Cadence of Hyrule

[Hero-of-Time]

The game's price is now on the eShop. It's £22.49. It's certainly pricier than I expected.

[Ronnie]

Yeah was expecting a £15 ish price tag. 22 is fine by me if it means a meatier experience. The trailer looked great. Apart from Link's cutscene character model. That was nightmare material

[Nicktendo]

Picked up the original on Steam for £1.04 

Didn't like it at first, but persisted. The game is a LOT of fun when you get the hang of it. Rogue like fans may want to avoid Cadence, there's permanent upgrades to be unlocked. Dunno if the map will be randomly generated, given it's Zelda, but I've liked what I've played and managed to get deep into the second level. The music is astounding, I can't even imagine how good the Zelda remixes are going to be. Those on the fence, pick this up while it's on sale, give it a chance, it could surprise you. Certainly beats dropping £20+ on Zelda and not liking it.

[S.C.G]

I hope they announce the physical edition of Cadence of Hyrule featuring both this game and the original Crypt of the Necrodancer at the Treehouse Live segment today or tomorrow.

Or just have someone from the dev team just say a flat-out "NO! it's not happening, buy both of the damn games digitially now! (please)" so that those who want a physical game don't feel the need to wait for half a year or longer for the small glimmer of a chance that it will actually happen.

I'm fine with either way, it's just easier if it's made known up front, like what has already apparently happened with the Grandia HD collection.

[Hero-of-Time]

The OT has gone up over on ERA and here are some details that i've nicked from it.

Quote

So the game is randomly generated like Crypt of the Necrodancer?
The overworld is semi-random with certain areas appearing in the same general location but dungeons are completely random. 

What happens when I die?
You will be able to respawn at any Sheikah Stone you have encountered in the overworld. You’ll keep your diamonds (used to unlock new equipment) and any major items and but lose insignificant, and replaceable, ones like torches.

So there is no permadeath?
There is an option to enable permadeath but it is not active by default.

I have terrible rhythm. Can I still play this?
There is a “Fixed Beat” mode where you are able to turn off the beats and just focus on your strategy without rhythm.

Any other features?
There are Daily Challenges for Nintendo Switch Online members.

How many songs are in the game?
The game features 25 tracks remixed tracks from the Zelda series.

Online co-op?
No. The co-op is local only.

Chuffed to bits with the no perm-death thing and the daily challenges sound like a great way to add replay value. 

Edited June 13, 2019 by Hero-of-Time

[MindFreak]

Ooooh, Fixed Beat sounds good!

[Ronnie]

Permadeath? Aren't there like 3 characters to play as?

Fixed beat is interesting, seems to defeat the point of the game but will make it a lot more accessible.

What time is the eShop usually updated does anyone know?

Edited June 13, 2019 by Ronnie

[Hero-of-Time]

2 minutes ago, Ronnie said:

What time is the eShop usually updated does anyone know?

Usually either midnight or 2pm. This may be a special case though and they may drop it after presenting it on the Treehouse.

[Sheikah]

Ooooh, Fixed Beat sounds good!

This was already in the original, if you played as the Bard. The best way to play in my opinion - I just couldn't sense the rhythm in the game at all. Felt like a very strange mechanic.

[S.C.G]

1 minute ago, Sheikah said:

3 hours ago, MindFreak said:

Ooooh, Fixed Beat sounds good!

This was already in the original, if you played as the Bard. The best way to play in my opinion - I just couldn't sense the rhythm in the game at all. Felt like a very strange mechanic.

I'm intruiged by this Fixed Beat mode as well, I had no idea that it was in the original game.

The way that I understand these games is that you move to the rhythm of the music, so you have to move or your enemies will? Unless they only move when you do?

So I suppose Fixed Beat mode just lets you play at your own pace while still enjoying all of the music as it is?

I'm definitely interested to play both the original and this latest title one way or another, I just feel like I don't know what I'm in for yet...

I'd pick up the original being that it's cheap but I'm still holding out for that possible physical Switch release with both games which might get announced today during the stream.

