Cadence Of Hyrule
Developer Brace Yourself Games
Publisher Nintendo
Format Switch
Release Out now
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 game where you can play as the princess from start to finish. Well,’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.
