The Apple Arcade game that looks a lot like Zelda: Skyward Sword is coming to Switch
Oceanhorn 2 gets a Fall release window on Nintendo Switch
The very Zelda-like Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm is leaving Apple Arcade-exclusivity and coming to Nintendo Switch this Fall.
Released in 2019 exclusively on Apple's gaming subscription service, Oceanhorn 2 is an unabashed Zelda clone, but one that's been generally well-received. It's not as if Finnish studio Cornfox & Bros. tries to hide Oceanhorn 2's influences - your hearts are displayed in the upper left corner, you gets health by breaking pots and slashing through grass, the hero wears tights and a tunic, and well, just look at it:
To my eyes, the environments look remarkably similar to 2011's Zelda: Skyward Sword, but gameplay-wise Oceanhorn 2 is more often compared to Breath of the Wild. Again, that's not a knock on the game - I actually think it looks really charming and I'll probably give it a try when it comes to Switch.
Here's Creative Director of Cornfox & Brothers Heikki Repo on the Switch port (via Nintendo Life): "Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm is a game made by Nintendo fans, for Nintendo fans. We've been able to create something new from the strong background that we established with our previous game, Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas, and Oceanhorn 2 is our love letter to the games that we grew up with, combining that beloved nostalgia with exciting new mechanics to give it an original spin."
Oceanheart 2 isn't the first game to take some creative inspiration from Nintendo's Hylian hero - here are the games like Zelda we most recommend.
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After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer, I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.
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