[Sheikah]

I'm intruiged by this Fixed Beat mode as well, I had no idea that it was in the original game.
The way that I understand these games is that you move to the rhythm of the music, so you have to move or your enemies will? Unless they only move when you do?
So I suppose Fixed Beat mode just lets you play at your own pace while still enjoying all of the music as it is?
I'm definitely interested to play both the original and this latest title one way or another, I just feel like I don't know what I'm in for yet...
I'd pick up the original being that it's cheap but I'm still holding out for that possible physical Switch release with both games which might get announced today during the stream.

In the original when you play as the Bard, time stands still until you take a move. Then most enemies move every other beat, so you can advance on them or retreat. Some move every beat (move) like you do. There are some enemies like dragons where there is a narrow opportunity to attack without them attacking you back.

Bard mod feels more strategy based than rhythm based. I'm sure purists will say it's too easy but it's still challenging enough, I found. As I say, I just couldn't get the idea there was a rhythm to follow with the music (this is no guitar hero) so Bard mode made the game enjoyable for me.

[S.C.G]

5 minutes ago, Sheikah said:

In the original when you play as the Bard, time stands still until you take a move. Then most enemies move every other beat, so you can advance on them or retreat. Some move every beat (move) like you do. There are some enemies like dragons where there is a narrow opportunity to attack without them attacking you back.

Bard mode feels more strategy based than rhythm based. I'm sure purists will say it's too easy but it's still challenging enough, I found. As I say, I just couldn't get the idea there was a rhythm to follow with the music (this is no guitar hero) so Bard mode made the game enjoyable for me.

Nice, it sounds like the game plays well in both modes and that the developer has thought of everything, it's always good to have options.

Thanks for the explanation, I'll be sure to try out both modes but Bard Mode/Fixed Beat Mode may well be an option for me when I get to play the game(s).

Edited June 13, 2019 by S.C.G

[MindFreak]

1 hour ago, Sheikah said:

4 hours ago, MindFreak said:

Ooooh, Fixed Beat sounds good!

This was already in the original, if you played as the Bard. The best way to play in my opinion - I just couldn't sense the rhythm in the game at all. Felt like a very strange mechanic.

I had no idea - and voila, I bought it.  The current price is good enough for trying out the game without losing much.

Edited June 13, 2019 by MindFreak

[Ronnie]

 

[Jonnas]

43 minutes ago, S.C.G said:

I'm intruiged by this Fixed Beat mode as well, I had no idea that it was in the original game.

The way that I understand these games is that you move to the rhythm of the music, so you have to move or your enemies will? Unless they only move when you do?

So I suppose Fixed Beat mode just lets you play at your own pace while still enjoying all of the music as it is?

I'm definitely interested to play both the original and this latest title one way or another, I just feel like I don't know what I'm in for yet...

I'd pick up the original being that it's cheap but I'm still holding out for that possible physical Switch release with both games which might get announced today during the stream.

You ever play Pokémon Mystery Dungeon? That's roughly how Necrodancer plays. Squares to move about, everything is defined by turns, and every time you move, the enemies take a turn alongside you (whether to attack, move, or wait).

It's just that, in Necrodancer, turns are defined by the beat of whatever song is playing (there's a visual aide and everything). Enemies always move/attack in the same pattern, so you never need to second-guess yourself, only find the right beat during which to attack them.

(If you miss a beat, this merely counts as "waiting". But there are a few disadvantages to missing the beat, like earning less gold per kill, and there are items whose effectiveness depend on how well you're moving to the beat)

In Roguelike fashion, there are different characters to use, and each one brings something different to the table (for example, there's a character that comes pre-equipped with more bombs and several bomb-related upgrades, meaning that the way you play as him is much more bomb focused). One such character is The Bard, who allows you to play in more traditional Mystery Dungeon style, without beats. It's good for practising with new weapons or items. There are also puzzle rooms/challenges in the game where you can only play as him (since the point there is that you have to think about every turn).

3 hours ago, Ronnie said:

Permadeath? Aren't there like 3 characters to play as?

Necrodancer is a roguelike. I'm guessing what they're asking is: do you always start from the beginning, or are there checkpoints halfway through?

I don't know if game progression is tied to a large overworld, or "Zones" you can pick from the lobby (like in the original), or what. And if it is indeed tied to a large overworld, does permadeath means you start from the beginning of your save file? Is that why it's turned off by default? Since I don't know exactly how the game is structured, their answer didn't help much.

If this is like the original, the different characters only affect what weapons/skills you have. You don't switch between them mid-gameplay or anything (then again, new game might have new rules).

