The time spent between official Legend Of Zelda releases is usually a long one, especially for the fans. So to pass the time, fans have come together to create their own Zelda titles. Some are less than stellar while others are so impressive that they could fool people into thinking they're an official game.
There have been a lot of great fan games over the years. However, Nintendo is known for its tight grip on its IPs so many have been deleted or shut down. This is unfortunate as many deleted ones showed the passion of the creators. There's still plenty to talk about out there, especially when it comes to The Legend of Zelda.
Updated April 19th, 2021 by Melody MacReady: Over the many years, some fan games based on The Legend Of Zelda fell through the cracks. Whether it was because they were outshined by other and more famous fan games or simply went under the radar. However, after some more digging, more fan games have been rediscovered and have proven to be worthy of the attention of gamers everywhere. Along with adding extra games to be showcased, the grammatical errors were resolved to provide a smoother reading experience. Unfortunately, Nintendo is still very hostile towards fan game creators so how long these games remain online and/or updated could always change.
12 Zelda: Realm Of Shadows
Taking assets and elements from other 2D games such as A Link To The Past, Minish Cap, and the Oracle games, Realm Of Shadows is sure to please fans of classic Zelda. With over four hours' worth of gameplay and visuals based on the Gameboy games, there is a lot to enjoy.
Realm Of Shadows never goes overboard in trying to make things too difficult like many fan games do. Instead, it relies on feeling like a true Legend Of Zelda title one might have had on their GameBoy or GameBoy Color in the 1990s. It's fun and definitely worth at least checking out if one wants a more forgiving experience.
11 The Legend Of Zelda: Book Of Mudora
Eight large dungeons, a fully explorable Hyrule, and manages to have several side quests? This not only deserves to be in Nintendo's library but deserves a remaster. The creators of this fan game clearly understand what makes Zelda so iconic. Despite it clearly being a ROM hack of A Link To The Past, it passes off as a true follow up much like how Majora's Mask does to Ocarina Of Time.
There is enough content in the main quests to keep a player entertained for almost eight hours alone. With all the side quests and bonus activities, it's a good twelve to fifteen hours.
10 The Legend Of Zelda: Return Of The Hylian
A pretty straightforward setup: the light and dark worlds from A Link To The Past are unified. This is good in theory, but it causes the resurrection of Ganon and his minions. Thus, Link must head off on another adventure to stop his mortal enemy. Return Of The Hylian is a ROM hack of A Link To The Past. This sequel doesn't try to be an expert mode of the original game; instead, it's just more of what fans love about A Link To The Past.
9 Dawn & Dusk
Child Link must intervene in a war between the Dawnside and Duskside factions. Dawn & Dusk is a ROM hack of Ocarina Of Time developed by Captain Seedy-Eye. Even though the player can only play as Child Link, he now has access to adult Link items and abilities like the fireproof tunic.
This ROMhack is so well done that one could easily mistake Dawn & Dusk for a lost Nintendo 64 game. The only downside is that Dawn & Dusk can be beaten within an hour.
8 Ocarina Of Time: Randomizer
A Link To The Past: Randomizer became a fan-favorite ROM hack for Let's Players on YouTube and streamers on Twitch. Naturally, this would spark the idea for more randomizers, including one for Ocarina Of Time.
Ocarina Of Time: Randomizer does exactly what the title suggests; it takes Ocarina Of Time as a whole and randomly generates an entirely new experience. This includes locations and items, thus allowing for a fresh experience for those who have mastered the original.
7 The Legend Of Zelda: Parallel Worlds
One of the most fleshed-out ROM hacks in existence; Parallel Worlds is a brand new game all done with A Link To The Past as the base. A new map and new dungeons await the player who dares to tackle this challenge. When we say challenge, we mean challenge.
As great as Parallel Worlds is, it suffers from one problem: major difficulty. Sometimes Parallel Worlds goes way too far, especially since Link doesn't get his sword for a good while. However, that doesn't stop this from being an impressive creation.
6 The Legend Of Zelda: Voyager Of Time
Taking place after the events of Majora's Mask, Link has returned to Kokiri Forest and is trying to find peace after what happened in Termina. It is very clear from the start that Voyager Of Time is a Majora's Mask fan game.
Everything from the story, the characters, and the dialogue fit the dark tones of that game. Voyager Of Time is a very fleshed-out ROMhack and shows the passion of the creator. As a bonus, there's tons more time traveling!
5 Project Restoration
Many fans of Majora's Mask were not fond of the remake on the Nintendo 3DS. It was critiqued for holding the player's hand too much and felt too much like a watered-down version of the Nintendo 64 game despite impressive visuals.
Project Restoration is a mod of Majora's Mask 3D; it intends to marry the differences between the original Nintendo 64 release and the 3DS remake. Project Restoration is successful in many ways as it removes flaws from both versions while keeps the beautiful visuals.
4 Zelda's Birthday
Much like Majora's Mask, Zelda's Birthday recycle's Ocarina Of Time's assets and structure to create a new game. It can also be compared to Parallel Worlds since it has a steep difficulty spike from the very beginning.
Link is not given a sword for a while and some of Ocarina Of Time's most challenging enemies are present. This results in Zelda's Birthday becoming an incredibly frustrating experience. It is a lot of fun but be ready to use save states and/or die a lot.
3 The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild 2D
Imagine Breath Of The Wild but in the style of the original NES Legend Of Zelda. Breath of the Wild 2D game is more than just a ROMhack. There are different animations, new environmental mechanics, crafting, food preparation, etc. If someone is a fan of Breath Of The Wild and looking for something more classic, this is the best choice. It can be a little challenging at times but it remains fun every step of the way.
2 The Legend Of Zelda: Black Crown
Diablo games have remained dominators in the action-RPG genre. So why not a Diablo-esque version of Zelda? That's where Black Crown comes in. Players can create their own version of Link both aesthetically and stats-wise.
With a dark, sinister map, and more focus on RPG mechanics, Black Crown is a really good attempt at a Diablo clone. There's even a crafting system along with randomized loot drops. The only complaint is that enemies have way too much health and not enough experience points are given.
1 The Legend Of Zelda: The Fallen Kingdom
A beautiful mix of a 3D world with 2D assets, The Fallen Kingdom does not feature dinosaurs but it does feature Linkle! Linkle finally gets her own game and it is one of the best fan games ever made, let alone Zelda fan games.
Unlike most fan games, The Fallen Kingdom is very unique. The closest game it can maybe be compared to is Breath Of The Wild, but even then, it features so many different mechanics. The map is huge, the characters are great, and the Zelda-esque gameplay is perfect. The fans really outdid themselves this time. It deserves to be a title on the Nintendo Switch!