Did You Know Gaming? put out a video with information about a couple of cancelled spin-off games for The Legend of Zelda series that Retro Studios pitched to Nintendo. Since then, they’ve been able to find out more about one of these two projects thanks to an official 22-page document about Heroes of Hyrule, a planned strategy game for the Nintendo DS.
Video credits;Â Did You Know Gaming?
More Heroes of Hyrule details
The game would have had a plot that had little to do with Link. A young boy named Kori would have found a book that, unbeknownst to him, was used 100 years ago to seal Ganon away. He would have gathered pages of the book unaware of its true purpose in order to learn more about the stories held within, which detail the adventures of a Goron, Rito, and Zora hero who venture to Ganon’s Castle in an effort to free Link from his evil clutches.
So, the game would have been split between these parts set in the present with Kori and these parts set in the past with the books. About one-third of the game would take place in the present day, where Kori would wander around town, playing minigames and completing sidequests to get more pages for the book. The tactical strategy-based RPG gameplay would shine in the past (the document makes comparisons to Final Fantasy Tactics), but puzzle-solving and exploring would also be emphasized between battles.
In fact, the game is described in the document as a mix of a more traditional Zelda game and a tactical RPG. This idea is supported by a number of the game’s mechanics and design choices. For instance, while traditional RPG stats would exist, leveling up as a concept would be mostly absent, with the focus instead being on obtaining items such as Pieces of Heart that you would use to increase stats. Items would also be multi-purpose, having uses not only in combat but also for exploration and puzzle-solving, reflecting their uses in more traditional Zelda titles. Finally, both the past and present gameplay would be tied together, with certain information acquired, actions performed, or items obtained in one of the two eras providing benefits or unlocking progress in the other.
Nintendo turned down Retro’s idea for the project almost as soon as it was presented. So, there was never a playable prototype, and the game is still only based on this 22-page design document. Still, it’s fascinating to hear about this project which would’ve constituted a brand-new venture for the franchise, and which has yet to be replicated since.
