10 Reasons Why Cadence Of Hyrule is a better game than Crypt Of The Necrodancer

If you haven't heard of Cadence Of Hyrule yet, it's a wonderful rhythm game for the Nintendo Switch, developed by Brace Yourself Games, as a spiritual successor to their first game – Crypt Of The Necrodancer. The new game is based on the same mechanics and similar gameplay, but it is set in Hyrule, the definitive setting of the Zelda series.

Cadence Of Hyrule is a very important milestone for indie games in general, because it marks the first time that Nintendo licensed the Zelda intellectual property to an independent game developer. Unlike the original game, however, which was recently on sale for $5 on the Nintendo Switch, and $3 on Steam, Cadence of Hyrule is only available for the Nintendo Switch, and will set you back a hefty $25. So why should you spend all the extra moola for this one?

#10: It’s a Zelda game.

Let's be honest. If they just re-skinned Crypt Of The Necrodancer and slapped a Zelda title on it, I'd probably still buy it, out of curiosity. Luckily, that isn't what they did at all. In fact, it is an entirely different game.

#9: Better plot.

The plot of Cadence Of Hyrule isn't very deep or meaningful, but comparatively, Crypt Of The Necrodancer pretty much didn't have a plot. The new game is definitely an improvement, and introduces a well-familiar story about – spoilers – using the Triforce to defeat Ganon and save Hyrule, albeit with a few unique twists, that – spoilers – have to do with music.

#8: Puzzles.

It wouldn't be a Zelda game without puzzles, would it? The puzzles aren't very challenging, and there aren't a ton of them, but they greatly improve the variety of gameplay, since you're not just hacking away at enemies all the time. Most of the puzzles are based on either Simon Says, finding a secret entrance, or figuring out how use your items and surroundings to get to a seemingly unreachable place that contains a treasure chest.

#7: Enemy mechanics and boss battles.

Many familiar antagonists of the Zelda series can be found in Cadence Of Hyrule. Zols, Bokoblins, Octorocs, Lizalfoses, Moblins, Lynels, and even the rock giant from Breath Of The Wild – Talus.  They aren't just re-skins of Necrodancer enemies, though. Well... Zols and Bokoblins are. But the rest of the enemies introduce unique mechanics that will really make you think and strategize, before rushing head-first into battle. Lizalfosesses will run at you with a dagger or a spear, Moblins will throw spears at you from a distance, and Lynels will induce deep, existential dread, completely validating "run away" as a battle strategy.

All of the enemy battles scale with your progress, keeping the game challenging all the way till the end credits. There are six boss battles, which are as intense as they are imaginative. Four of these bosses are classic Zelda characters, who had their names converted into cheesy puns involving musical instruments. Zelda fans will surely get a laugh out of this one!

#6: Zelda music.

This is one of my favorite aspects of the game, and it just shows how much there's left to talk about, because it's not anywhere close to #1. The music consists of masterful interpretations of many classic Zelda tunes – a few hours worth – in different genres, including rock, funk, techno, folk, heavy metal, and jazz.

There are almost always two versions of each tune: an upbeat and energetic version for battle, and a more mellow and relaxed version that kicks in when all enemies on the screen are defeated. Hearing a really intense heavy metal track at Death Mountain change to a tinny robot voice carrying on with the tune makes me laugh every time. Even the title screen music, with its percussive piano chords, harp arpeggios, and steady, splashy drums, makes me want to just sit there and listen to it for hours!

#5: Much improved graphics.

The new game's overworld looks like a modern version of A Link To The Past. No longer the flat checkerboard world of its predecessor, Cadence Of Hyrule is positively three-dimensional, with its exaggerated tilt perspective, multi-tiered buildings and landscapes, tunnels, and stairs. The checkerboard, which is there to help you accurately judge distances, is much subtler this time around, and is only visible around the player's character, making it far less distracting than the neon disco tile in Crypt Of The Necrodancer.

Every character model looks great, and is instantly recognizable as a character from the Zelda series. Weapon animations for each individual weapon and item have been added in Cadence Of Hyrule, replacing Crypt Of The Necrodancer's generic "swipe" animation when attacking and a static shovel icon when digging.