34 minutes ago, Sheikah said:

I'm sure purists will say it's too easy

This style of gameplay exists without rhythm in plenty of other games (usually those with Mystery Dungeon in the name). So the idea that those who prefer rhythm gameplay are "purists" is a funny one I always thought it was the reverse.

[S.C.G]

Thank you for the responses, I feel like I have a better idea of how the game(s) play now.

Come on Nintendo, don't let us down on the physical version now... I'll be watching the Treehouse Live stream with great interest if/when they're showing this game off.

[Ronnie]

Of course Audrey attacked the cuckoos!

The map looks huge. Music amazing as expected from what they’ve shown so far. 

[Ronnie]

This looks brilliant fun!! And pretty hectic/tough!

[BowserBasher]

Caught the end of the treehouse and I think I’ll be getting this game. I was unsure on how it played but seeing it it seems like I’d like this. 

[Sheikah]

4 hours ago, Jonnas said:

This style of gameplay exists without rhythm in plenty of other games (usually those with Mystery Dungeon in the name). So the idea that those who prefer rhythm gameplay are "purists" is a funny one I always thought it was the reverse.

Indeed they do, but I have seen the opinion that Bard is easy on quite a few discussion threads when I was looking things up. In my own experience, I generally agree that Bard mode is easier because you don't have to move to timed music but rather than can pause and figure out where every enemy is going to go (many enemies display an animation the beat before attacking you). And you rarely lose a beat playing Bard so end up with a lot of money, so can typically afford nearly everything sold in shops. That said, it was still enough of a challenge to be enjoyable, whereas I didn't enjoy playing the characters who had to keep the beat. So a really good decision to include that character, I think!

I referenced "purists" because literally every other character (including the main character) observes the beat, and moving to the beat is kind of the game's thing, so it's easy to see why people might object to Bard on those grounds alone. People can be funny.

Edited June 13, 2019 by Sheikah

[Hero-of-Time]

I've been playing it for the past hour and despite me dying a lot of times, it's pretty fun. I put fixed-beat mode on and I find it to be a much better playing experience.

Look who I found!

Spoiler

 

[Sheikah]

5 hours ago, MindFreak said:

I had no idea - and voila, I bought it.  The current price is good enough for trying out the game without losing much.

Nice one. Glad my explanation could be of some help.

[Hero-of-Time]

There's a remix of the Great Sea/Overworld theme from Wind Waker.  

[Hero-of-Time]

What the hell? The credits have already rolled!

Spoiler

The game is only 4 hours long. I feel kinda ripped off considering it's nearly £25!  

The game is good though and there are a fantastic amount of nods to the Zelda franchise, from remixed songs to enemies that haven't been seen in a long time.

The game does have some difficulty issues. The first 4 dungeons are stupidly easy and pretty short but then there is a massive difficulty spike at the end of the game in the final dungeon. It really catches you off guard.

I found the spear weapon to be pretty overpowered, especially if you add the poison element to it. With the range the weapon has I found there was zero reason to switch to another one.

Zelda fans should get a kick out of the game and will enjoy the fan service on offer here but given the length of the game I think the price is pretty steep.

 

[Ronnie]

1 hour ago, Hero-of-Time said:

What the hell? The credits have already rolled!

  Last Boss + Results Screen (Reveal hidden contents)

The game is only 4 hours long. I feel kinda ripped off considering it's nearly £25!  

The game is good though and there are a fantastic amount of nods to the Zelda franchise, from remixed songs to enemies that haven't been seen in a long time.

The game does have some difficulty issues. The first 4 dungeons are stupidly easy and pretty short but then there is a massive difficulty spike at the end of the game in the final dungeon. It really catches you off guard.

I found the spear weapon to be pretty overpowered, especially if you add the poison element to it. With the range the weapon has I found there was zero reason to switch to another one.

Zelda fans should get a kick out of the game and will enjoy the fan service on offer here but given the length of the game I think the price is pretty steep.

 

That's a real shame, was hoping it'd be like other similar roguelikes and be more of a ten hour or so playtime.

That said, switching to fixed beat mode probably shaved a couple of hours off your playtime, but still!

Edit: Wow. Editing a post reveals spoiler tags, so I now know the final boss. Great.

Edited June 13, 2019 by Ronnie