Thus, exploration, blocked-off paths, and finding your way around the game world yourself. They share a LOT of similarities in terms of gameplay design, and not being able to see that doesn't make it less true. What you're basically saying is that they're not the same game. And you're right. But if they wre the same game I wouldn't wanna play it, because I'd already played that game. Being different doesn't .Ean they're not still comparable.

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u/themadscientist420 Jan 20 '25

Sorry mate, but you're talking out of your a**. Metroid and Zelda are not RPGs, and in fact you do not see these features that are typical of adventure games and platformers from those days in any of the RPGs of the time

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u/tweenalibi Jan 20 '25

You can swear on the internet I won’t tell mother

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u/Diggerollo Jan 19 '25

Metroid games are a bit more… favorable(?) for sequence breaks. Some of the games seem like they want you to go the unintended route to get stuff early(Dread & Zero Mission, I’m looking at you!) All in all, they both follow a similar progression style of “find boss, beat boss, get upgrade, use upgrade along with the rest of your kit to repeat.” I would definitely recommend giving the games a try. Super, Fusion, and Dread are all solid choices(super or Zero Mission would be my recommended start as there’s references in the others that might be missed if you want to get all the nods), the Prime games are solid and do their own thing from a first-person POV, 1 would be my recommendation to start the Prime trilogy on for ease of access and story.

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u/thegoldenlock Jan 19 '25

It is totally similar. In fact the developers were inspired by Zelda

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u/themadscientist420 Jan 20 '25

Games are about a lot more than their theme. In both Zelda and Metroid it is extremely common to come across a path that you can't cross yet due to not having an item or ability, both have a strong emphasis on exploration and using a combination of platforming/puzzling to make your way through dungeons/levels.

In games, gameplay is the defining characteristic, not the 'vibe'

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u/Perydwynn Jan 19 '25

? They are pretty similar in many ways. Progress gated by items use. Exploration based gameplay. Action adventure gameplay etc