#4 Storing weapons and items.

Crypt Of The Necrodancer had a very rudimentary and limited inventory. You could, for example, have up to two weapons in your inventory, but not until you've obtained a special storage pouch item. This made testing and comparing different weapons excessively difficult.

Cadence Of Hyrule does away with this entirely, and provides you with an unlimited inventory. All the weapons, charms, and abilities that you've unlocked are always available in the inventory. The weapons can have a higher damage, an area of effect, or a greater range. You can also upgrade certain weapons with different effects, such as life drain, poison, or extra damage. This can totally change how you approach enemies, and encourages switching weapons to optimize battle strategies. I wound up switching between five different weapons throughout the game: a normal spear at first, then Poison and Titanium spears, and Link's and Zelda's special weapons later in the game.

#3: Permanent weapons, charms, and items.

One of my biggest frustrations with Crypt Of The Necrodancer was losing my favorite weapon after being defeated. In Crypt, weapons and items disappeared after each inevitable "game over". New weapons and items were randomly dispersed in treasure chests, so the chances that you would get your beloved spear back during the next dungeon run were extremely low. All the items were also one-time-use, which pretty much meant that other than health refills, I would never use items.

In Cadence Of Hyrule, inventory is permanent. Weapons, items, and charms carry over even after you die. The only things you lose are rupees and keys. Similar to Breath Of The Wild, some items are "breakable", which means that they will run out as you use them. Others, like the hook shot and the boomerang, can be used without any limitations – not only during combat, but in solving puzzles as well.

#2: The level doesn’t end with the song.

Perhaps the most punishing aspect of Crypt Of The Necrodancer, you could only explore each dungeon while its soundtrack was playing. Once this relatively short song ended, the level would end as well. A trap door would suddenly appear, and drop you into the next level. Any part of the dungeon left unexplored would be gone forever, along with its treasure chests, item shops, and much needed health upgrades.

In Cadence Of Hyrule, you can take as much time as you want while exploring dungeons and the overworld. If you take your sweet time, you might hear the song end and restart from the beginning. However, given that the songs are fairly long, this is unlikely to happen unless you specifically want to hear the song in its entirety.

#1: Fixed-screen battles.

In Crypt Of The Necrodancer, every map was a fairly large, randomly generated dungeon. Similar to a side-scrolling platformer, your character would always remain in the center of the screen, and the dungeon would scroll around this pivot point. This worked perfectly well for combat, but it meant that you would only pay attention to the area immediately surrounding your character.

By contrast, most of the battles in the overworld of Cadence Of Hyrule take place on a single, fixed screen, much like the original Zelda game, or the original Megaman games. The movement of the player's character doesn't cause the screen to move at all, making it much easier to concentrate on parts of the screen that aren't in the middle, since every part of the landscape always stays in the same place.

Once you've defeated all the enemies on the screen, you no longer have to keep up with the beat, and the enemies won't respawn, leaving you free admire the landscapes and the music, chat with non-playable characters, and explore all the puzzles, hidden pathways, and secrets on that screen. And that is what Zelda games were always about: exploration.

So is Crypt Of The Necrodancer completely irrelevant now? Not quite. Being a true rogue-like, where every map is randomly generated, and none of your items carry over after you die, Crypt Of The Necrodancer will still be a hit with those who want the intense experience of unrelenting dungeon runs, to speedrunners, and to hardcore fans of the rogue-like genre. Cadence Of Hyrule, on the other hand, will be more suited for those who want a well-paced experience, where you can take a break from the intensity of rhythmic battles, without having to take a break from the game.

There's a term that is often used to describe games like Cadence Of Hyrule: a love letter. The music, the landscapes, the puzzles, and the humorous character dialogue – all these were lovingly made by people who are clearly fans of the Zelda series. Cadence Of Hyrule is truly a delight to play, and I would readily include it among the best Zelda games ever made, which says a lot about a Zelda game that wasn't made by Nintendo.