Inspired by Zelda and other classic action adventures, the forthcoming Secret Legend looks good enough to eat...
The Zeldafranchise is moving into a sprawling, open-world arena with next year's Breath Of The Wild, but we still have fond memories of the 1986 game that started it all. With just a handful of pixels and a relatively tiny map by modern standards, it was one of the first console games to really evoke the feeling of being lost in a huge world full of danger and secrets.
The creation of just one developer, Canada's Andrew Shouldice, Secret Legend is an isometric love letter to the original Legend Of Zelda - albeit with a look and tone all its own. You play a "tiny fox in a big world," who begins the game with little more than his own paws to protect himself. But just like the Zelda games, the ancient-looking ruins surrounding the plucky hero are full of all kinds of treasure chests and pots full of useful items; near the start of the game, the fox has to bash enemies over the head with a stick, but further exploration will yield swords, shields, and other handy weapons.
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Secret Legend's presentation is, it has to be said, absolutely stunning: colorful, distinctively angular, and beautifully lit, it's hard to believe that it's all the product of just one designer. Shouldice's action adventure came to our attention thanks to PC Gamer's coverage at PAX West, and you can take a look at some footage from the game in the video below. See how the low-poly grass moves as the fox runs through it? Fabulous.
Another video, from 2015's Day Of The Devs, shows an earlier build of Secret Legend, and gives a more detailed look at what the exploration and combat looks like. It also shows you the Fez-like language that appears in the various screens and prompts - another element that adds to the game's sense of mystery. Skip to the 1:25 mark to take a look:
Secret Legend is currently pencilled in for release next year, and as such, there's still a lot we don't know. Other than PC, we're not sure whether it'll get a console release, though it arguably deserves one. We'll bring you more about the game as we find out more.
Source: PC Gamer
