Cadence Of Hyrule

Wandering into a group of Octoroks and Darknuts is like stepping onto a chequered dance floor

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Oboe, maracas, glockenspiel and bass guitar: Cadence Of Hyrule’s unusual selection of musical instruments says a lot about the kind of game it is. And no, we don’t mean it’s the equivalent of an insufferable covers band performing twee versions of Zelda standards – which, in fairness, it could so easily have been. Rather, it understands how a series that’s always marched to its own beat could still benefit from a fresh sound and a change of tempo.

Delightfully (and rather damningly for Nintendo) it’s also the first Zelda game where you can play as the princess from start to finish. Well, almost – a short prologue casts you as Cadence, whose working-class hero credentials are established by her weapon of choice: a shovel. Finding herself in a Hyrule under threat from new antagonist Octavo (think Skyward Sword’s Ghirahim with a music-school scholarship) she gets to choose whether to first rouse a slumbering Link or Zelda. The other can be woken later, and once you’ve visited Cadence enough times, she becomes playable, too – you can switch between the three at Sheikah Stones scattered across Hyrule, which double as checkpoints and fast-travel locations. But if only for novelty’s sake, we stick with Zelda for the six hours plus change it takes us to reach the end.

It’s not the only reason why Cadence Of Hyrule takes a bit of getting used to. Those well-versed in Crypt Of The Necrodancer, the rhythmic Roguelike upon whose foundations this has been built, may well feel a little more comfortable. Otherwise, the opening hour leaves you in no uncertain terms that this is a very different breed of