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6 Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild alternatives on iPhone and iPad

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6 Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild alternatives on iPhone and iPad

The Nintendo Switch hits shops this Friday, which is all very exciting in itself.

But for a lot of people (myself included) Nintendo's new console is primarily a means for playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Make no mistake, this is Nintendo's biggest game in years.

If you're not buying a Switch, or if you don't have a Wii U (don't worry - most people don't), you're going to have to go without Nintendo's lush action-adventure game. I can't say that there's really anything that's going to make up for that. Sorry.

However, the following mobile games do at least offer a healthy tip of the hat to Nintendo's timeless series. These are some pretty classy sticking plasters for your gaping Breath of the Wild wounds.

Oceanhorn

You don't get any more blatant a 'tribute' to Zelda than Oceanhorn, regardless of platform. Whether you're looking at its colourful art style, its mute protagonist, or its familiar UI, the game elicits a serious case of deja vu.

Fortunately, it's a really accomplished tribute, with beautiful visuals and well-crafted touchscreen controls.

Ittle Dew

Ittle Dew clearly cribs from Link's classic SNES adventure, Link to the Past. Once again, you're a plucky green-clad hero on a hacky-slash adventure through a steadily expanding game world.

Where Ludosity does well to break away from its source material is in its arch, self-aware sense of humour.

Legend of the Skyfish

Legend of the Skyfish wears its Zelda-love on its sleeve. It's in the name. It's in the art style. It's in the hookshot-wielding protagonist. Strangely, though, it's not in the gameplay, which is actually a series of bite-sized spatial puzzles rather than a sprawling action adventure.

That's the kind of unexpected Zelda tribute we can get onboard with.

Horn

The other games on this list all adopt the simple top-down perspective of Link's 16-bit and handheld adventures, but Horn goes full 3D like Ocarina of Time. Despite this radial shift, it still manages to play well on mobile thanks to some thoughtful and fresh touchscreen controls.

Mage Gauntlet

Before Wayward Souls, Rocketcat dabbled in the action RPG genre with Mage Gauntlet. It's far more actiony than its (admittedly superior) successor, but you can still trace its lineage straight back to Zelda: A Link to the Past.

Indeed, the developer acknowledges the debt to Nintendo's masterpiece directly in the app blurb.

My Little Hero

While Zelda games are invariably sweeping, epic adventures, they're always warm and inviting, with a child-like sense of wonder. That's the feeling My Little Hero nails more than any other game on this list, casting you as a kid who's dressing up as a hero and setting out on a quest to save your cuddly toy.

You have to feel that Nintendo would approve of this family-friendly fun.

Jon Mundy
Jon Mundy
Jon is a consummate expert in adventure, action, and sports games. Which is just as well, as in real life he's timid, lazy, and unfit. It's amazing how these things even themselves out.